As we discussed in Chapter 5, after the breeding comes the kidding. When all is said and done, you will end up with a barnyard full of beautiful little babies ready to take their place in your (or someone else’s) herd. Once the kids are born, they will start out nursing from the doe. While meat breeds will nurse until they are ready to leave, dairy kids will nurse for a much shorter time.
If you are raising meat goats, unless the doe cannot nurse for some reason, then the kids can remain with the doe until weaning. However, if you are raising dairy goats, you will want the milk for your own purposes, so the kids will not be able to get the milk they need. As a result, kids of dairy goats will need to be bottle fed. (However, some goat owners have found a happy medium in milking for their use only once per day and letting the kid stay with the doe. This usually works only for owners wanting milk just for family use and having a doe with a good milk supply.) Whether for meat or dairy, it is important that the new kids nurse from their mothers for the first few days in order to get the necessary colostrum.
Newborn goats will nurse for as long as they are able; it will be up to you to decide when to start weaning.
Colostrum is the first milk the mother produces. It is very rich in nutrients and protective antibodies, and it gives the kids’ digestive system a jump start. It is best that the kids get the colostrum they need directly from their mothers; however, there are times when this may not be possible, such as when the doe is ill and has contaminated her own milk. When this happens, there are some alternatives. Look for a local provider of frozen colostrum. If you’re not aware of any, ask your veterinarian if he or she knows of a provider. If this is not an option, then you may use a commercial colostrum replacement. It should be available at most farm/livestock supply stores. After a few days, whether using your doe’s own colostrum or replacement, transition the kid to a bottle-fed, commercial milk replacement, which should also be available at farm/livestock supply stores.
Bottle feeding kids is not difficult, but it is time consuming. Nursing is pretty much instinctive for kids, so you should have no problem getting them to take to the bottle. If they don’t want the nipple at first, gently open their mouth, put the nipple in, and squirt a little milk into their mouths. They will quickly get adjusted and start sucking.
It is important that your kids receive the colostrum they need to stay healthy; if they can’t get it from their mothers, they will need you to provide it.
For the first three weeks, the kids should be fed at least four times per day. Starting at week three, you should also begin to slowly introduce solids into their diet as well. At week four, bottle feeding can be cut to three times a day, with free choice of a 14 to 16 percent protein feed. Starting the kids on solids will begin the stimulation of rumen (first stomach) development.
One thing that you need to watch for in kids being fed milk replacement is bloat; especially if the replacement contains soy (bloat will be covered further in Chapter 11). For this reason (and others), it is a good idea to make all food changes gradually.
Bottle-fed goats may be weaned at eight weeks, as long as they are eating their hay and grain properly. Kids that are feeding directly from their mother (meat-breed kids) may be weaned at any time from eight weeks on, after which you should monitor their body condition and food intake. Some goat owners will wait a little longer before they wean the kids of meat goats.
When you wean a kid from its mother, you may hear a lot of bleating and crying, especially from the kid, but at times from the mother as well. Weaning can be a stressful time for the kids, so you will need to watch for weaning shock. With weaning shock, kids (with males being more susceptible) can slow or even stop their growth. They may also lose weight. To minimize the problem, just be sure that the kid is the proper weight for the particular breed before weaning; the healthier the kid, the less the risk of and impact from the shock.
Although bottle feeding does take some time, it can be a necessity under various circumstances. But beyond that, it does allow you to spend time with and learn about the kids and bond with them if they are to stay with your herd. If done properly, you will have just as healthy a kid as if it nursed from the doe.
Wethers are simply castrated males. Unless you know for sure that the male kids will be used for meat (at which point they can be castrated in a week or two) or breeding purposes, they should be castrated at about eight to twelve weeks. Should you choose to keep a male kid for a pet or as a companion to another animal, if you don’t castrate, then you can end up with a goat that could be difficult to handle and could smell. A castrated male, on the other hand, will be a sweet-tempered pet. This is not to say that it is required; I did have a very sweet-tempered breeding buck with little smell named Elvis, who I kept until his natural death. However, this buck is the sort of exception that proves the rule.
Castration is not difficult, and with a little something to help the kid out with the momentary pain, you’ll both walk away in good shape. However, castration techniques will not be described here. Rather, for your first castration experience, it is highly recommended to have either an experienced goat owner work directly with you or your veterinarian visit and teach you.
Many dairies will disbud their kids; this is to prevent their horns from growing. A kid may be disbudded by using a specially created hot iron or caustic paste, usually within a few weeks of birth. However, both methods need to be done properly, or other problems may occur, including burns from improperly used paste and disfigured horns from improper or failed disbudding. Again, this process will not be covered in the book. To properly learn about the disbudding of kids, contact a very experienced breeder or your veterinarian and have them teach you on-site.
This is just a small sampling of the kidding experience. You will gain more confidence and experience with each kidding year. And if you have even an inkling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to call the veterinarian. But after your first experience, I guarantee you’ll become hooked on the little kids. Enjoy them while you have them.