PREPARING DOES FOR KIDDING

Prior to putting does with bucks, I recommend performing fecal egg counts using an MSK-01L microscope and McMasters gridded slides to determine the number of eggs per gram of Haemonchus contortus (barberpole stomach worm) and coccidia oocysts that each doe is carrying. See my article entitled Doing Your Own Fecals Is Easy to understand the importance of doing fecal counts and how to do it.

I select the liquid dewormer proven effective under the microscope and I give it orally in a goat-appropriate dosage. I don't use white-colored dewormers; Valbazen and Safeguard/Panacur no longer kill stomach worms in most of the USA, but doing your own fecals will answer that question for your location. Performing random fecals each month is the only way to know which dewormers are effective killing stomach worms in your goats.

If fecals indicate the presence of coccidia oocysts, I clear the does' systems of this internal parasite (protozoan) by dosing them orally and individually for five consecutive days with either Albon or its generic equivalent Dimethox 12.5% oral solution. CoRid is an over-the-counter product which can be used but it inhibits thiamin production, so Vitamin B1 must be administered daily during the treatment. An additional advantage of using Albon or Dimethox 12% is that both contain an antibiotic to handle secondary infections.

I also boost the does' CD/T and pneumonia vaccinations. Kids are born with minimally functioning immune systems. The vaccine boosters given their dams both protect the pregnant does and offer passive immunity to the kids (in colostrum and milk) and usually lasts until their kids' immune systems start minimal functioning around one month of age. A goat doesn't have total immune system function until it is around a year of age. This is why dam-produced colostrum and milk is so important to the kids.

If I conclude it is necessary, I also give does a sub-cutaneous (SQ) injection of Multi Min 90. This immune system booster is a chelated (slow release) formulation of zinc, manganese, selenium, and copper. These minerals are vital to the doe's health and her ability to deliver healthy kids.

If there has been a previous "abortion storm" in the herd, I inject each doe with Oxytetracycline 200 mg/mL (dosing at 6 cc per 100 lbs bodyweight SQ over the ribs with an 18 gauge needle) before placing them with a buck and again every 30 days thereafter until each doe gives birth. There are articles on www.tennesseemeatgoats.com dealing with abortion diseases and how to handle them. Abortion vaccines for other species, including sheep, do NOT work with goats.

NOTE: Most abortions result from improper nutrition. Eliminate obvious causes before assuming exotic diseases are the problem. With goats, "it is usually the simplest thing."

If time permits, trim hooves and tail webs. Hoof trimming is a good management practice. A doe with hoof rot or hoof scald cannot forage/browse well enough to produce adequate milk for her kids. A hairy tail web retains feces and placental matter after kidding.

I do not "flush" pregnant does with extra feed immediately prior to kidding because I don't have sufficient forage/browse in my part of Texas to avoid grain supplementation. My nutritional program was developed with the help of my goat nutritionist for my specific location. If your herd is fed mainly on forage/browse with minimal supplemental feed, then you should begin a light grain feeding at breeding and grain should be very gradually increased during the last month of pregnancy when fetuses are growing rapidly.

Consult a goat nutritionist. Do NOT take advice from the person who runs the feed store or your neighbor who mixes his own grain but has no nutritional training. I have been raising goats full time since 1990 and I would never try to mix my own feed or use a feed that was formulated by someone other than a trained goat nutritionist.

Overgraining or improperly graining a pregnant doe can cause serious pregnancy diseases (ketosis, pregnancy toxemia, hypocalcemia) that can kill the doe and her unborn kids. All pregnancy diseases are caused by improper feeding. Offer top-quality grass hay on a free-choice basis. Feed grain before noontime, especially in very cold weather, and take up any that has not been consumed in 15 minutes. Never "free-choice" sacked feed to goats.

Do not feed extra grain at night. Instead, make quality grass hay available on a free-choice basis. As fetuses grow and the uterus expands, the size of the doe's rumen decreases. The doe must have sufficient top-quality grass hay to keep her rumen functioning and still permit some room for fetuses and grain. The long fiber in grass hay stimulates rumen wall contractions and creates heat to keep the goat warm. Feeding grain properly can be a tricky balancing act in heavily pregnant does.

I do not feed alfalfa or other legume hay during the last six (6) weeks of gestation. Legume hays (alfalfa and peanut) are high in calcium. As parturition approaches, the doe's body must release calcium from her bones as she makes milk. If she is being fed a high-calcium diet, calcium release from her bones will not happen and Hypocalcemia ("milk fever") can occur. Hypocalcemia is a life threatening illness for the doe and her unborn kids and is caused by improper nutrition.

A pregnant doe needs protein but she also needs ENERGY. Energy comes from calories. Read my article on Pregnancy and Energy on my website. Getting this right is critical.

Don't forget the importance of exercise to the pregnant doe. Fat does can easily experience dystocia (kidding problems). The time for extra grain is when the doe has kids on the ground and is making lots of milk (lactating).

Re-check fecal egg counts about a month before kidding and de-worm as indicated. If a heavy load of coccidia occysts are present, re-treat with Di-Methox 12.5% solution.

With shelter and sufficient space in place, proper hay and grain and minerals available, supplies at the ready, and does in good condition, kidding should proceed with minimal problems.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto ONION CREEK RANCH, Texas   11.2.25

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)

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