Quads !!!

woody111 · #1 10/12/08, 05:20 PM

i have a question. friday night our pygmy doe freshend with 4 kids. all are nursing well and getting along fine. can she successfuly raise all these kids or will i need to bottle feed one of them? this is the second time this doe has had kids and is in good body condition. i do have another 1st time doe who had one kid on tuesday. is it to late to give her one of the 4 kids? what are the chances she will accept it and let it nurse? the doe's are both penned up seperatly with their kids or kid in a shed with lots of straw.

LittleRedHen · #2 10/12/08, 05:44 PM

no idea on your questions but congrats on the quads!!

Minelson · #3 10/12/08, 05:55 PM

Yes congratulations! I would at least try with the other Doe..who knows unless you try

RiverPines · #4 10/13/08, 01:51 AM

I dont know about the doe raising that many on her own, but trying to put a kid with another will most likely result in it getting pushed away and possibly hurt by the other doe.
Does know their kids by smell and a strange smelling kid doesn't belong.
I wouldnt risk it as it doent take much for a kid to get hurt by another doe.

Feathers-N-Fur · #5 10/13/08, 02:04 AM

It is possible to graft a kid onto another doe but it is a lot of work, and doesn't sound like you really need to. Small goats tend to have higher numbers of babies. It is natures way of keeping the kids small. I'm not sure on the milk supply with Pygmys, but Nigerian Dwarfs regularly raise 3-5 on their own. I would just watch the kids to make sure they continue to thrive, then if you need to add a supplemental feeding once or twice a day, you can.

BobDFL · #6 10/13/08, 06:40 AM

Congrats on the Quads

I know when my Nubian doe had quads last year, she couldn't keep up with them (we were bottle feeding anyway) and we had to add replacer to stretch the milk she was supplying.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 10/13/08, 06:44 AM

Where are the pics?

Chaty · #8 10/13/08, 07:24 AM

Congrats! I have a doe that raise all 4 of her babies with no problems at all. I did take out a bottle every once in a while but not to often. I use real milk either goat or cow to feed, sorry dont like replacer...If they seem to not be growing then I would either pull 2 and bottle feed them or just supplement a bottle. Grafting a doe to kid is lots of work and still might not work. Some think they cant count but they can and know how many they have...Good luck

Bluemountainkid · #9 10/13/08, 05:19 PM

We have Nubians, so it might not be the same, but when our Nubian doe had quadruplets, the previous owner's freind had a doe that had just one baby. So she took the runt of the four and drafted the doeling to her doe. It may have helped a little that the kid of the freind's doe was wearing a coat to that when our doeling had the coat on, she'd smell like the doe's kid. . .
As I said, this was with Nubians, so it might not apply, but just thought I'd share my own experience. . though, of course, i WASN"T the one drafting a kid onto another doe.

Thanks,
Bluemountainkid

goatkid · #10 10/15/08, 01:36 AM

I've never raised Pygmies, but I never let my does raise more than two kids. When they have triplets or quads, I pull the extras (doelings, it there are any) and bottle feed them. Of course, you need to be sure they get a day of colostrum. I raise dairy goats, so I keep frozen pasteurized goat milk in my deep freze for that purpose. If you don't have goat milk, whole cow's milk can be fed.