Doe had kid, wouldn't take to it and has no milk bag...help

AtHomeDaughter · #1 01/26/08, 10:14 PM

My friend has had her new nubian doe (a lil over 1 yr old) for under 3 weeks. She bought her bred and was told she was due Feb. 14. The doe gave birth on Sunday to her kid. The mom didn't know what to do with the baby and DID NOT bag up and has small teats! The kid died and my friend has been trying to milk the doe.The kid was maybe 4 lbs. (Premature?)

Should she keep up trying to milk her (she is getting drops each time she milks 2ce a day)???

The doe seems to be underweight and bony (although she has put on some weight since my friend bought her). Anemia? Worms? She is getting a fecal done this week.

Ever heard of anything like this??

Advice please.

goatkid · #2 01/27/08, 12:06 AM

If the doe was due the middle of next month, then the baby was 3 weeks early. This is why the kid died and the doe is not making much milk. Many times you'll never know why a doe aborts. If she joined a herd of other goats, she may have been butted. She may also have had some type of infection such as toxoplasmosis or clamydia. I've been able to eventually get milk from a doe who aborted, but if she can't get the doe to come into milk this year, I'd just wait and rebreed the doe in late summer or early fall. Doing a fecal is a good idea if the doe is thin. She should be wormed anyway since she just kidded.

fishhead · #3 01/27/08, 08:38 AM

Wouldn't milking add further stress to an already stressed animal?

I would focus on bring her condition up so she can better handle the next pregnancy.

susieM · #4 01/27/08, 08:43 AM

Are you sure that this doe was the real mother?

The reason I ask is that I found an old horse with a new baby and no milk. Later, I found a mare streaming with milk and no baby in sight.

It seems that the newborn managed to go through a crack in the gate and wander several hundred meters down the road and find an adoptive mother.

Could this have happened?

Rockytopsis · #5 01/27/08, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatkid

If the doe was due the middle of next month, then the baby was 3 weeks early. This is why the kid died and the doe is not making much milk. Many times you'll never know why a doe aborts. If she joined a herd of other goats, she may have been butted. She may also have had some type of infection such as toxoplasmosis or clamydia. I've been able to eventually get milk from a doe who aborted, but if she can't get the doe to come into milk this year, I'd just wait and rebreed the doe in late summer or early fall. Doing a fecal is a good idea if the doe is thin. She should be wormed anyway since she just kidded.

I think Goatkid has the right idea. Get the doe in good condition and breed her next fall. Trying to milk a underweight doe who has aborted will only drag her down more. We always worm our does after kidding.