3 dead babies

TroutRiver · #1 03/10/12, 07:51 AM

trixie's triplet doelings were all dead this morning. I have NO IDEA what happened. They were all up and nursing and jumping around and looked great last night. This morning, they were all dead.

Any idea what this could be? I thought FKS came on slower than that? I don't think mastitic milk could have done it either...

either way, my boyfriend is ready to sell the whole herd, and not kidding. We might be getting out of goats for awhile. Seems like it's just been one thing after another.

Ford Zoo · #2 03/10/12, 07:57 AM

I've read that dirt getting in the umbilical cord can cause sudden death, but I don't think that would happen to all three at once. I'm sorry, I don't know your goats' situation. I have a doe that is very agressive to other kids. We learned the hard way when she killed a 2 day old kid 2 years ago. Just a thought...Sorry for your loss. I know its frustrating, but sleep on it and don't rush into any big decisions.

Steph in MT · #3 03/10/12, 08:07 AM

I'm soooooo sorry! How heartbreaking........

The Tin Mom · #4 03/10/12, 08:09 AM

Oh, my! I am so sorry! . Hopefully someone else can give you an idea.

Some years are so frustrating and upsetting, aren't they?

Suzyq2u · #5 03/10/12, 08:17 AM

Oh no, I'm sorry

wolffeathers · #6 03/10/12, 08:19 AM

Don't give up, everyone has rough years and great years.

Minelson · #7 03/10/12, 08:40 AM

Oh no! How devastating

I'm so sorry you are having such troubles

Don't make any harsh decisions yet.
Any chance on getting a necropsy done to find out what happened? For all 3 of them to just die is strange. Any chance they could have gotten into anything poisonous?
I'm so so sorry ((hugs))

thaiblue12 · #8 03/10/12, 08:54 AM

Could have been suffocation. Was it chilly last night? I never had it happen before but then again I breed for Spring, all my Winter kids the first week or two have been wearing dog coats, I give them hot water bottles yet they insisted on sleeping in a pile!
I did not have them in a crate or a tiny area they had room to move and be away from each other, but since it was cold they did a baby pile. I had three suffocate and I was so angry since it is a senseless death.

There have been a few times these past couple of months I have been ready to quit as well, but then I think about never seeing a few of them or a baby jumps in my lap and I get over it.
It had been not so happy for quite a few of us this year.

Oat Bucket Farm · #9 03/10/12, 09:03 AM

I'm so sorry. I have no idea what would take all three at once like that. Don't make any rush decisions.

yarrow · #10 03/10/12, 09:04 AM

Suffocation was my only real guess too... I can't think of what else could kill all 3 so quickly, without any symptoms before hand.. I did have kid just up and die on me.. fine that morning, dying by noon, dead by 1... his brother (who had left for his new home 2 weeks earlier)... did the EXACT same thing.. 150 miles away! On the SAME day!.. it was like they had expiration dates..my guess was Entro.. until she called me that night to tell me her buckling had also died...

whatever it was.. I just want to tell you how terribly sorry I am...it's been a hard kidding season for a lot of us... hugs

susie, mo ozarks

Shygal · #11 03/10/12, 09:19 AM

All three though? Even in a baby pile, one would have been on top and able to breathe. Im sorry

Backfourty,MI. · #12 03/10/12, 09:26 AM

I am so sorry for your loss, not sure what it could be other than too cold but still that seems strange for all 3 to die in the same night. Are all your goats together? Were they all huddled together when you found them or all in different spots?

I am truly sorry for your loss & it is very frustrating but really like the others have said don't make any rash decisions. Sometimes we all have a bad year but truly the good out weigh the bad. We have all had some heartbreak while raising our goats or other livestock & that is the real bummer but sometimes things just can't be helped & it's out of our hands.
Goats really are a joy to have around most of the time.

If you can have a vet to a necropsy it may really give you some answers.

Donna1982 · #13 03/10/12, 10:12 AM

We are so sorry for your loss. Did the mom lay on them?

GoldenWood Farm · #14 03/10/12, 10:24 AM

Oh Troutriver I am so sorry

. I would have a necropsy done on the kids if possible to see what the cause of death was. ((((hugs)))) Don't give up on the herd yet, we all have bad years.

Justine

cdehne · #15 03/10/12, 12:36 PM

I would guess hypothermia and starvation. Did they receive enough colostrum? Did you supplement them with a bottle since Mom was not making much milk? Newborns can die very quickly in the cold,especially if their belly is not full. Don't give up on the Mom, you may still be able to milk her.

Mastitic milk would not have killed the kids, and Floppy Kid Syndrome is highly unlikely. Smothering could have happened, but probably only because they are cold and hungry. If they were warm and had food energy they would get up and move around and therefore not suffocate. I have never had a kid die from smothering, and they do love to sleep in a pile!

We all have bad years/days raising goats. Knowledge, from internet, books and others, as well as learning from our mistakes/experiences are the only things that make raising these lovely creatures go more smoothly. Stick with it.

Chris

thaiblue12 · #16 03/10/12, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shygal

All three though? Even in a baby pile, one would have been on top and able to breathe. Im sorry

It depends on how many babies there are and who is laying on them. My kid pile was 10 kids plus I noticed the older ones were laying on top of them as well to get close to the hot water bottles. I put the younger ones in the mudroom for a few nights and when they went back outside I used more hot water bottles, spread out, jammed into corners and broke up groups of kids.
If it was the mom she could have easily laid on all three. Most moms will get off if their kids are crying, some might not so bright or she may have laid on them so well she could not hear them cry.

Mine were well fed, wearing dog coats, with hot water bottles and they did get smothered. Never happened here before but the temps were below freezing so it can happen even if they are full of milk.

Were they all together dead in the same area? Where they in a crate and a bigger older goat jammed themselves in with them?

Like I said it has been a rough year for quite a few of us. Take sometime before you decide to sell out. It is awful to lose them and worse when they are doelings. My daughter says when I say that I am being mean but this comes from a girl who loves useless wethers and would have a herd of a dozen boys if I let her. Wether boys produce nothing, her argument is they are cute and sweet.

TroutRiver · #17 03/10/12, 01:45 PM

We were planning on starting them on bottles today to supplement mama's milk. As of yesterday they only had mama's milk. They all got colostrum and were all feeding. It was chilly last night, but not unusually chilly. No colder than the last few nights have been.

They were in 3 different spots when I found them, not huddled together. One was crammed into a corner really akwardly. One was lying in the middle of the floor, the other looked like it was just sleeping up against the wall.

Trying not to jump to any rash decisions yet. I think my boyfriend was really attached to these 3 little girls, more than I thought. He is heartbroken

Trixie is his favorite.

Trixie is still here, we are going to give her some time and see if she pulls through without a major infection. Treating her with herbs and milking her out often.

nehimama · #18 03/10/12, 02:25 PM

What a horrible discovery! I'm so sorry for your loss!

Aussiemum · #19 03/10/12, 06:06 PM

Oh I'm so sorry, what a sad day ((hugs))

thaiblue12 · #20 03/10/12, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TroutRiver

They were in 3 different spots when I found them, not huddled together. One was crammed into a corner really akwardly. One was lying in the middle of the floor, the other looked like it was just sleeping up against the wall.

The one oddly in the corner, and against the wall may very well be squished or suffocated kids, the one in the middle of the floor is the one that has me wondering.
Are there other kids and goats around or is it just Trixie in with them?
If her udder is infected I am wonder if she passed something onto them.

Mine were in the corner all covered up by other kids and could not escape or get out from under them. It was when I was checking at night and doing head counts that I found them like that

of course my favorite one and only keeper was the first to be smothered.

I hope Trixie gets better soon.