Goat kidding: colostrum and newborn kid care
Get clean kidding pens with dry straw bedding ready two weeks before the expected kidding date. Give each newborn kid warm colostrum equal to ten percent of its body weight within the first two hours of life. Feed does good late-pregnancy forage and an energy-rich concentrate to hold their condition, and record kiddings and milk yields in HerdMobile.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
How much colostrum does a newborn kid need, and how soon?
Feed newborn kids clean, warm colostrum from their dam at ten percent of birth weight within two hours of birth, split into two or three feeds over the first twelve hours. For example, a kid born at 3.5 kg needs 350 ml of good colostrum, ideally reading above 22 percent on a Brix refractometer. Colostrum carries the antibodies, fat and vitamins that protect the gut against infection. Warm chilled or frozen colostrum gently in a water bath below 50 °C so the antibodies are not damaged. Dip the navel straight after birth in seven percent iodine tincture to seal it against bacteria. In cold weather keep the kid dry on clean wood shavings or straw, under a heat lamp.
How should pregnant does be fed in the last weeks before kidding?
Over the last four to six weeks of pregnancy, move does onto good leafy alfalfa hay plus 300 to 500 grams of balanced grain concentrate a day. Kids grow fast in the last month, squeezing the rumen just as the doe needs more energy and calcium. National Research Council feeding standards for small ruminants show that fourteen to sixteen percent crude protein with enough fibre (NDF) prevents pregnancy toxaemia and supports plenty of colostrum. Give clean water at 15 to 20 °C and a free-choice goat mineral with salt, calcium, phosphorus and selenium. Move heavily pregnant does into quiet group pens where they can exercise and eat without competition.
How does HerdMobile make kidding records easier?
Record each doe's mating date in HerdMobile and set a kidding reminder; goats carry for about 150 days, so you know when to have the pens ready. When kidding starts, log the birth date, number of kids, each kid's ear tag and sex, and a note of birth weight in seconds. Daily milk from the does goes into your milk records, and HerdMobile works out a ration for milking goats from your own hay and grain, with the cost per head per day. Each doe's history keeps her matings, kiddings and treatments together, and all of it works on your phone without an internet connection.
Questions from the farm
How much colostrum does a newborn kid need on its first day?
Give ten percent of the kid's birth weight within two hours of birth, then another ten percent spread over the following feeds during the first 24 hours.
What temperature keeps newborn kids safe in the kidding pen?
Keep kidding pens draught-free at 15 to 20 °C, with clean straw bedding and heat lamps where needed in winter.
How does HerdMobile keep track of kidding dates and milk records?
HerdMobile keeps buck service dates and kidding records, reminds you when kidding is due, logs each kid's ear tag and records every doe's milk through the lactation.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
