Aster rejecting one buckling, I think

Alice In TX/MO · #1 05/23/12, 04:00 AM

The little white bucking (second born) just looked skinny yesterday, and his tummy wasn't round last night. Watched them a while, and she hiked the leg when he was trying to suck and walked away a couple of times. The other buckling is round and full.

Put the doe on the stand at 6:30 PM, tucked him under, held her leg, and he was ravenous.

Brought him a bottle at 8:30 and 10:30, and he *immediately* sucked down a few ounces. NOT a good sign if she'd been taking care of him.

Took him a bottle at 3:30 this morning, and he was lying in the open, away from his dam and the other buckling.

He took five ounces. After he finished, I put him over with the other buckling, and she did a mild head butt, but let him lie down with his brother.

We'll see how things are going after sun up.

KrisD · #2 05/23/12, 06:12 AM

Oh that's not a good sign. I know your not a bottle baby person so now what? Can your friend hat took Snowbell's babies take him?

Alice In TX/MO · #3 05/23/12, 06:16 AM

I emailed her at 4:00 AM with a report of what was happening. I hope she takes him.

Of COURSE, this buckling is the one I like better out of the two.

Backfourty,MI. · #4 05/23/12, 06:34 AM

Doesn't sound good, I don't like to bottle feed either Alice so I hope your friend can take him home to bottle feed him. Wonder why she'd just decide now she didn't want him? Goats are weird sometimes.

Minelson · #5 05/23/12, 01:10 PM

Poor little guy

Alice In TX/MO · #6 05/23/12, 02:15 PM

At least I know for sure he had colostrum. She's been on the milk stand twice so far today with me supervising so he can suck. Fixin' to be three times. Hope she gets with the program!

Donna1982 · #7 05/23/12, 02:51 PM

I wish I lived closer to you Alice, I would raise him up to weaning age for you. Hopefully your friend can take him or even better she will get with it and take care of her own kid.

Sherry in Iowa · #8 05/23/12, 03:14 PM

Sorry to hear this Alice. I don't know what gets into does sometimes. I almost think that they don't think a kid is strong enough to make it..so they just want to shove em out of the nest .. so to speak.

If he keeps eating like he is..and gets stronger..he may well be accepted by her. Because she will have a harder time telling the two apart.

Of course there's a chance she could hit him too hard..but I hope she will take him as he gets stronger. I'm so glad that you caught the problem.

bwanaswan · #9 05/23/12, 07:14 PM

Ditto on the taking if closer. I'm near Iowa City, Iowa and if you have reason to be close I'd take him. Raised 21 BB's this year and have most of my marbles so what's another one. Good luck.

Alice In TX/MO · #10 05/23/12, 09:37 PM

Well, after putting her on the stand four times today so he could suck, and topping him off at least three (or was it four) times with a bottle, my eight year old grandson and I saw her chomp down on his tail and FLING him away from her. Good grief.

We'll keep up the sucking and supplementing till Cole (grandson) leaves on Sunday, and then I'll see if he can go to the other home for bottle feeding.

Cole got VERY upset about Snowbelle having to be put down and her kids being fostered. Due to Cole's medical history, he is VERY familiar with lab tests, untreatable conditions, etc. His first comment after going VERY silent was.... "When are we going to go get her babies?"

Sometimes being "Gran" and the goat lady don't work so well together.

Backfourty,MI. · #11 05/23/12, 09:56 PM

I sure hope Aster will learn to accept the poor little guy! Maybe by the time Cole leave's it will be all better. At least we can all hope & keep our fingers crossed for you!

silverseeds · #12 05/23/12, 10:26 PM

Wow. does this happen often? I really wonder what is going on. Has this same goat had babies before? was it a single one if so?

I wonder i something is wrong with it genetically. A friend of mine when I was a kid had a cat who ate her babies, Second time she got pregnant she ate one and they took the rest from her and bottle fed them. In the end they found out they had some type of disease.

wolffeathers · #13 05/23/12, 11:21 PM

I think it's not uncommon in sheep and goats with multiple offspring. They'll bond to one kid and reject the others. Just one of those things you have to be prepared for(with any animal really).

Zilli · #14 05/23/12, 11:50 PM

I'm curious because I am new here, but why don't you want to bottle feed?

To me, there are many advantages to bottle raising - one of which is knowing that everyone is getting everything they need.

I hope the little guy does ok.

Alice In TX/MO · #15 05/24/12, 06:49 AM

This is her first kidding. She is a "first freshener."

I've had goats five years, and I've had goats kid with up to five offspring. NEVER had this happen before.

I don't want to bottle feed because I am overloaded with work. I am bookkeeper for three businesses, two of those businesses I manage as well, and right now I'm executor for the estate of a friend who passed away in March.

We've also are having family drama that I won't go into here.

Also.... I just don't like bottle feeding. Dam raised kids turn out just fine for me, normally. Dam feeds the kids on demand, I cuddle them and all is hunky dory. NO advantages to bottle feeding on my place.

thaiblue12 · #16 05/24/12, 09:51 AM

I'm with Alice, I prefer not to bottle feed. I hope your friend takes him too.

I really hate stopping work to come home, feed them and then turn around and go back to work. Or sneaking around to avoid them screaming and running at me for milk.

Dam raising has many positives to me. I like that I am not tied to milking twice a day everyday. It is all far less time and trouble to let them be with their moms. All my dam raised kids are super friendly, to the point I ask myself somedays as I am dodging little nibbles, muddy hooves pawing at my leg for attention, pulling on my clothes, why did I tame them?!?!

All that being said each year I find myself bottle feeding 2 or more kids per kidding season. Mostly it is the weak slow to start kids, sometimes it is rejected kids. I have had one FF reject her twin doelings and help her mom raise twin bucklings, another rejected a kid after I brought him back from being disbudded. She would yell for him, he would answer and go to her, she would butt him away.
Sometimes they prefer not to have two or more kids on them, other times the seem to prefer to care for one sex over the other.
There are lots of reasons and it is not because they sense something is wrong with the kid.

Backfourty,MI. · #17 05/24/12, 07:24 PM

I agree with Alice & thaiblue as far as bottle feeding. I prefer not to but will if it's needed.
Our dam raised babies are super friendly even with strangers.

Ranger · #18 05/24/12, 07:52 PM

Ok, Alice, go ahead and ship him to Florida. What's one more?!

goatkid · #19 05/24/12, 11:08 PM

I have a doe who should be kidding very soon. She does not like to raise her kids. I'll soon have more bottle babies. The doe stays in spite of not liking to mother her kids. She's one of my nicest show quality does.