# HELP!!!!!!!! Kid not feeding, middle of the night birth



## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Hey guys,
So Mia kidded, no idea when, sometime between 11pm when we checked her and no signs of labour and 2am when I went out to check her again. 
First baby born died :'(
2nd baby is having issues finding the teat and it is REALLY COLD tonight.I dried her off and we have a heat lamp in the shed now too. Once Mama is done licking her all over I might try the sweater I made out of my sweater sleeve!!!!!

I took a bowl of warm water and molasses out to Mia...she downed the WHOLE thing....CAN SHE HAVE MORE!??!?!
Is there such thing as too much molasses? She seems really tired *obviously*
How long do we wait for baby to latch??? There is milk, I checked

HELP Please!!! Its 3am here and our first goat birth and we are both freaking out a little. I couldn't find colostrum here ANYWHERE, but I do have milk replacer. Mom didn't get Bo-Se because I only got it late last night and was hoping I was wrong about everything!!!

Any suggestions?? On ANYTHING!?!


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Anyone!? I'm terrified we are going to lose the second one it is -27 here tonight and the baby is cold despite the heat lamps if we take IT inside will it destroy the bond!?


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

If you can't get the kid to latch check it's temp first. If it's normal milk the mom and get some colostrum in the kid. 


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

No it won't destroy the bond. The kid has to get warm or it won't survive 


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

We has that same problem last year. We brought the mom and kid inside I used a dog cage inside put diapers and a onesie on the goats. We took the mom outside on a leash to go it's business. I really hope some of this helps you. Good luck and keep us posted 


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Ok I'll try to get another temp it was 37.0 when I checked but the kid freaked and I didn't want to impale it!!! 

Husband said baby latched for about a minute and had its first poop. Currently standing up beside Mom but shaking a little


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

You can try putting a dog sweater on it. That might help. It's temp was 37? 


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

So it would be 98.6 F. Temp should be at least 100. I would put a sweater on 


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Mama won't mind if its a doggie smelling coat????


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

baby has now eaten from both sides, but like 1 min each side. Passed meconium which mama promptly ate *blech*. 
Mia(mama) is making all sorts of noises I haven't heard before, grunting etc but not pushing. She's done because its been two hours now and I saw the placenta on the floor of the stall, she was also eating that. 
Mama's eaten, baby has eaten, I'll throw a puppy coat on baby and then I might actually try to get some sleep again!!!!


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Oh...I don't have iodine, that was tomorrow's run to the farm store OF COURSE. Can I use dettol antiseptic?? Or Vetrinus derma gel which says it has bacterial control??? 
I have 

Dettol antiseptic
TCP antiseptic (used for cleaning cuts)
Hydrogen peroxide

Or I can run and get iodine first thing in the am.
I'll give the Bo-Se shot tomorrow so I can be around to watch for a reaction in both.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Well 37.0 was the temp the thermometer got to before the kid FREAKED but it was still steadily moving up. Nothing feels cold on it, its stopped shivering now that it has fed and the ears seem warm to touch ( I was worried they would frostbite off!!!! Our one doe has practically no ears because she was born in the end of Feb!!!!

I * think* its a girl, I'll check more intimately in the morning. If it is her name is going to be Jenna (its my sister's birthday today, she requested it be named after her!!! hahaha)


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

They are in the garage now and the floor is heated. Straw inside a wire doggie playpen with the heated floor should be enough to keep them warm right??? It is supposed to warm up tomorrow THANK GOD.

Next year if we plan to have kids I'm planning it so it doesn't happen until at LEAST April/May


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just keep an eye on her that she is eating. Glad she is doing ok.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

He doesn't seem to be anymore but I have no idea what is normal for a newborn. He was up and walking and bouncing and now seems really weak, he tries to suckle but can't. Should I milk Mom and feed it to baby? I'm not set up for ANY of this yet.

Baby is 37.6 or 99.68. I might take him( I think) into the house to warm him up by the fire to 101.5
He's just cold and weak right now even in the garage :'(


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## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

good job -


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## Daisy-Mae (Feb 24, 2014)

I'm not sure about anything other then iodine. Glad she is eating now. Get you some rest and check back on her. I would say moving them to the garage was a good idea. Good luck! 


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## glndg (Feb 8, 2013)

REBurwell said:


> He doesn't seem to be anymore but I have no idea what is normal for a newborn. He was up and walking and bouncing and now seems really weak, he tries to suckle but can't. Should I milk Mom and feed it to baby? I'm not set up for ANY of this yet.
> 
> Baby is 37.6 or 99.68. I might take him( I think) into the house to warm him up by the fire to 101.5
> He's just cold and weak right now even in the garage :'(


If he's still cold, yes, warm him up, even if you need to bring him in the house. He needs to be warm before he eats.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice given.

Make sure the kid is at minimum 100 degree's before feeding.

If you have to get a 12 cc syringe (no needle), milk momma and feed the kid that way then do so. Work with the kid and get it to nurse, go out every 2 hours and get it to latch onto the teat. Feed with syringe if the kid won't latch on, unless the kids belly is full, the kid is most likely nursing on it's own, so the syringe should not be used at that time.

Put out a heat lamp if you have one, then the kid can stay with momma.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Ok, he was ranging from 99.68 to 100.4. He seems snug as a bug now and the temp has gone up now that the sun is out. He's still wearing the doggy coat and the floor heat is still on, I made up a little place for him to snuggle into. That garage is very warm by Canadian standards!!

He's latching, he suckles for about a minutes on each side and then plays with it for a bit and then tries again. I milked Mama and tried to get him to take it with a pritchard nipple but he wasn't having any of it. Perhaps he's full???? He stumbled around the stall a bit and then lay down and went back to sleep. I'm feeling better about him now, he looks more alert when he's up.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad he is better. 

Feel his tummy, is it full? That may be why he fumbles with the teat. If he is empty I would worry.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

stupid question....but where exactly do you feel his tummy? 

just below the ribcage? I got him to take about 8mls of milk this morning from a syringe...he wants nothing to do with the bottle.He seems to be getting stronger not weaker.


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## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

Make sure he is standing up on his own and not being picked up. Gently lift up on his tummy, between ribs and hip bones where it is soft. It should feel slightly solid, or have a fullness to it. If it is really sloshy, or like no fullness, he is empty. It is normal for them to only nurse for a short period of time. Say seconds to a full minute. They nurse frequently. Their belly shouldn't be hard or pushed out past their ribs.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

loggyacreslivestock said:


> Make sure he is standing up on his own and not being picked up. Gently lift up on his tummy, between ribs and hip bones where it is soft. It should feel slightly solid, or have a fullness to it. If it is really sloshy, or like no fullness, he is empty. It is normal for them to only nurse for a short period of time. Say seconds to a full minute. They nurse frequently. Their belly shouldn't be hard or pushed out past their ribs.


I agree.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

ok awesome, I'll go check him again. I fed him about 10-12 cc of mama's milk from a syringe since he was happy to lick at it and then he went onto Mama again. He doesn't seem full but he turned his nose away at more and then went a bit giddy!!!
He is just SO much smaller than the singleton buckling that was born this morning!!!! That one is nursing every five minutes and is absolutely huge in comparison!

Thanks so much for the information and help everyone! I couldn't have made it through Monday night and the last day without this forum! My vet wasn't a whole lot of help


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sounds like things are OK. 
Just keep monitoring him.

As long as he has some in his belly, he doesn't have to be real tight, but you should feel a pouch.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

What's strange is that he just doesn't seem to "get" the whole sucking thing. He'll suck on Mama but I'm not sure if he's getting anything cause he's off within 10-20 seconds. He did suck on the Pritchard nipple and milk today but that's the first time I've seen him do it. He seems to prefer to lick it from the left side of his mouth!?!?!?! He seems to have a bit of an overbite....could that be preventing him from suckling normally!? He drank about 30 ish mls just now from the bottle. I don't really want to bottle feed but I also don't want him to die, If he's also still drinking from Mama, she won't reject him will she??? She's still licking him


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

He really needs some B Complex.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

What will the B Complex do Karen??? The farm store near me didn't have any  I haven't had time to drive the bigger farm store further away. The vet didn't mention it at all as an option.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

The big farm store has Farrofax Injectible Iron for the prevention of swine anemia.... but it doesn't say whats in it or much else.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

That doesn't sound like it would be the same thing as B complex vitamins though.He's getting his Mu-Se injection this evening so I'm hoping that will help him too. I tried to give it this morning but I can't hold him still enough to inject and he's so tiny I'm worried I'm going to hit something since the needle looks huge compared to him!


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

unfortunately this is beef, pig and horse country. Not a lot of sheep and goats in these parts, which means the farm stores are very limited in what they carry for them


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Iron is not the same. B Complex helps with nerves and appetite and a whole lot of things. I've never given mu-se so don't know about giving it to a young kid.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Mu-Se is what we have rather than Bo-Se here, the local livestock vet dispensed it for me. Is there some sort of human equivalent I could buy and give?? 
He actually is sucking MUCH better today, he's just so skinny and tiny!!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If the vet gave it to you, I'm sure it is fine.


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## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

Mu-se is for cattle. It is selenium also, but more powerful. You will need to adjust the dosage for your goat. Not sure what it might be, sorry. I will try to find it.


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## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

I found that mu-se is not to be given to goats due to it's strength...per tennesseemeatgoats.com "*BoSe and MuSe *- Vet prescriptions are required for both products. ( MuSe should not be used with goats; it is too strong and is a horse medication. Use BoSe with goats.)"

on homesteading today, it says it can be used, but needs to be highly diluted. I can't copy and paste it for some reason, so I will retype it..."(Mu-Se needs to be hightly diluted for kids) on new kids put 1/4 cc of MuSe in a 5 cc syringe of sterile water, mix well. Give 1cc SQ per kid." Here is the link http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/goats/69994-bo-se-use-goats-s.html


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Yeah I let the vet dispense becauseI have no idea. The adults got 0.5cc and the kids got 0.25cc. 
I'm heading to Wales in May so I'm hoping to find some Bo-Se and bring it back with me since Wales is full of sheep! And B complex, and whatever else I can't find! 

Little guy latched to Mama twice last night and had a stronger suck it seemed. He's bouncing and climbing like a crazy boy this morning so I'm hopeful. I'm still going to supplement with the bottle a few times a day to see if he wants it.


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## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

Good


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad the kid is OK.

Mu-Se is quite risky to give to goats, very easily overdosed.


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

So I had to pick up a dose of what I thought was Mu-SE only to find that they'd actually dispensed dystosel 3mg/ml and I checked the info on it and it said 0.25cc for newborn lambs so I'm assuming it's good to go on goats! *sigh of relief*


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## REBurwell (Jul 22, 2014)

Which means my other Mu-SE was likely Dystosel too!!!


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