# Mom rejecting 1 of 3 kids WHY?



## Suellen

Thursday Christy had 3 kids 2girls and 1boy. She is now rejecting one of the girls. It's more than not letting her nurse 
she will but the poor kid. This is the little girl that we had to bottle feed and work with to get her drinking from the teat. :hammer: 
Baby goat was on the teat Friday and Saturday then Sunday Christy didn't want anything to do with her and didn't 
want her around. I had to remove Christy from the birthing stall and all 3 babies because I was afraid she would hurt 
the one. WOW did I have a pissed off Mom goat. :angry: She wanted to take it out on everybody. I had to hobble her to milk 
her. When she buts with the other goats it did not look like playing. She also wants a piece of Henna our LGD puppy. 
I don't like seeing any of my goats upset but I can't think of any way that she can be with her kids. 
If anyone has suggestions please let me know.

Suellen :hair:


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## sweetgoats

Did you take all the babies from her? Are you doing hat also so you can milk her? 

Sometimes they reject a baby because they know something is wrong with them. It is kind of weird that she would reject that baby after she was in with her fora few day. 

I would put her in the milk stand and let that baby nurse.


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## liz

I agree, after having the doeling with her and then rejecting her, mom senses that there is something wrong...if she was taking care of ther other 2 then I would let them with her, but keep the rejected one away and bottlefeed.


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## keren

Two options here: 
1) remove the kid she doesnt like, foster it on another doe or bottle rear it. 
2) force her to accept all three kids. 

I tend to go with option two because those does need to do their job properly for me. So here's what I would do. I use a metal mesh crate inside the kidding pen, I put ALL the kids into that so that she cant hurt the one and cant feed the other two. Then I tie the doe up and let the kids out to nurse. Hold her still if necessary, sometimes even tying her leg to the fence is necessary. Dont let her smell the kids at all. When they are finished nursing put all of them back in the crate. I do this several times a day, depending on how old and strong the kids are. After a few days she starts to struggle less when you tie her to feed them, and eventually she will accept them. The longest I've gone like this was two weeks.


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## toth boer goats

everyone has such good advice..... :wink: :greengrin:


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## StaceyRosado

Did you give the baby milk from another mom? I did this with Kitten and Sweet Pea took her back till Kitten started to poop out the milk that wasnt from SP and then SP was butting her and stomping at her, I had to remove her till she was bigger. I help SP for Kitten to nurse but she never accepted her as her own.


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## sweetgoats

StaceyRoop said:


> Did you give the baby milk from another mom? I did this with Kitten and Sweet Pea took her back till Kitten started to poop out the milk that wasnt from SP and then SP was butting her and stomping at her, I had to remove her till she was bigger. I help SP for Kitten to nurse but she never accepted her as her own.


 That is what I was thinking also. Once they smell like another goats baby they will not normally take theme back.
How are things going?


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## Suellen

Wow so many ideas I hadn't thought of. Sunday I tried having the baby around Christy and she butt her. The little one wasn't even trying to nurse.

I haven't had any other goats near the kids. 

someone is going to buy the boy and pick him up today. That will leave the girl she likes and the girl she doesn't like.

I think I am going to try and force Christy to except the kid partly because it makes my heart ache seeing Christy so sad and/or pissed off.

I will keep you posted on our progress.

Suellen


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## sweetgoats

Thanks for the update. Congrats on selling the boy, are they keeping him as a buck or did you already band him? Just wondering. :thumbup:


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## toth boer goats

yes... thank you for updating ...and congrats on the selling him... :wink:


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## StaceyRosado

I hope she takes her back....but not to be cynical...I just dont think she will. But they prove me wrong every day :shades:


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## toth boer goats

that is a fact....sometimes you never know... :shrug:


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## Shelly

You can try putting the one she likes with the other one. Where mom can still see them like on the other side of the fence for a while. When you put them back with mom put vickes on both babies bottoms and on moms nose. Sometimes mom can't till which one is her favorite and will take both or she can reject both or still just like her favorite. This way is a gamble. Now having said all that I'm one who believe unless the animal in question is sick or hurt they will feed their babies. I've measure out grain for the day and the only time mom gets some is when she's in the stand feeding her babies. I avoid bottle feeding at all cost. Yes I know I'm weird. Shelly


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## Suellen

The people who bought the boy are going to band him and dehorn him.

Christy is not feeling well. A little droopy and she keeps shifting her weight on the back legs like she can't get comfortable or doesn't want to stand on them at the same time. Sunday mornings she wouldn't even talk to her kids. We gave her another shot of PCN (The birthing Friday we had to reach in and turn 2 of her 3 kids. I hope there is no infection). In the evening she was talking to her kids while they nursed.
I did get her to nurse both babies. I took poop from the one she likes and put it on the butt of the one she doen't like. I also put just a dab of pee from the one she likes on the head of the one she doesn't like. She sniffed both kids and didn't butt her. I am not sure I would leave her alone with her kid yet. I put her in a stall with her 1year old wether. He is so upset that Mom doesn't feel good. Her temp is normal. She pees, poops, eats and chews cud. I've been giving her a lot of TLC brushing, petting and her favorite grain.

That's what I know and don't know
Suellen


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## liz

Well, at least her little outcast was able to get a good meal from mom, I hope she continues to do so.

Have you tried giving mom some probiotics? The antibiotic will disrupt the rumens bacteria, maybe mom is just still sore from the delivery? Get her temp and keep loving on her, as well as the goodies she's been getting, as long as she's eating and drinking eliinating and chewing her cud I would think that she'll be fine. I you do notice an awful smelling discharge, contact a vet asap as she may have an uterine infection, which is possible but not highly likely.


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## sweetgoats

I agree with Liz, if she is eating and drinking that is the best thing. I would maybe give her some calcium. Keep a eye on her temp.


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## Victoria

I just had to pitch in my two bits..The pee thing is what we did with a doe that loved one baby and hated the other, although we took alot of the pee from the loved baby, patted it all over the non loved baby, and all was safe and fine the next day, mum was in love with both the babies..Good job keeping a good eye on the mom!!


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## Suellen

*Re: Mom rejecting 1 of 3 kids WHY?  update*

Here is another update:
Christy is feeling better. She will nurse both kids even sniff and clean both kids but when the kid she likes is done nursing the kid she doesn't really like is out of luck. She will still butt the kid she doesn't like. I don't leave her alone with the kids. Maybe when the kids are bigger but right now they are only a week old. They are so cute and funny.

Suellen


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## sweetgoats

I am glad to hear that she is letting the other one nurse. There is hope that she will accept that one. 

Sounds like you have done a wonderful job with them and her.


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## Thanatos

This may raise some hackels, but why don't you just bottle feed? I do cause I want a dog-goat and am milk greedy. It just seems that if mom is so upset at kid then the bottle feeding will help insure a healthy kid? Just my thoughts and I only have 1 kid right now.


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## StaceyRosado

well usualy because it is healthier for the kids, they learn to be a goat faster (ie like drink out of a bucket and eat grain and hay) and not everyone has the ability to be home to bottle feed. At least those are the reasons I have


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## Haviris

I don't think it would raise hackels, if she was mine I'd probably bottle raise, I know this is putting human emotions on the kid, but don't you know it's got to make her feel bad not to be wanted!

I'd say my bottle kids are just as healthy and well adjusted as my dam raised kids, but my dam raised kids are also just as much "dog goats". HOWEVER, bottle raising is alot of work, and as much as I enjoy it not everyone does! Or are able to devote the time the kid really needs!

So even though bottle raising is an option everyone has to deside what is best for their situation, and it sounds like in this one getting mom to raise the kid is best for all involved.


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## lesserweevil

Bottle-feeding is my last-resort option not because I dont enjoy it but simply because a) I dont have time and b) I find that dam raised babies often do better. I have 15 sheep due to lamb in April plus the goat so I really am hoping for no bottle babies! This means that any that reject their babies will get about 2 weeks of high-pressure before giving up :greengrin:


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## goatkid

I have a doe (Cozette) who had twins. At first she took care of them both. Then, one of my other does (Arwen) went into labor and started licking one of the babies. Cozette decided she didn't want him anymore. She usually just raises one kid. Arwen would have taken him on, but I don't want her raising three babies. I pulled her doeling so she wouldn't have to. Rather than make a special pen for Cozette, I elected to bottle feed her kid, so he's living in my baby pen. For me, it just seemed like more of a hassle to try and get her to feed him than to bottle feed. Of course, Cozette is trained to the milk stand so not a bother to milk. There is nothing wrong with the rejected kid. I think my doe prefers only one kid as she has had singles a couple times and last year, I had to take one of her kids because he had a hard birth.


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