Chance to have another go - Felicity Stockwell looks at birth and the early care of kids and does

All around us, not the least in the goat family, modern breeders are opting to breed their stock earlier in the year. There is no doubt that, in part, this is due to climate change and the fact that many goats are cycling (coming into season) as early as June and July.

I have heard of some goats who now seem to cycling right through the year. In theory, this should not be happening as oestrus is due to changes in light length of the days but I would suggest that this has been a steady progression over the last ten years particularly in the most southern counties of Britain such as my own, in Cornwall. November, December and January-born kids are not at all uncommon now. (I wonder if your December-born kid becomes a goatling when it is a couple of weeks old in the New Year?) This, of course, can present a different set of challenges to the goat keeper in view of the fact that if kids are born earlier their needs and those of their dams are somewhat different to those of the later born kid.

So let us assume then that you are expecting winter-born kids. What is different for them? Well for a start, they will be born inside and probably remain so for several weeks. The weather maybe much warmer but, and this is the big one, it is wetter. Wet weather and goats don't go together. They hate it and they do not fair well outside in the wet, falling prey, very quickly to pneumonia and other afflictions. A saturated kid will almost certainly die from hypothermia, even on a warmish day. Goats' coats are not waterproof and they become chilled very quickly. So the early kidder has no choice really than to be.

If your goat is normally kept outside, with shelter, start to bring her in around 14 days before kidding to her birthing place. This will make sure that she has adjusted to all the micro-organisms that will be living in that environment and will have built up a degree of resistance for both herself and her new-born kids. It needs to be a newly-cleaned and disinfected pen which is at least 6ft square. (bigger if you can manage it). Make sure that it is very well strawed with banked sides and no gaps where a new-born kid can become trapped. Raise water buckets in a holder to head height so that there is no chance of a kid being "dropped" into a watery grave. Have plenty of the best quality hay or haylage available. Do make sure your haylage has been tested for protein levels and toxins, particularly if it is farm produced. Branded haylage will have this certification as standard. If she is kept inside, then clean out the pen thoroughly, as previously described, two weeks before her birthing date.

Well in advance of the date, prepare a box with a lid containing all the things you might need for the birth as follows:

• Liquid hand wash
  
• Nailbrush
  
• Surgical Gloves
  
• Obstetric Gel (obtainable from all agricultural merchants' shops)
  
• Towel
  
• Nail scissors/clippers
  
• Vet's telephone number
  
  If you are kidding later in the year, then birthing outside is fine, providing the weather is fine and the pasture is good, but she should have a "private" place to go. Other goats will not be tolerated at this time and she should be protected from their attentions. Once the kids are born, most goats get well and truly visited by their herd companions and much excitement ensues - a bit like a herd of elephants!
  
  You should have a fairly good idea of birthing dates (151 days from the day of her last covering) so make sure that the pen has been well-strawed up on a daily basis and is kept as clean as possible. Despite our best intentions, many goats kid quietly at night on their own with no ill effects but if you can be around, your quiet presence is usually appreciated. Keep dogs, neighbours, noisy children out of the equation if you can (I find Classic Fm a definite asset at this time, playing quietly in the background although a Hayley Westonra CD has become a popular option!) The best thing is to do nothing unless needs demand it. In my experience the majority of goats do just fine on their own and this is the normal run of events:
  
  
• The goat's vulva will appear slack and elongated
  
• She will develop hollows either side of her tail
  
• Her tail will become "hooky"
  
• The goat will appear restless and will paw her bedding
  
• She may get up and down several times
  
• She will turn and look at her flanks
  
• She may bleat quietly at her unborn offspring while turning to look at her abdomen
  
• She will eventually start to strain either standing up or lying down
  
  After a few strains she will produce a "bubble" at the back which is the water bag and you should be able to see that it contains two hooves and a nose. This will quite quickly break the bag and after a couple of big strains the infant goat will appear. Now you can go into the pen and help her by bringing the kid to her head end and allowing her to lick and wash it. She may stop quite suddenly and get on with straining again as a second, third and sometimes (but rarely) fourth kid are born. If there are two, she will cope with cleaning them both very well, but if it is a multiple birth your help will be much appreciated. Have a cardboard box filled with straw ready to pop the first delivery(s) in to keep them from harm while the other kids are being born. Keep the box in the pen so that the mother does not become anxious. Once all kids are delivered, return them to her to attend to. Leave the box within the pen on its side as the kids will happily get inside to sleep at night and keep warmer as a result. They won't get stuck as goat mums are usually ingenious with their fore hooves!
  
  What if it all goes wrong? Well, occasionally it does and so below I have listed some incidences where you can help and some where you simply must call your vet or get your local expert goat keeper in.

• If your goat has been straining for more than 20 mins with no result - call your vet and talk it through - he may want to come now or ask some poignant questions and wait a while.

• If after a pair of hooves appear and no nose after five minutes - time to scrub up and investigate as described below.

• If a tail or rump appear and nothing else - as above.

• If one hoof appears and nothing else - as above.

Once your own investigation has been done, only you can decide if you need help or not.

Scrub up and go. Using the components in your "birth box", make sure your nails are short and have no nail varnish etc. thoroughly wash in hot soapy water and scrub nails. Use surgical gloves if you prefer but the nails still need to be short!

Using some obstetric jelly, squeeze a little on your hands and closing all your fingers and thumb together to make a point, insert then into the vulva and feel what is there. If you have two hooves and a nose, no worries, things are going well.

If you find no nose then there is a good chance that the kid has its head back or twisted and then an experienced goat keeper/vet is vital to prevent a complete disaster for mother and kid.

If you find one hoof and a nose, then one leg may be bent back at the knee. In this case, feel for the knee joint and very gently ease it forward. The other hoof and nose will probably disappear again but that is OK as the whole presentation will start again but correctly.

If there is a tail and rump then the kid is in breach position. Wait a while as the goat may cope perfectly well. In my experience, these are generally big male kids and take a while to be born but get there in the end. If the goat is becoming distressed, get the vet!

If one hoof only appears, again, investigate and see if you can correct the problem. Any doubts, then it's the experienced keeper or the vet again.

After delivery your goat will produce the placenta. Do not under any circumstances pull it or in any way interfere. This is vital as if it is torn, the remainder can stay inside and the goat will become extremely ill. If the placenta has not been passed within a couple of hours, again, call the vet because it will need to be manually removed and this is a job for a professional. It can sometimes also mean that there is a retained kid, possibly dead but sometimes alive, though it may not survive long after delivery.

Any manual intervention to your goat at any stage of the delivery will justify a short course of antibiotics just to make sure infection has not been introduced. It is not an option to leave the goat - it is essential to call veterinary help immediately if the situation is difficult.

The doe will need to be given a small feed of something delicious like oat meal gruel and honey or a small warm bran mash or something else that she relishes. Do not give a feed of grain or concentrates at this stage. Offer warm water with a teaspoonful of salt in it and continue to offer her warm water for a few days if you can. This will encourage her to drink and rehydrate herself as well as replenishing fluids lost through feeding her kids. Plenty of the best hay you can find and any green food available from the hedgerow or veggie patch will also be appreciated and eaten with relish! Make sure that she is fed above ground as the kids will quickly trample on it and then the doe will not touch it. Take yesterday's food out and replenish every day without fail. Keep the bedding well topped up with clean straw, removing all detritus that builds up on a daily basis. By the time the kids are ten days old, the doe and her family can be put into a new clean pen and the birthing pen can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Never ever let another goat kid in this pen without complete disinfection taking place first. Gradually build up her concentrate ration over the next week or so and she can have full rations according to manufacturers instructions by the time the kids are ten days old. Hay should be ad lib at all times.

Make sure that each kid has suckled from its mother within two hours of birth. Getting enough colostrum in the first 48 hours is vital for the health of the kid. If your attention has been taken elsewhere, you can check whether the kid has fed by feeling its stomach. You will be able to feel if it is well rounded and full. Sometimes you will need to help the kid latch on for the first time particularly if one kid is bigger and stronger than the other. If the does udder is over full, you may need to help out by milking some off in order to slacken it enough for the kid to get a grip. Save this colostrum by freezing it in a sterilised bag or bottle for future use should you be unfortunate enough to lose a doe at birth and have orphaned kids some time in the future. Colostrum keeps in the freezer for several years. Once feeding, there is little more to do for the new-born kids save keeping a general eye on things. At two days you should tag them (it's easy at this stage) and ring any males unless you intend to keep them entire, but think this one through carefully as you will have to separate them from all females by the time they are 12 weeks old. Contact your vet promptly regarding disbudding, some vets like to do this at a few days old where others prefer two or three weeks. Personally, I prefer the latter as it involves a general anaesthetic and I think the kids have enough to deal with in the first few days of life. By two weeks of age, weather permitting, mother and children should be ready to spend a portion of their day turned into the paddock and you can be turning your thought to milk for the household.

The most important thing is to remain calm throughout and enjoy the experience. The music of the bleats of new born kids is a joy to behold - Happy New Year!