by Laura Griffin Farrell
In the weeks before and after kidding, it's easy to focus primarily on the precious new kids and overlook some mama care that plays an equally important role in the health of your growing herd. Here are some things you can do to ensure the best scenario for your kidding does:
One month before and until no longer nursing
Increase grain feed to 1 pound per day - this is the amount my vet recommends, and you may want to adjust it to comply with your doe's needs. That said, even with triplets I haven't seen advice to offer over a pound a day.
Add alfalfa to her diet.
Five weeks and three weeks before
Some like to give selenium gel at this time, but you have the best sense of your doe's nutritional status regarding selenium.
Three weeks before
Administer a CD&T vaccine.
One-three days post
Deworm
If you don't know your doe's due date, your best guess is often good enough.
Immediately after kidding (some of this will depend on whether or not you were present for the birth)
Provide mama with plenty of water. mine like it warm with some molasses stirred in. If the birth has been long and arduous or if weather is unusually hot, add electrolytes
Check mama over, looking at her vulva
Is her placenta still being expelled? Are there signs of it nearby? She may have eaten it depending on how long the kid(s) have been on the ground. Do not pull the placenta!
Is she swollen? If so, she had a challenging time and you may want to administer banamine to ease her discomfort and allow her to focus more on her kid(s).
How is her energy and demeanor?
If she's attentive to her kid(s), talking to and cleaning them, you can give her space to bond and settle into her new role.
If she's agitated or fearful, be sure her kid(s) are clean. Move her and her kid(s) to a small private spot if she's not already in one. Talking to her, reassuring her, and maintaining your calm presence can help set the tone in the barn.
Multiple kids? Especially in cases of 3 or more, be sure your doe is attending to the last born. These are often the smallest, and you may need to put them repeatedly in front of mama for cleaning and tending.
If your doe is ignoring or rejecting her kids, it's important to:
Tend to the kids.
Isolate mama and babies to promote bonding.
Determine if there's a physical reason she won't bond. If so take steps to give her comfort and aid.
You may need to put her on a stanchion to allow her kid(s) to nurse. nursing stimulates the release of oxytocin which will increase her mothering instincts. This worked well for me last year when a first timer had a difficult birth overnight in my absence. A day of stanchion feeding, time alone with her kid, and a dose of banamine for her swelling/pain was just the trick, and she became a sweetly attentive and protective dam.
If no efforts produce a maternal response, the kids should be bottle fed colostrum for 24 hours followed by whatever milk you use for the long haul bottle feeding. In this case, make good notes about the doe's situation (are there clear reasons why she rejected her kid(s), has she been an attentive dam in the past? ) to help you decide if she should be bred again.
The peri-kidding season is full of anticipation and joy, but there are also times of fear and grief. Everyone has a different way of handling lost kids or lost does, and none of them are easy. If you find yourself in this position for unclear reasons and are able to manage the logistics and emotions around the effort, consider a necropsy to determine cause of death. This information will inform future breeding for you, and it might uncover important information for this small gene pool we're working with to create a sustainable, healthy population.
All said, I wish you all the best of results with your kidding and encourage you to ask questions on the San Clemente Island Goat Breeders page as they arise. Often there is someone online who can help in a pinch, and you'll always find a supportive and non-judgmental community there.