# Kidding Boxes



## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

So when I see alot of the pictures here of the mommas and babies I always see wooden walls around them.

Do you construct wooden kidding pens vs letting them have the babies in a stall? Is the only reason this is done is for warmth?

I have always assumed I would allow mine to have the kids in our stalls-but they are big (8x12). I wonder should I have hubby make some smaller wooden pens??? 

Are there other reasons to have them kid in a smaller space, if this is necessary, other than the warmth?


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## DavyHollow (Jul 14, 2011)

The main reason is for separation from the rest of the herd so momma can bond with the babies. Small is all fine and dandy for that, but I wouldn't worry too much as long as they have alone time.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I wondered that myself. We just use stalls and haven't had an issue, but we have a small herd so not sure if that makes a difference or not. 
Everything is made out of pallets too, so they can see each other between stalls, but also the stall walls on one side don't have anything covering the walls so they can see into the sleeping area, plus in the summer if I have to stall anyone, it helps keep air flowing. When we get our doors on the barn in the next week or two <praying nothing happens so we can get it done this time!>, there will be minimal air flow when the doors are closed. If it's cold, I can stuff the walls with clean bedding to help keep out any drafts. They seem to be more content when they can see the others when the others are in the barn area, hasn't affected their bonding with the babies


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I let my moms choose their birthing place when at all possible. Some want to be inside, some outside.
Last year Shasta absolutely refused to have her babies (we kept her in the barn all night due to an incoming storm) until we let her out in the morning. She immediately dropped a kid. It was cold and windy by then and the baby got chilled so we brought them inside and she had the other two.
Our four does last year were all excellent mothers and bonded just fine. We have a kidding pen but nobody has used it yet. I guess our goats do not read the books.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

LOL re "I guess our does don't read the books" Mine seem to not have checked those books out either! 

This is good to know, I want to do EVERYTHING right :ROFL: :slapfloor:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a small space for my small herd... 3 stalls in a 10x4 area...as I started with just 2 does as babies then decided to breed. I do find that my approx 4x4 stalls are very cozy when my does decide to choose the coldest days to deliver. They each have gates that can be wide open to allow me to have easy access and since I'm the only person their with my girls, the size isn't a problem.
I do "sort" my mama's and babies into whichever stall size suits the new family for the first 2 weeks....but twins with a new mama are content in the small areas, they do get playtime and exercise daily though I've found that my new mama's don't want to leave the nursery for very long.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

I think it would be nice if hubby made me some smaller stalls for my goats :laugh: The options are nice. I also saw one of our members that had those little kid boxes (they were sooo cute, and looked so cozy for the kids!)

Seems that stuff like that would be pretty easy to make and you could even make them "portable" in that they could be set up and taken down easily. 

We recently moved an old dog kennel in the center of our barn. I laid a huge tarp on the floor--we put the dog kennel on top and stuffed the space with straw. My daughters wether was re-shaved for shows 2 weeks ago and the temperatures have been cold. I put her wether and our little doeling in the kennel together and they are comfy cozy in the barn and can see all that goes on around them. On nice sunny afternoons we put them out to play and back up before dark. They are happy little clams!


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

If at all possible I put my does and their kids in their own pen for a few days to bond. I really have to with joy because she doesn't really have vocal cords and can only make grunting noises so her kids really have to be able to know who mom is and what her noises mean. Then after a bit I put them back with the herd but I have always had a box they could get into for warmth and I had a heat lamp in there and if it was too cold I would turn it on but no adults could knock it down. I am not to sure how I am going to do it this year because I got Nubian and Caliber they took my kid room. So now i have to think of something for the babies.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Burns Branch Boers said:


> Are there other reasons to have them kid in a smaller space, if this is necessary, other than the warmth?


We put all our babies in a 8x8 stall and they seem to do fine. If there is lots of straw and maybe a heat lamp (depending on if it's cold or not) they stay plenty warm. Most of ours come right into the house after they are born but if the weather is warm they are just fine in a stall.



Burns Branch Boers said:


> Do you construct wooden kidding pens vs letting them have the babies in a stall?


I personally think it's better for the does to kid inside rather than outside. However I don't think it matters if they are in a stall or wooden kid pen.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

If it is sunny, we let the mamma give birth in the green pasture close by the sheds. There is no straw sticking to baby this way.. We move the babies and mamma into a small pen when dry with straw and keep them locked in together for 1 whole day and then to move them to a closed small grass pen with a small 6x6 covered dog Kennel hut. I still close them in the hut at night. We do recommend putting some sort of a box, a plastic tub or some place for the newborns to get into so they don't accidentally get stepped on by their mamma. Most Does are quite careful but first time ones can accidentally step on their babies. After they are bigger, they get moved to the next larger pen and the kids have the dogaloos to sleep together in and usually other Does and more kids at this time will all start adjusting to being around each other.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We get our girls used to being in a stall at night weeks before they kid, so 
1. they get their grain and all the hay they want in peace <especially from our herd queen lol>
2. They get used to being stalled at night.

They don't seem to mind kidding in the comfort of their stall. In fact all of our does have kidded in a stall except one.
First one in 2011 waited ALL day until we put her in her stall to start active labor. The others all kidded at night, except our herd queen who waited until the kids got home from school so they could be there 
Last one kidded twice last year, she was also the first one I mentioned. She wanted out of the stall, it was in Oct and a BEAUTIFUL day, but then she looked miserable and seemed to be trying to find a secure place to have her babies <she was OVERDUE>. So instead of sticking her in the stall, I put her in a pen w/temporary shelter we put up for when she could go outside with her babies. Not even an hour after that she kidded in the shelter.

I guess it depends on the doe. Mine all seemed very content kidding in their stalls. But I do think getting them used to their routine for the weeks leading up to it really helped.


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

Our pens are 5x5 but we have minis. Although Amazon (our queen) decided she didn't want to be in a stall and broke the wire we had around it...we are not putting plywood around it instead of wire because of her! :angry:  

We have some girls who refuse to have babies in their stalls, and others who don't mind


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I had to chuckle when I see your locations, CA, GA, TX..., last year we were birthing in temps in the 20's, during a blizzard, with 10" of snow already on the ground! I have those "radiator" type heaters with a little tent over the top to keep the heat down. Needed one in every stall, for several weeks! Had to bring my hairdryer out to dry kids. What a winter!

This year, has been great, well, except for the flood (which we only had very minor problem with, Thank you Lord), and all the rain before and after the flood. Anyway, the temps are good! LOL. So, I am pretty sure we'll get by with the minimum this year. We kid inside, in the larger stalls and then does get relegated to the smaller stalls depending on the number of kids they have. I may have to "sub-divide" the larger pens after kidding, this year. I have 7 bred for late feb/march. and 1 (maybe 2) for june.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Although my hubby poo pooed the idea; I put our large (German Shepard size) dog carrier in the back of the barn. The kids went to in instinctively at night and any other time they were cold or stressed. Worked really well.
ChaCha had her babies on a warm sunny day in March. We just left them alone, checking to make sure they were walking and eating. Then, 3 weeks later there was a terrible storm with wind and rain that came in through the barn door. (Our winds usually come from the west.) Two does decided to kid that day. The aforementioned Shasta and her daughter Curiouser. We found ourselves having to board up the door at night and keep everyone inside. Boy, what a mess there was after a few days of that!!
I cannot even imagine trying to do this in below zero temperatures. Yikes.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

One thing that is for sure with me. Babies don't go outside during the day with the others unattended until they can prove to be able to get away from any 'meannies.' My herd queen loves people but she can be pretty mean to other goats and babies are no exception. Last thing I want is her butting a little one that can't get away from her.

Since we don't have a lot of goats, I do typically stall the moms and babies at night for about the first month of life, sometimes longer. They've always seemed so much happier having their own space. Plus I can make sure each mom is getting her feed ration, how much hay they are eating and water too. If I had a large herd that would be hard to do. But, we only have 3 pregnant does this year.


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## Iwantgoats (Oct 3, 2008)

I have a shed that's like 10x6 that I have put a fence around, I use this for kiddings. I try to breed in pairs or as close to as possible so I can put does in together. I put them in the kidding area about 4 weeks prior just so they assimilate to the new area and not have to fight for food and grain and their easier to check and look at. My DH ran electric to it so I can turn on heat in there during the coldest time for the babies but I try not to use it if possible.


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## TiffofMo (Jan 10, 2011)

I stall mine in a little 4 ft by 4ft area. Then after a day they are returned to the herd. If there is a problem with the doe or baby's i can put them in a different stall that's 4ft by 8ft. I had put daisy in there since she had a hard birth but she really wanted to join the herd so i let her go. I had tried to let Oreo re join the herd but she is being over protective of her baby and was chasing Daisy baby around and knocking him into the ground then would go after my kids. This is a new one for us she did not do this last time. I got her penned in the bigger stall and she will stay there tell she changes her attitude.


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## cyanne (Jan 7, 2009)

Hubby and I built a kidding shed. It is a row of three 8ft by 8ft pens with wood walls on the ends and wire walls on the two long sides. It has a sloped, metal roof that is 5ft high at the front and 4ft at the rear. I started penning my girls up a week or 2 before their kidding date so they get used to being in there and I usually pen them in pairs. They kid in there and I keep mommas and babies penned together until they are about 3 wks old when I pull them to start bottle raising.

Now that the herd is getting larger, it is more difficult to pen this way as there are too many does and not enough pens. Last Spring I built a temporary pen system with hog panels so the mommas could kid in the kidding stalls and then be moved into a 6ft by 8ft hog panel stall with her kids for the next few weeks.

This Spring we may try just letting them bond for a few days before letting them rejoin the herd. I get nervous just thinking about that, though as they are just so little!


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