Weird, super thick colostrum??

Milk n' Honey · #1 02/01/09, 12:04 AM

I have a doe that gave birth today. Unfortunately, only one of the two kids survived. The doe never had any discharge. I had checked on them earlier today and then tonight, when I went out, there was a dead kid and one very lively one. The first one looked like it never was taken care of. I'm wondered if it drowned in the sack. I feel bad for having not been there. It could be the doe rejected it. It didn't look like she cleaned it up while the live one was already dry. Here's the thing......I always make sure the kids are nursing well and strip the teats. The stuff coming out is thicker than I've ever seen. It is the correct color but is so thick and gooey. No way could I milk this out and bottlefeed it. It smells sweet, no bad odors. However, it isn't easy to get out and I'm wondering....is this normal? I'm not sure the kid is getting any. It is almost like it has gelled up. My insticts tell me that this is not mastitis. The doe raised two very healthy kids last year (as a yearling) and never a problem with the udder. She dried up normally last year and then bagged up about a month before kidding this year. I have no reason to suspect mastitis. Have you ever had colostrum like this and should I be concerned about the kid? I squeezed lots of the stuff out. The udder is not hard or hot. I'd like some advice on what to do. We've lost all our kids this year, due to abortions and so this is our one and only miracle baby. I'd hate to lose her. Thanks for your help.

RiverPines · #2 02/01/09, 12:21 AM

How many kids did you loose this year to abortions? What was the cause?

I am just wondering about the over all management, health, and quality of animals.

CookingPam777 · #3 02/01/09, 12:24 AM

Wish I had a sure answer for you but I wonder if you could blend goat milk in with it to make it smooth. Though you said you can't milk it out and bottle feed it. Are you saying it would be hard to actually milk out? If so I am not sure what you could do. I hope someone else can help more than me. If you can get it out though I would blend goat milk into it to get it at a drinkable consistency. Sorry to hear your have so much trouble this year. Hope everything goes well for you.

Milk n' Honey · #4 02/01/09, 12:45 AM

We've been through a lot with our goats. We've learned a lot the hard way. This is our 4th year. The goats have a barn for shelter, free choice grass hay and loose mineral, baking soda and are fed grain rations (not free choice grain). We use delouser and do CD/T shots. They have been very healthy. The suspect cause of the abortions is toxoplasmosis. I didn't realize that a litter of kittens in the barn can bring this on but I'm pretty sure that is what happened. So, I gave this doe a shot of LA200 to try and delay any premature labor. That was about 4 days ago. She gave birth today, in her kidding pen. She has fresh water and all-you-can-eat hay. I'm really not sure what is going on. It may be just extra thick colostrum. I can milk some out and mix it with milk in my fridge but I have no goat's milk. There have been no kids this year. I have a doe that lost her kids last week and she looks like she still has an udder. Maybe I can get her to nurse on her until I can get her momma's udder milking good. I might just try that. I might be freaking out over nothing. I'm just worried that it is too thick for her to suck out. It looks like a light yellow paste when it comes out. It is shiny looking. When I close two fingers together on the substance and then pull them apart, it will string between my fingers. It apears and smells normal other than being much thicker than what I'm used to. I thought maybe it was the plug but I kept squeezing more and more out and finally realized that there was no end to it. Hmmmm.....I don't know.....

qutes · #5 02/01/09, 01:28 AM

Almost all of my boers clostrum is a lot thicker than any other I have ever seen. A lot like molasses! I just figured it was normal for the breed. It has not caused any problems. If I have to bottle feed a baby I just add a small amount of very warm water to it.

betsy h. · #6 02/01/09, 05:52 AM

Not wierd at all. Super nutient rich. This is what you want to see. The thicker and richer colostrum is, the more good stuff the doe has to give her babies.

betsy h. · #7 02/01/09, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qutes

If I have to bottle feed a baby I just add a small amount of very warm water to it.

"Never' add water! It will cause the colostrum to sieze up, become hard like a really thick pudding and be no good to anyone.

Use milk to stretch colostrum.

HappyFarmer · #8 02/01/09, 05:56 AM

Thick Colostrum. Milk it out just until it thins enough for the kid to suck. There should be some still in the udder for the kid, though not as concentrated. Mix some with milk & bottle feed as the first is the most concentrated. Save some for future kiddings in the event you need it. Make sure the doe has plenty of water. They should be fine.
HF

Minelson · #9 02/01/09, 08:16 AM

I am happy you got a healthy baby after all you have been through. One is better than none. Is it a boy or a girl?

RiverPines · #10 02/01/09, 01:02 PM

I have cats and kittens with goats in numbers!!
I never had a goat abort.
Isnt there some disease or something that can cause abortions in a herd?
Abortions are not normal, especially in more than one goat.

hoofinitnorth · #11 02/02/09, 01:42 PM

A good friend has a doe that has EXTREMELY thick colostrum. It is almost like... sweetened condensed milk. It melts when it's warmed up, but comes out very thick, like you describe. It's just the way she is.

Jcran · #12 02/02/09, 05:12 PM

There's a "thermometer" out there that you can drop in a graduated cylinder of colostrum that will show how good the colostrum is; the higher it sits in the colostrum, the thicker the colostrum is, and the better it is supposed to be. I'd never heard of this before last week, when we were at a 4-H meeting at the vets office.

hoofinitnorth · #13 02/03/09, 11:54 AM

It's called a colostrometer.

http://www.valleyvet.com/Farm/Equipm.../Colostrometer

I don't know how it works, exactly. Anyone ever use one?

billygoatridge · #14 02/03/09, 04:00 PM

I've got a goat that has colostrum like that about every other year. I thought it was mastitis the first year she did it. Someone suggested using a small amount of oxytocin to encourage her to let down more milk. This helped to thin the colostrum. Do you have any colostrum in the freezer to make sure the kid gets some? I've got a little extra I could spare if you want to drive acrost the county to get it.

Feral Nature · #15 02/03/09, 04:45 PM

My Boers have always had thicker colostrum than my dairy goats.

Also, I ALWAYS ALWAYS have frozen colostrum in my freezer from year to year. It is labeled with the date, name of doe it is from, how many hours old the colostrum is collected postpartum (the colostrum right after birth is of higher quality than the colostrum 12-24 hours later. So I label carefully. I keep "older" colostrum too in case of a "bad" emergency.

Also, my neighbors and vet know I have colostrum in my freezer....I hear the going price is $20./pint or was a few years ago. Or it can be given away to baby animals in need, good karma and all.

Good to have for newborn humans as well, I would imagine...in a "bad" emergency that is.

hoofinitnorth · #16 02/03/09, 05:05 PM

We do the same here, with colostrum labeled in the freezer. We took a tip to freeze it in ice cube trays and then repackage it in sealed locking bags with labels. Works GREAT to just take out one or two cubes and put them in a baggie and put the baggie in warm water to thaw gently. Then we pour it into a bottle or pan or bowl for tubing or whatever we're using to feed. We pulled this out first every time we had anyone looking a little off, even if they were an older kid.

Feral Nature · #17 02/03/09, 05:10 PM

Heather, we do that too...that is, freeze some of the colostrum in ice cubes. Makes for nice little serving amounts when needed.