Triplets and Quads

[dosthouhavemilk]

When your does have triplets and quads do you leave them all on the doe or take off to bottle-feed one or two? This is, of course, if you leave kids on the dam in the first place.

Does the number of kids a doe will have depend on her genetics or is it as influenced by her feed intake as well? When we have lead fed does that were being bred we tended to have higher numbers of multiples when tehy weren't fed to be bred. Which has more influence? Anyone know?

Hi

I have a nubian doe who gave twins 2X prior to my owning her, then with me she has triplets 2x only fed excellent hay..grass type not alfalfa. Once I dry them up they get very little grain. After Halloween they get pumpkins, and after xmas they get trees. I do put molasses and vinegar in the water bucket when bucket freezes. She is skinny looking (very dairy oriented) with deep belly and you can hardly tell she is preggers! My Toggy is 2ft across in the belly when not pregers and 3 ft when ready to kid. People often ask if she is pregers....nope just a belly goat! I do feed banana peels, apples and other scraps off and on. Childrens chewable vits 1 x weekly. Breed, heritage and feed are all role players IMHO.

and yes I do bottle feed my Nubians babies....and would recommend supplementing especially doelings....bucklings are disposable....meat or other. The does will milk easier if human raised. a buckling that you may keep is also more trustworthy if bottlefed but inbreeding is not good, but bottlefed bucks with good lines will fetch a good price if you have a market.

[dosthouhavemilk]

Originally Posted by Unregisteredabc

and yes I do bottle feed my Nubians babies....and would recommend supplementing especially doelings....bucklings are disposable....meat or other. The does will milk easier if human raised. a buckling that you may keep is also more trustworthy if bottlefed but inbreeding is not good, but bottlefed bucks with good lines will fetch a good price if you have a market.

We generally take one off the dam when they have triplets to bottle feed and then sell as a bottle baby. Our goats are not registered and not really registerable (one doe is out of a purebred Nubian who could have been registered).

We are just going to start milking them next year, and only the ones I will show in September (maybe four, five if Elegance settles and kids). Our current bucks were hand raised from one month of age. I know how big a difference it can make.

I thought they all played a role but was curious what other people's experience was with it all.

Velvet had a singleton the first time, twins, triplets, twins, and then twins again last year. So I can see it varying. :haha: