r/goats • u/xtrathicccboi69 • 7h ago
Goat Pic🐐 My lil man Moo Moo or Mini Moo as my mum calls him.
He is 3 years old in September this year.
r/goats • u/yamshortbread • Jun 20 '23
If you are asking for health advice for your goat, please help us help you. Complete a basic health assessment and provide as much of the following information in your post as possible:
Clear photographs of relevant clinical signs (including coat condition) are helpful. Providing us with as much information as possible will help us give you prompt and accurate advice regarding your animal's care.
There are many professional farmers and homesteaders in this subreddit and we will do our best to help you out of a jam, but we can't guarantee the accuracy of any health advice you receive. When in doubt, always call your local large animal veterinarian who is trained to work with small ruminants.
What's up with that blue Trusted Advice Giver flair?
The mods assign this flair to /r/goats users who have an extensive history of giving out quality, evidence-based, responsible husbandry advice based on the best practices for goat care. Many of our users give terrific advice, but these flairs recognize a handful of folks who have gone that extra mile over time to become recognized as trusted community members who are known to always lead people in the right direction. If you get a slew of responses to your post and don't know where to start, look to the blue flairs first.
r/goats • u/yamshortbread • Jan 13 '24
Good morning/afternoon/evening, wherever you may be! In the Northern Hemisphere many of us are gearing up for our does to start giving birth. As we have many new folks here with us (and even those of us who are experienced sometimes have a panic attack when faced with a laboring goat), I thought it would be convenient to compile a few resources for community reference and use. This post is absolutely not exhaustive and I invite our users to share resources, experiences, words of wisdom, links and videos to help others who are starting out.
Note that I am a dairy farmer and this post is based on our experiences kidding out dairy goats; every farmer does things in somewhat different ways to begin with, and if things are different with fiber or meat goats I appreciate all of your input.
DETERMINING IF YOUR DOE IS PREGNANT:
First of all, none of the users of this sub are psychic and the chances we will be able to determine pregnancy status or due date from a photograph of your doe is very slim! Some goats are able to carry pregnancies all the way to term while showing no signs whatsoever, even waiting until during or after labor for their udder to “bag up.” Conversely, some does, particularly does who have “lost their figure” after multiple pregnancies, may look huge even when they are open (not pregnant). So the appearance of a goat alone is not itself a great way to tell whether she’s pregnant. However, if you would still like us to make a guess, make sure you include pictures of the udder.
There are three medical means of determining pregnancy for sure:
Blood Draw: Your vet can do this for you, or you can do your own. If you are comfortable doing your own blood draw, you can collect it in a blood collection tube and submit it to a lab like WADDL or use a kit from BioPRYN and mail it to one of their associated labs. Brand new to the market, there is a home blood test called Alertys which removes the need to mail the sample in a tube. It’s for cows, but early reports are that it’s working pretty well for goats too.
Urine Test: If you are not comfortable drawing blood or don’t have a vet to do so, EMLAB manufactures a urine strip test called the “P-Test.” This requires catching a urine sample from your doe. I recommend casually hanging out near them while they’re loafing and waiting for them to rise, or having sample cups with you when you let them out of the barn in the morning, as a doe will usually urinate when she gets up from loafing. Otherwise, this involves sneaking around behind the doe with a paper cup on a stick OR, for us farmers who are no longer grossed out by anything, seeing a doe about to pee while you’re doing something else and diving to make the catch with your bare hand. (You will want this skill anyway in case you have to use ketone test strips on your does.)
Ultrasound: Your large animal vet can bring a portable ultrasound machine to your property to confirm pregnancy. You have to be fairly sure the doe is 45+ days past breeding for the pregnancy to be visible. If you don’t have access to a vet with an ultrasound machine, try finding another nearby goat farmer (who you may be able to locate on your local farm Facebook or in this very sub) who might be willing to come over and bring their own machine. Ultrasounds are great because, while more costly than blood or pee tests per animal, they allow you to know how many kids your doe is expecting. While embryo counts are not always 100% accurate, this is convenient if you are taking deposits out of individual planned breedings, and to know what may be about to happen when your doe goes into labor.
PREPARING YOUR KIDDING SPACE:
If you have multiple goats, you know how chaotic and nosy they can be. You may wish to move a doe who is close to labor to a private space for her to give birth. This can be an empty barn stall, or a temporary stall constructed of pig panels, pallets or plywood (anything with openings too small for a baby goat to get through). Some benefits to doing this are that the doe will have time to rest and bond with her kids, you will be able to keep a closer eye on her so she doesn’t kid unexpectedly on the far side of the pasture on a 0 degree night, and the kids will be warm, dry and ambulatory before you return them to the herd.
If you make a kidding stall, make sure the stall is clean and full of clean, deep bedding. You can bring your doe in there anywhere from a few days to a few hours before she’s ready to kid.
If you choose not to make a separate kidding space, make sure your goats' normal loafing areas are as clean as possible in the days leading up to kidding. You may notice a doe selecting and starting to defend the area she wants to give birth in when she is approaching labor (such as not wanting to allow other animals to enter a certain shed or stall).
PREPARING YOUR KIDDING KIT:
Grab a laundry basket, large water bucket, tote bag or other item that you can place everything you will need for quick action. You will likely not need most of it, but it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Your kit can include (but does not have to be limited to):
CARING FOR YOUR DOE IN ADVANCED PREGNANCY:
In the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, the most important thing you can do is know the signs of pregnancy toxemia: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/animals-livestock/sheep-goats/causes-prevention-pregnancy-ketosis-small-ruminants Have ketone strips on hand (human ones from your drugstore are great!) to test your does if they limp, go off feed, or act off in any way. Toxemia is a metabolic disease that can kill your doe quickly, so if you see any of these signs, do not wait to intervene.
Obese does and does carrying multiples are at a significantly higher risk of toxemia. You can check your does' Body Condition Scores to determine who may be obese.
In the last month of pregnancy, if you are planning to feed your doe grain as part of a milking or nursing ration, you can start introducing it in small amounts to help support the doe’s caloric needs and prevent rumen upset from a sudden feed transition at parturition.
If you vaccinate your animals for clostridial diseases, a pregnant doe should receive her yearly CDT booster (or equivalent) approximately 4 weeks before kidding. This allows the kids to be protected from clostridial diseases and tetanus via colostrum antibodies until they're old enough to receive their own vaccines at 6-8 weeks of age. Two weeks prior to kidding is about the latest you can do this and have antibodies develop in time. If you miss this window, treat the kids as unvaccinated until it is time for their own vaccines.
2-3 weeks before kidding, you can make your doe more comfortable by giving her a hoof trim before she gets really huge. Whether or not you plan to milk, you can also choose to give her a “dairy shave” by trimming the thick fur on and around her udder with a horse, dog, or human hair clipper or shaver. This can help kids nurse if the doe’s udder fur is very thick, and/or can make milking easier on you and cleaner if you are planning to milk.
RECOGNIZING YOUR DOE IS CLOSE TO DELIVERY:
Learn how to check your doe’s pelvic ligaments! Familiarize yourself with where they are and what they feel like when they are taut. When they begin to loosen, your doe is almost ready to kid. When you can’t feel them at all and you can almost pinch your fingers closed around the tail head, labor will almost certainly occur within the next 12 hours or so. Here is one example video displaying how to palpate these ligaments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_Y4SaE4Kj0
You may also notice your doe doing such things as:
These are all potential signs the doe is in or about to enter pre-labor, so if you notice any of them, be on the alert!
RECOGNIZING WHEN YOU NEED TO HELP:
First: remember that 99% of the time, everything will go perfectly smoothly on its own and you will not need to intervene. You are just there to watch your doe and make sure everything is okay, and maybe to make a tough day a little easier on her by helping her dry her kids off faster. The chance that you will need to reposition or pull a kid is comparatively very small.
Make a note of the time your doe has her first “real” contraction. This will involve a full body push - normally the doe’s ears will go back and her lip may curl. If you are watching the doe closely, there is generally no mistaking the onset of actual contractions (versus prelabor, which may last as long as 12 hours).
If the doe starts real contractions and does not produce a kid within 30-45 minutes, you may need to try to help. You will scrub your arms to the elbows, trim your nails really short, and put your hands right in there to either assist the doe in delivering the kid or repositioning the kid to allow for passage through the vaginal canal.
If one kid has been successfully born and more than 30-45 minutes have elapsed with additional contractions but no further kids or placenta, and you have bumped the doe and suspect there are further kids, you may need to intervene.
Fiasco Farms has diagrams of several of the most common presentations and malpresentation of kids which are useful to review prior to kidding: https://fiascofarm.com/goats/kidding.htm
If you have a stuck kid and must assist, it is good to call your vet FIRST to alert them that you may require assistance or a c-section, because time is a factor with dystocias (stuck kids). You can always call back and tell them it’s all clear.
If you post here for kidding help, please be prepared to show us photographs of whatever parts of the kid may be sticking out of the doe’s vulva and tell us everything in detail about what you can see and feel. Help us help you by giving us as much information as you can.
RECOGNIZING WHEN YOU NEED TO ASK SOMEONE ELSE FOR HELP/CALL A VET:
CHECKING WHETHER YOUR DOE IS DONE KIDDING:
If you suspect more babies may be present, or you want to confirm your doe is finished, gently “bump” your doe to see if you can feel any other kids in her abdomen. See instructions here: https://www.cottonbeanfarms.com/post/how-to-bump-your-doe---goat-to-see-if-she-is-done-kidding
TAKING CARE OF YOUR POSTPARTUM DOE:
Ensure your doe has passed the placenta. When it starts to emerge, DO NOT PULL ON IT as this will cause a doe to bleed excessively. The cotyledons must separate on their own as the uterus contracts and cannot be rushed. Newborn kids nursing stimulates the production of hormones which encourage the doe to keep contracting and expelling the placenta, so encourage those kids to stand and nurse.
The doe might eat her placenta. This is totally normal and very cool to watch. Otherwise, you can take it away and bury it, compost it, or feed it to your livestock guardian dogs.
Most does are very thirsty and appreciate a bucket of warm water after kidding. If you have goat electrolyte powder, you may add it. If you don’t have any, you can add a tot of molasses (about 1-2 tbsp/gallon). Does normally love this and it gives them a little energy boost after a very tiring day.
For several days after kidding, make sure your doe is alert, oriented, and has no signs of illness or fever. She is likely to have a continual brownish discharge from her vulva for up to a month after she kids out; this is called “lochia” and is completely normal and not a sign of concern unless the discharge contains pus, is a weird color, is malodorous, or there are any other signs of illness. She may appreciate you sponging off her tail if the lochia is extensive and gets crusty on there.
BASIC CARE AND EVALUATION OF NEWLY BORN KIDS:
Make sure the kids are warm and promptly dried off. Allowing the doe to lick them clean stimulates her maternal instincts, but if it’s cold out you can assist with towels or even a blow dryer on low.
You can use a nasal bulb aspirator (found in the baby section of your drugstore) to clear mucus from a kid’s nose or airways. If the doe has several kids in quick succession, she may need help to clean them all off quickly enough so they can breathe!
Umbilical cords should be dipped in iodine or another umbilical dip formula to prevent infections, especially joint ill. If the cord is excessively long, you may choose to trim it with a sanitized scissors after blood has stopped flowing through it and before dipping.
If a kid seems weak, cold, lethargic, or non-ambulatory, they may require some intervention to be warmed and stimulated - if you see signs that something may be off, ask us for help.
If you are allowing your doe to dam raise her kids, make sure they can nurse and get colostrum as soon as possible. Kids should have colostrum as soon as they can stand and suck. The optimal window for their intestines to absorb the antibodies from colostrum lasts for only about 8-12 hours after a kid is born, and they need this to start forming their immune system, so make sure those kids are up and sucking as soon as they can.
Continue to observe the dam and babies as frequently as you can, especially for the first day or so. The kids will sleep a lot, but in the beginning the dam should wake them and encourage them to eat frequently. If this is not happening, or if the dam is not willing to allow the kids to nurse, you may have to hold her still to let the kids latch on. She may become more relaxed as time goes on, but she may not. If your doe seems to be rejecting her kids, is not allowing them to nurse or is actively trying to hurt them, ask us for help.
If you find yourself having to bottle feed, use this chart for frequency and amounts. See this comment from /u/no_sheds_jackson for advice on getting a kid to accept a bottle.
r/goats • u/xtrathicccboi69 • 7h ago
He is 3 years old in September this year.
r/goats • u/Top_Historian182 • 6h ago
Lately they have been choosing to lay down for a very long time.Anytime I brought them in they would be anxious and jumpy and all but they just sit,Are they feeling cold?
r/goats • u/Limp-Program-1933 • 15h ago
The facials though 😆
r/goats • u/mrwright33 • 1d ago
r/goats • u/SilentChaos001 • 23h ago
He's about 4-5 weeks old. We thought one thing, but others have disagreed. Would really appreciate it if someone could inform me if he's a kid (baby goat) or lamb (or something else), as well as what led you to that decision. Thank you much in advance!
r/goats • u/Funny-Occasion-8412 • 1h ago
Baby goat was born yesterday and came out this morning and his legs were like this. It's the mother's first kid and she is still letting him nurse. Is there anything I can
r/goats • u/Ok_Communication3251 • 1h ago
Hi, my goat gave birth to two kids, one died shortly after being born. After two weeks I have noticed strange udder, one looks like it dried and it is really small. Other is bigger but there is no much milch on it, maybe little kid that survived drinks it all. Should I contact vet? Kid looks well fed and healthy.
r/goats • u/thedaughtersafarmer • 13h ago
I just caught and trimmed/dewormed 11 kids and 9 adults. My back is dead and it's a huge pain in the butt catching everyone. What are other people's set ups when you need to catch a bunch of goats? Unfortunately I've only got a fitting stand, or I'd grain them during it all to make the actual administering easier. Pic for attention.
r/goats • u/jeffito3102 • 17h ago
Are her udders supposed to be this big. They weren’t this big this morning about 2/3 the size. She’s had kids before but they’ve never been this big.
r/goats • u/Capable_League9103 • 2h ago
Hi, I own a Pygmy and recently online learned that I needed to get it a pal or 2. I was thinking of getting a younger fella of the same gender (don’t want kids). Is that fine or do I need to get one of similar age? Also is there anything else I should look out for when getting it a friend?
r/goats • u/No_Minute_524 • 12h ago
I have 2 two week old babies that have seemed to be constipated. I brought the mama and two babies home this past Thursday. On Friday only one of the babies pooped once and it was a solid dry poop. I called the vet and she told me that mama is probably stressed and not milking enough. So she recommended that I hold mama still and let the babies nurse until they don’t want to nurse anymore so I have done that. However, this morning there still wasn’t any poop so I gave the babies electrolytes and continued the forced feedings. Finally this evening one of the babies pooped but it doesn’t look normal. I was just wondering if this is a normal poop due to the situation/constipation or if I’m dealing with something else. I am planning on doing a fecal Monday. Also, I’ve never had little babies before and don’t really know when they are getting enough milk or not. Mama lets them nurse for about a minute and then pushes them off and repeats this cycle all day long. Could it just be the stress of moving or could she be rejecting them?
r/goats • u/Responsible_Trash354 • 13h ago
Hi, I’m currently living where there are some rescue goats(2) and sheep(3) on the property in a pen together. I give them veggies and chin scratches etc. They are all generally sweet and social.
There is a very clear ‘alpha’ goat who has only ever been sweet to me. He eats gently from my hand when I bring snacks, although will be aggressive with the others when there’s food. Aside from snack time, he’ll bring his face to my hand to request attention, let’s me pet/scratch him all over, and will sometimes even bring his body up against me affectionately while getting some rubs. Very calm, gentle boy with me. Then there is the second goat. He’s a smaller breed, came to the farm later and was abandoned by his previous family, so presumably has a bit of a troubled past. Always starts with being sweet with me. Eats gently from my hand, brings his face to my hand to get pets/scratches etc. However, sometimes something switches in him and he starts to try to head butt and also thrash his head to try and get me in the legs with his horns.
I’ve stopped approaching him and only let him come to me if he wants, which he always does. He starts out sweet and then his behaviour changes. I’ve considered maybe it’s that he gets annoyed with the petting quickly, maybe rubbing his face sets off an instinct to headbutt, maybe he’s trying to impress the alpha goat or assert himself to me, or maybe he’s trying to do a normal goat behaviour with me and not realizing I can’t play like that? Once the alpha goat even stepped in to make the little guy stop bothering me.
So my question is: is this always aggression or is it possibly misguided play? And what should I do in this situation? I don’t want to be reinforcing bad behaviour and mainly just want to understand goats better and know how to be good to them. Thank you.
r/goats • u/ChaosPixie21 • 13h ago
I brought home a 6 week old Pygmy buckling yesterday and mistakenly didn't ask if he was disbudded before picking him up. His horns are already about an inch, so the breeder I used to disbud my last boy says it's too late to disbud him. Is that correct, or can it be done to just prevent them from getting much longer? Any suggestions on how to safely keep him with his new disbudded herd, or does he have to live separately? He's currently with my three 6-8 week old Nigerian boys while we wait to get banded before joining the 3 girls.
r/goats • u/Sea_Introduction_885 • 12h ago
Hello,
I have been doing Rover for almost a year now and I have absolutely loved it. I am currently a star sitter and I have about 10 repeat clients and I get new Rover request at least every other week.
Recently one of my clients had a friend that she referred me to that owns a goat farm and would need someone to house sit. (This would most likely be off Rover not sure if Rover has a goat option)
I wanted to see the public’s opinion on how much I should quote this woman. I am located in the Hudson Valley (north of NYC) and I currently charge $85 a night for overnight stays for one dog. I charge $25 for 30 minute drop in visits/walks for one dog. This price is average for this area.
I am meeting her tomorrow and bringing my boyfriend along, he would be interested in helping as well as he loves animals. I am not sure how many goats she has, what she is wanting me to do, or for how long she would want me to house sit for but I was very eager to jump on this opportunity as I want to expand my knowledge with animal care. I already advised her that I have not had experience with taking care of goats but I am available and willing to learn! I am a very hands on person and I am great at following directions especially if instructions are left.
I want to make sure I give this lady a fair price as I am a novice with taking care of goats but I believe I would be capable of taking care of many goats.
What do you think would be a fair quote for 1-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20+ goats?
I am really excited for this opportunity and I am so happy Rover had connected me with the community to meet such amazing people!
tldr: I’ve been asked to watch an unlisted number of goats, what’s a good quote for a novice?
r/goats • u/Cunningslam • 2d ago
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Has begun training. I'll make a basketball star outa him yet!
r/goats • u/BestCocknBoobsSucker • 14h ago
Hey, I'm a new goat owner (started about a year ago) and we've had our first birth less than a month ago. We have 3 kids now (1 girl 2 boys) and 7 more on the way. Just wanted to ask if there's anything we should know?
r/goats • u/sataniscool555666 • 1d ago
I bred my doe to my buck about a little over a week ago. She was 100% in heat at the time and they bred many times in about a 3 day period. What could cause her to go back into heat now about a week later?
r/goats • u/Apprehensive-Ad3354 • 1d ago
I’m buying a house that is on almost a full acre. Next year I would love to get some goats but I don’t know if space wise I will reasonably have enough? I was planning to block off about half of that as like a “chill area”, but allowing them to free roam during the day. I know you have to get more than one so I was thinking like 3. I would love to hear your thoughts!
r/goats • u/cutiebearpooh • 1d ago
My goats currently eat alfalfa hay from TSC. But I'd like to give them a rolled hay bale in addition to the alfalfa hay to supplement. I've checked FB marketplace and the descriptions will say something like fertilized mixed hay. What does this mean? Some will have that it is Bermuda or Bahia but most just say fertilized hay and a price. I'm just trying to find something that I can give to my goats. Can someone help me out and explain this to me, is it okay for goats?
r/goats • u/Lower_Ad_3439 • 1d ago
My goats kidded for the first time a little over a month ago. I've noticed that they have pretty loose stool that I think is from the extra grain that they're eating right now.
I hardly ever fed grain before their pregnancy. I'm now feeding a dairy goat pellet and some oats with occasional probiotic pellets. They seem totally fine. They're acting perfectly normal and have healthy appetites. I was just wondering if this is common for does eating more grain than usual. Is there anything I can do to improve it while making sure they get enough grain to produce milk?
r/goats • u/milkduhd • 1d ago
some of my goats have been losing fur on their legs, the vet treated for parasites but they are still super itchy and i'm thinking possible mineral deficiency. i've had them on dumor goat mineral for years but i've heard recently it's not the best. we also have hard water usually it's softened but it has been broken for acouple weeks, i've heard the extra calcium can block minerals from absorbing? it seems the hair loss popped up around the same time the softener broke
r/goats • u/Mossyclaw18 • 23h ago
About a week or two ago I posted a question about advice on when my doe would kid and she finally kidded last night. She had four babies in perfect reverse of her very first two batches. This time she had three dolings and one buckling. While this is not a question post. I would not mind advice on how to take care of the runt though. She came out second and is at least half the size of her siblings. She's doing okay but overall less active than them. I suspect she had a selenium deficiency because of her bowed legs.
r/goats • u/t00dles86 • 1d ago
We have a couple of weathered la manchas that we think are zinc deficient. What are some good minerals to give to help with that? We've been giving Dumor, but hust learned that it's not the best option.