Doe had 5 babies can she raise all?

Birch Hill Farm · #1 04/11/11, 12:28 PM

When I went down to the barn this morning I was quite suprised to find one of our boar does had given birth to 5 babies!. She was pretty big, so I was thinking tripplets but 5? I was really hoping to grow the heard this year but all 5 are bucks, that makes are baby count so far at 2 does and 11 bucks. My question is has any one had a doe to raise 5 babies without problems with milk supply? This doe has a very large udder for a boar and has 4 functional well spaced teats. Is it possible or are we going to need to suppliment?
thanks-jon

bknthesdle · #2 04/11/11, 12:59 PM

Wow! 5 babies!! Congrats!!! Would love to see pictures!!! We supplimented when a cow had twins. Could you just suppliment from time to time? Or would pulling off 1-2 be more Feasible?

Birch Hill Farm · #3 04/11/11, 01:40 PM

Supplimenting from time to time would be best if she will not reject the babies. In the past we have supplimented and the mother ended up rejecting the one we fed, I guess it smelled like anothers does milk. I will try to get some pictures this evening. Thanks.

where I want to · #4 04/11/11, 02:04 PM

I have never left 5 on a mom so I don't know. I suspect if she's an attentive mom, and well fed and all the kids are healthy enough to demand to be fed, she just might do it. But the reason I don't like more than three on my two teated girls is that they tear up the teats so badly. Then as they get more sore, the mom is more reluctant to let the kids nurse as much.
I really would like to know how it works if you do let them all nurse. I've never had a four-teater but can see the advantage.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 04/11/11, 02:38 PM

My Mini-Mancha had five. I was told to bottle feed three, as the kids would fight over teats. I know she didn't make quite enough milk for all five, anyway. She kept two, and I am bottle feeding three. The other two know what a bottle is, as they get on in the mornings, now, but I sure would hesitate to leave five kids on a doe.

AuntKitty · #6 04/11/11, 03:22 PM

He said she has 4 teats. When my Nubians have triplets (2 teats) they handle feeding the 3 and their teats are just fine. I would worry it would take too much out of her feeding 5 boys. If you want to try leaving them with her, just watch her carefully and you may need to keep increasing her grain as they grow and keep a good eye out for milk fever.

Kitty

**mygoat** · #7 04/11/11, 05:27 PM

I would NOT try it. You're likely to end up with 5 stunted kids, IMO, which would be more trouble than having to supplement/pull a few. If it were me, I'd pull 2 of them - any good boer doe should be able to raise 3 on her own, MAYBE 4 - but I wouldn't want to pull a kid to put on a bottle without a similar aged companion so I'd take 2. If you don't want to deal with bottle babies, advertise them on craigslist as available NOW on the bottle.

KSALguy · #8 04/11/11, 06:26 PM

all these pour scrub goats with red heads give real Boers a bad name in the milking/mothering department, if she has a nice big udder and is doing her job well i would watch to see how everyone does, if you need to suppliment one or two from time to time that is fair but i would still leave them with her as long as she was able to handle things, keep her well fed and watch to see how she does, its also possible the kids will steal from other does too,

Birch Hill Farm · #9 04/11/11, 06:59 PM

Thanks for all the input! She is a well bred boar who is an excellent mother. I think we will try it for a little while and see how it goes. I think she will have no trouble keeping up with milk production while they are small, but I do see it being a problem when they get a bit bigger. I will keep her in a separate stall so she will not have to compete for food and I can increase quanities as needed.
thanks-jon

Jcran · #10 04/11/11, 07:31 PM

You might want to bottle feed some or ALL of them just enough to keep them willing to take a bottle, so that when they DO need the extra supplementing, you are not fighting a losing battle to give it to them. We ended up with two gorgeous month-old babies who'd been pulled off their moms who were having trouble keeping up. They FOUGHT taking the bottle for over a week and I was ready to make them into slippers! Now they are sweeties who love me, but they lost a lot of ground in the meantime and I'm not sure how much they'll make up.

Birch Hill Farm · #11 04/11/11, 10:16 PM

not a great picture but its all I have right now.
Doe had 5 babies can she raise all? - Goats

Eunice · #12 04/11/11, 11:36 PM

Beautiful babies, and appear to be pretty even in size . Hope they do well on mom.

bknthesdle · #13 04/12/11, 09:50 AM

Darling babies!!! I hope all goes well with them and the mom!

Oat Bucket Farm · #14 04/12/11, 09:59 AM

Wow, what an adorable little herd your doe has there!

pygmybabies · #15 04/12/11, 01:12 PM

They are so cute

Blue Run Farm · #16 04/12/11, 04:49 PM

So cute! Good luck with them!

MrsSurplus · #17 04/12/11, 05:01 PM

Very nice looking bucklings! What a mama!

Ranger · #18 04/12/11, 05:15 PM

Wow, how absolutely beautiful!!!

bknthesdle · #19 04/17/11, 08:50 PM

How are mom and babies doing?

wolffeathers · #20 04/18/11, 10:40 AM

Wow! I was expecting five teeny tiny babies, but those are pretty good sized babies! She must have been HUGE! She had a litter of kids. LOL Beautiful goats!