Maintenance To a Pregnant doe

Kye022984 · #1 08/05/10, 09:27 PM

I was wondering what I should be doing differently with my pregnant doe. So far, she is getting Alfalfa and bermuda free choice. She is also getting a mineral supplement (Sweetlix Meat Maker), thorvin kelp and a cup or so of grain daily. Should she be getting more grain? Should she be getting grain at all? Are there other things I can do to help her stay healthy and strong?

copperpennykids · #2 08/05/10, 10:11 PM

It depends. How far along is she in her pregnancy?

For me, it also depends on whether I am dealing with a Boer goat or a Saanen....but I tend to micromanage, because I can!

Kye022984 · #3 08/06/10, 09:52 AM

Well, she is due October 6th so that makes her about three months along. She is a Saneen/Nubian dairy goat. She is fours years old and this is her third freshening.

Pony · #4 08/06/10, 01:46 PM

Another Snubian owner. Yay!

I just got a pregnant Snubian last week. She gets grass hay, alfalfa pellets, and a cup of mixed grain when I'm milking my Nubian.

Free choice minerals, free choice baking soda.

Had to hit her with Bo-Se as the previous owners did not, and I will probably copper bolus her this week as well.

I already have CMPK on hand, b/c she's a big gal, the buck was big, and it really helped my heavy-bred Nubian doe this past March.

motdaugrnds · #5 08/06/10, 04:16 PM

Since she is about 3 months along and gestation is 5 months, now is the time to give her a shot of Bo-Se (selenium supplement with vitamin e) and a tetanus shot. I would also make sure her hooves are trimmed.

Just keep an eye on her to make sure she does not start losing weight. The last 2 months of pregnancy much of what she eats will be going to her babies; so I add Beet Pulp during those months (just a cup daily) and make sure she is eating well all the other foods you have been providing her.

Like Pony, I keep CMPK on hand as well; and would not hesitate to give her a big dose of it after kidding.

I will share a funny story about my first kidding experience back in '96. I was going to make sure the kids got that first milk and they were not finding the dam's nipple fast enough to suit me; so I would take each of the 2 kids and one at a time hold them up to help them find that nipple. The dam stood still permitting me to do this for quite awhile, then she put her head on my chest and gently pushed me backward. I sat down and knew she had told me to stop. ROFL So, I took her advice and just sat there watching the process. It took awhile; but each kid did find the nipple on their own without my help. (Just wish I had a video of that event.)

Kye022984 · #6 08/06/10, 04:32 PM

I can get some beet pulp and keep up on the one cup daily of grain. What is Bo-Se? And what is CMPK?

Alice In TX/MO · #7 08/06/10, 05:48 PM

Bo-Se is a selenium supplement given via injection. Get it from your vet.

CMPK is a calcium supplement to prevent milk fever (low blood calcium) in the doe. Someone needs to give a brand name and source to order this, please.

Pony · #8 08/06/10, 07:50 PM

I picked up the CMPK from my vet. He has it right out on the shelf with all sorts of cool cow stuff. Don't need a script, as far as I know - at least not from this vet.

www.wedocows.com carries the oral, but the injectable is more readily absorbed by the goat's faster metabolism.

Dosage depends on the size of your doe. Not pregnant, my Nubian gal is about 125 pounds. I gave her 60 cc's SQ the day before she went into labor (she was freakin' HUGE - quads

). Could have given her 30 cc the day after, but inadvertently gave her another 60.

She forgave me.

Oh. That reminds me. Have a good selection of syringes and needles on hand.

motdaugrnds · #9 08/06/10, 10:51 PM

I order CMPK in a large tube from either American Livestock & Pet Supply, Inc. or Hoegger Supply Company. It is not a prescription. It is actually a balanced oral mineral supplement (calcium 54 grams, phosphorous 8.2 grams & magnesium 1.48 grams) in the size tube I get. I use it anytime my goats do not respond to Probios Paste within 24 hrs.

Bo-Se is an injectable form of selenium. I only give this because the area where we live is deficient in selenium. (If a newborn kid appears weak, I give it 1/4 cc of Bo-Se and it seems to fix it up real well.)

You might want to be sure you have a few items on hand for the newborn kids too, i.e. like some Iodine 7% to sterilize their navel chords.

Wonderland · #10 08/06/10, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

I order CMPK in a large tube from either American Livestock & Pet Supply, Inc. or Hoegger Supply Company. It is not a prescription. It is actually a balanced oral mineral supplement (calcium 54 grams, phosphorous 8.2 grams & magnesium 1.48 grams) in the size tube I get. I use it anytime my goats do not respond to Probios Paste within 24 hrs.

What dosage do you use for the oral CMPK?

Kye022984 · #11 08/07/10, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

I order CMPK in a large tube from either American Livestock & Pet Supply, Inc. or Hoegger Supply Company. It is not a prescription. It is actually a balanced oral mineral supplement (calcium 54 grams, phosphorous 8.2 grams & magnesium 1.48 grams) in the size tube I get. I use it anytime my goats do not respond to Probios Paste within 24 hrs.

Bo-Se is an injectable form of selenium. I only give this because the area where we live is deficient in selenium. (If a newborn kid appears weak, I give it 1/4 cc of Bo-Se and it seems to fix it up real well.)

You might want to be sure you have a few items on hand for the newborn kids too, i.e. like some Iodine 7% to sterilize their navel chords.

What are some other items I should have on hand for kidding? I have probios, and bova sera (which I don't really know what is for), I also have a lot of syringes and needles, I can look and see what else I have. But, what are the most important?

Also, will I have to be out there to help her or is she going to do this on her own? How will I know when she is going to kid? I knew my dog was going to go into labor because she nested like crazy the day before! She sat in her pool all day and moved the blankets around and didn't come out all day.Do goats do this sort of thing?

I bought a bunch of supplies when I first got the goats. And, I made sure to get all things I needed in case of an emergency. So, what is the kidding experience going to be like? What if she has quads? Will I need to bottle feed one of the kids to make sure it's getting enough milk?

Pony · #12 08/07/10, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kye022984

What are some other items I should have on hand for kidding? I have probios, and bova sera (which I don't really know what is for), I also have a lot of syringes and needles, I can look and see what else I have. But, what are the most important?

Also, will I have to be out there to help her or is she going to do this on her own? How will I know when she is going to kid? I knew my dog was going to go into labor because she nested like crazy the day before! She sat in her pool all day and moved the blankets around and didn't come out all day.Do goats do this sort of thing?

I bought a bunch of supplies when I first got the goats. And, I made sure to get all things I needed in case of an emergency. So, what is the kidding experience going to be like? What if she has quads? Will I need to bottle feed one of the kids to make sure it's getting enough milk?

I'd never heard of bova sera before, so I googled it and got this from Hoegger's site:

"For use as an aid in the prevention and treatment of conditions such as pneumonia and enterotoxemia, passive immune failure in newborns and shipping fever complex in adults. Bovi Sera acts much the same as Goat Serum although goats are not listed on the label. For larger herds, Bovi Sera is very cost-effective. "

Is your gal a first-freshener (FF)? If she had kids before, how many did she have?

Chances of quads are not that high. LOL. When Emily was talking me through the birth (via phone), when I told her there were four, her first words were, "Better you than me!"

ANYway, the hardest part of the quads was that they really wore my gal out. I had to go fishing to get the last one out, but believe me, there was PLENTY of room. (She's a Nubian, btw.)

Your doe may kid all by herself when you're not there; she may yell for you to come and see what in the world is going on. Most of us check fairly often when it gets to be a couple of days close to the due date, every hour or two.

A good place to go for info about what to look for and expect, as well as pictures and helpful suggestions is www.fiascofarm.com More info than you can shake a stick at, and lots of pics.

Most important of all: Don't worry. Generally, these things go fairly well. Just read up on the things that COULD go wrong so you're ready, but goats have been doing this without human intervention for a while.

Still, it's important to be around just in case.

Kye022984 · #13 08/07/10, 10:05 AM

Thanks for the info, my doe is four years old and on her third freshening. But, she was also bred to a Nigerian, so I don't know if there is a chance of having a bunch of smaller kids. If a standard size goat (like mine) is bred to a Nigerian buck which determines how many kids she will have? I know Nigerians will have 2-4 kids and standard size goats 1-2 on average. Am I getting this correct? So, as far as how many kids she is going to have, I really don't know what to expect there.

ozark_jewels · #14 08/07/10, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pony

Chances of quads are not that high. LOL. When Emily was talking me through the birth (via phone), when I told her there were four, her first words were, "Better you than me!"

Yes......I have had many sets of quads, but I prefer triplets. Quads are quite amazing though.

Pony · #15 08/07/10, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Yes......I have had many sets of quads, but I prefer triplets. Quads are quite amazing though.

Meh. They're impressive for a week or so, but then the thrill wears off.

Kye, the male determines the gender of the kids. The female determines how many there will be.

Hope for 2 or 3 instead of one big kid or 4 small to regular sized kids.

But whatever you want to get (3 doelings would be nice, eh?) you'll get whatever your gal dishes up AND LIKE IT! LOL!

motdaugrnds · #16 08/07/10, 10:00 PM

Wonderland, When I give my goats CMPK, I use the same gun as I use for Probias Paste and I squeeze it hard 2 times. If I don't see marked improvement within 12 hrs, I will give another "one" squeeze of CMPK into the back of her mouth. I've never had to do this more than twice. (knock on wood)

Kye022984, I always have the following items handy; but I don't use them all each time as it depends on how the birthing goes and how the kids look.The best advice I can present is to "stay calm", trust the dam to know what to do & make sure your hands are clean just in case. (Since she has kidded before, she will probably be just fine without an intervention.)

The items I have on hand are:

1. one clean towel (light soap on one end & just wet on other end) that I use to wash off her nipples "after" kidding. (At such time I squeeze each nipple just slightly to make sure it is not plugged up.)

2. large role of paper towels & a plastic bag .. I sometimes have had to help a large kid be born and I use the paper towels to do this as I can get a better grip on its little legs this way. Also, I use paper towels to clean up the area after kidding.

3. a pan of extra warm "drinking" water and small treat of grain for the doe "after" she is thru kidding.

4. Tincute of Iodine 7% to double dip each kid's navel in

5. enough small needles for each kid to get (1/4 cc "in muscle" of Bo-Se because "our" area is deficient in selenium; 1/4cc "in muscle" of Naxel just to be on safe side should navel tend to get infected...probably not needed; but i give it anyway)

6. Probias Paste .. one large blob into mouth of each kid

7. "Save-a-kid" syringe (a tubing to get the first milk into a kid too weak to nurse .. be sure and know how to use this) in case it is needed

8. a pair of surgical, elbow length gloves (with some gel) just in case I need to go in to turn a kid (have not had to use them yet)

Lastly, a can of soda or jug of coffee for myself! ROFL

Kye022984 · #17 08/09/10, 04:51 PM

Just wanted to say that I am #1 excited because I found a vet clinic in my area that are very practice specific in goats which, from what I hear, is hard to find! Yay!! And also, that my area is not Selenium deficient. So, she told me that if I give her a selenium shot while bred is okay and won't hurt she also said that it is not necessary. So, thanks for all the information everyone!