I was so excited. It was a complete surprise. That little goat wasn’t supposed to be pregnant. The fat round goat over there was supposed to be. Not this tiny girl! (The round goat turned out not to be pregnant.)
This was my first goat pregnancy and can I just say I was all grins. I was calling the whole family out to feel the baby kicking and to look at the tiny udder forming.
But after the first dose of excitement I was running hither and thither preparing for this goat’s pregnancy. Thankfully I had already been slowly preparing for the round goat’s pregnancy and knew the answer to, “My goat is pregnant, now what?”
Let me show you how to answer that question. I can’t give you all the information you need but I can give you all you need to begin.
First, Take Care Of The Doe
母鹿需要适当的营养来保持健康并让肚子里的孩子成长。喂她优质的干草和苜蓿。如果她需要更重的体重,可以添加谷物。喂多少取决于你的母鹿。你希望她吃得足够多,但不要超重。
我有正常大小的奶山羊,用自由选择的干草喂它们。山羊在一次喂食和下一次喂食之间可以吃到所有的苜蓿。她们在怀孕期间得到少量的谷物,在最后一个月增加。
It is always important for your goats to have a good mineral supplement and now it is even more important. Make sure she likes it and will eat it. Kelp also contains a host of good minerals for a pregnant doe.
Be very consistent on keeping the does feet trimmed.
注意你的母鹿将要经历的变化。山羊平均怀孕150天或5个月。头三个月你不会看到太多变化。如果这是她第一次开玩笑,你应该看看她的小乳房开始形成。
The final two months are when the changes really start happening. In the fourth month, her vulva will start to enlarge. She will start to fill her udder but it will still be quite small. He stomach will start to get visibly bigger.
你可以把你的手放在胃的右下方,这样你就可以感觉到宝宝了。
The final month the babies do most of their growing and they get hair, causing the doe to need the most minerals in this final month. The doe’s stomach will get huge and she will start to waddle.
You should be able to feel the babies kicking now. Sometimes you can even see it!
Most does’ activity will slow down. The udder continues to grow. The doe might start to nest and seek solitude. She might get grumpy and push other goats around more. She could seek the comfort of your hand or want nothing to do with you.
The important thing is to be patient with your doe understanding pregnancy takes work and your doe is undergoing many changes.
During this time keep an eye out for sickness or complications. Some warning signs are:
- Refusal to eat
- Blood on the tail or bloody discharge
- Losing fur
- Pale or white skin around the eyes
- Doesn’t want to walk
- A hot udder
Preparing Yourself For The Kidding Experience
不,不一样。这有点不同。这是针对你的。我把它归结为三件事:写作、阅读和观看。
Write
I mentioned the notebook or phone in the birthing kit but really you use it throughout the pregnancy. A calendar works too. Start with writing down the most important: her due date. Then it is simple and quick things like “Discharge started” or “Felt kicks.”
Read
Just like you are doing right now. Read some goat birthing stories so you know what a normal birth looks like and how to tell when something goes wrong. You also need to read up on signs of labor and goat kid positioning with information on how to help out if you can’t get someone with experience or a vet to come.
Watch
Watch some goat births. It is a huge help to be able to see a real goat birth and it helps you to relax. Goats give birth all the time and normally nothing bad happens.
Preparing For The Day Of Kidding
You need backup. Someone who has been through a goat pregnancy before and who is willing to answer your questions.
A close-by goat friend is the best option. A good goat vet is the next but they can be hard to find and are really busy.
If you can’t find either then you can always join this friendlyGoat Forum. It is free to use and full of experienced goat owners that will answer your questions in a timely and helpful manner.
You need a kidding stall. Goats like to be away from other goats when they kid.
This is also safer for the doe and the kids. No one can trample the kids, beat up the does or interfere with bonding.
开玩笑的摊位需要清洁,并用稻草或干草分层。刨花粘在小山羊身上,妈妈好不容易才把它们洗干净。
It needs to be secure and safe—no small crevices that baby goats can get stuck in or escape by.
Water buckets need to be hung off the ground. Hang the buckets high enough so that if the mother delivers standing up the baby can’t fall in and drown.
母亲应该在她生孩子前至少一周半搬到她的玩笑摊位。我喜欢让它早点入住,让它有时间放松,适应周围的环境。她也可以不受打扰地吃东西。
You need a birthing kit. This is the bag filled with everything you might need to help your doe kid. You don’t have to use everything or anything but it is important to have.
Birthing kits can vary but here is what I put in mine:
- Paper Towels – three to five big rolls. Use them to dry mommy and baby goat off and pick up goo.
- Garbage Bags – A must have to put all the dirty and yucky stuff in.
- Towels – Use for a soft nest or for drying. I have a doe that is an avid paper towel eater.
- 球囊注射器-清除孩子嘴和鼻子的液体。
- Notebook or your phone –For writing important happenings down like when she started pushing or when was the first kid was born. Taking pictures of each happening is a wonderfully easy way to keep records. Plus, who couldn’t take pictures?
- 手电筒和/或灯-必须的,如果你没有照明在你的玩笑摊位。它也被用来检查孩子的位置,当孩子开始出现在它的包。你应该看到一个鼻子和两个蹄子。
- 橄榄油,在喷射瓶-喷射所有的后端做一个安全的润滑剂。如果你也要进去的话,可以作为润滑剂。
- Alcohol – I like to use the alcohol swabs that are individually wrapped. Use to clean and disinfect the kid’s cord.
- Scissors – Use to trim long umbilical cords.
- 牙线——我还没有遇到过这种情况,但是如果孩子的脐带流血了,可以用牙线把脐带绑起来。
- Soup, warm water, and exam gloves – These are for the emergency of you having to go in.
- Bottle and nipple – Some kids are rejected by their mothers. If they are you need a bottle on hand to feed the kids. I use human baby bottles. Some will need a small cross cut across the nipple for better milk flow. Buy at least two bottles of two different kinds.
- 体温计-用于生病或身体虚弱的孩子。知道温度有助于你或你的兽医诊断问题。你也不能给一个感冒的孩子喂牛奶。你必须先提高它的温度。
- Blankets for mom and babies – Birthing is hard work and mommy goat might need help staying warm. Putting a blanket over her can help her relax. Good to have for baby goats in case weather gets cold or babies are weak.
确保每件东西都超级干净,把每件东西都放在单独的袋子里。然后把所有东西放进一个大袋子里。把分娩包放在大家都知道的容易到达的地方。然后当你大喊:“快,孩子们!抓住生产装备!”你的取物者不会要求你理性地说出它的位置。
The Last Thing To Do—Enjoy
That’s right. Enjoy your goat’s pregnancy. It is so much fun seeing them grow round, feeling baby goat kicks, wondering what color they are going to be, or is it a boy or girl or both or two girls or three boys … you get it.
It is a wonderful time of surprise and excitement. And it is only the beginning. Baby goats are going to come and then the fun will really begin!
Emily Koopmann and the goats, under the herd nameGod’s Garden Lamancha Goats, live on a homestead in Colorado which they share with family, cows, chickens, turkeys, and a few other animals. Emily explains how to start preparing after finding out your goat is pregnant.
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