# HOW TO KEEP NEWBORNS WARM IN THE COLD MONTHS.



## Plumbago

I am thinking of inpending births in the winter months. Our temperature does get to minus 1 at night. Does and kids are housed in shed but it does get very cold .. any suggestions and ideas other breeders use for heating or these circumstances.


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## sweetgoats

We do all our kidding in the very cold months. I like it better because for me they seem to be stronger and not near as sick as the spring babies. 
Now I always try to be there when they are born but that is not alsways possible as I am sure you know, but try to have lots of staw for them to bed down in. I will keep a heat lamp on the babies for only up to 48 hours, and that is only if they are small and a little on the weaker side. If they are up and nursing quick, and doing fine, then no heat lamp for them. 
If it is still cold and they are not doing how I think they should be I make a homemade coat for them. The heat lamp is off, but I take a sleeve off of a sweatshirt, and make a coat out of it for them. I cut holes for the front legs, abnd their head goes through the hand area. It works great. I have never lost a baby to the cold. 
I am in Colorado and not only so we get the snaow and cold but where I live it is always blowing, so last year during part of my kidding, with the wind chill it was -45. If the wind would of stopped it would not of been so bad.


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## toth boer goats

I do like Lori Does.... :wink: :thumb:


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## liz

I'm present for each birth, get kids dried and nursing as fast as possible, thick layer of bedding and I also have box type smaller stalls. Does and babies cuddle together. No heat lamps here but I do use sweaters on kids if I think they need them.


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## sweetgoats

The other thing is you do not want to "keep" them warm to long, they need to learn to regulate their own body temp. I know someone that used heat lamps all winter because she did not want the goats to be cold, then they lost power because of a snow storm. ALL the babies died because they froze and most of the adult goats were sick also. That is why I only use the heat lamp or "coat" for a day or so.


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## liz

Very good point Lori. :thumbup: 
They do need to be able to regulate their own temp, even with the use of a sweater. I will put a sweater on a kid only if they need it and then I take it off during the warmer part of the day and if I see them shivering towards night, I'll put it on again. Mine seem to thrive with this practice, at least I haven't lost any during the last 8 years of kiddings in February and single digits. I also feel that even baby goats are hardier than most people think they are...you would be amazed at how well a healthy kid adapts.


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## Plumbago

THANK YOU EVERYONE... LITTLE COATS SEEM THE ANSWER ...
CHEERS CHRIS


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## toth boer goats

Your welcome.... :wink:


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## nancy d

Kidding here in NW Wa during Feb is not as brutal as some places, but the #1 law is dry bedding & NO drafts.
We also put a box for kids to use if they want. I've never used heat lamps or even sweaters, tho a good option if needed!


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## HoosierShadow

I am so happy I found this topic. Our kids were born at midnight and as I said in my posts, they are shivering. Of course like RPC said they went from very warm temps to about 20 degrees. I got them dry, put the heat lamp down closer to them because it was about 7ft up, now it's just high enough that mama doesn't mess with it. They both have homemade sweaters I made out of toddler fleece shirts. I figure even with the shivering, if they are warm underneath the fleece they should be fine? The buckling was warm though he was shivering, but the doeling was a little cooler than I like. I warmed her up in my jacket, then got her up to nurse and she was perky talkin to mama, but still shivering, poor babies!

Sun will be coming up soon, so I'm hoping to turn the heat lamp off <and get some sleep! I won't sleep with it on even though it's secure>.


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## tracyqh

Mu husband has a friend that has pigs. He gave us some of the Kane heated mats. We have one due the end of Jan and another mid Fed. With Ohio's weather, we never know what it is going to be like, so we will have them on hand, just in case.


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## fcnubian

We try to get all of our does kidding in Jan/Feb. Of course they didn't cooperate this year but I have a section in the barn that is for the kids, and kids only. Keep in mind I dont dam raise my doelings. They are raised on CAE prevention. But the "kid room" is at the back of the barn and closed off so the cold air cant blow in there on them. I put a thick layer of straw down for them. 
When they are born, they brought in the house because I refuse to sit in the cold barn and deal with kids learning to eat...so they stay inside until they are eating pretty good. I am lucky in the sense my room is heated by a heater so I can put them in there and turn the heat down and get them use to the cooler temp before putting them in the barn.

As long as they have a wind break, deep straw, and a full belly of milk they will be just fine. Last year I took the Jan. kids out and didn't even use a heat lamp on them.


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## JessaLynn

I'm present at birth and dry them off as quick as possible.I use the dog sweaters if I see them shivering and I do have a heat lamp in case of an emergency because last year we lost one to hypothermia.He got slammed by another goat and I think he went into shock that caused it.He was only about 2 months old.Heat lamp is just good to have cus you don't want to have a goat inside if they get sick or something.Then your stuck with it in your house!


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## newmama30+

Jessa not necessarily are stuck with a goat in the house, I have two bottle baby's in the barn now that were in the house to start with, Repete was a premie, absolutely tiny, so he was in the house til he got big enough to go out with the big goats, and I had Jackson in for about a week cause his Mama didn't want anything to do with him and he wouldn't stay under the heat lamp and kept getting to cold, I put both of them out at the same time and they have been okay in the barn and thats with the wind chill getting to -20 and outside air temps as low as -10 at times, it get very cold here in MN< glad I live in the southern part>, We try to keep the drafts down in the barn but it don't always work I have Miniature horse who likes to let him self in and out, not my favorite guy when I go out to feed at 7 in the morning and my barn isn't any warmer than it is outside.


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## JessaLynn

I thought it would chill them since going from a nice warm place to the freezen cold.I know how it makes me feel anyhow :/ Well I know it's not impossible to put them back out in the barn because we had done that before.Adopted an orphan doeling when it was 4weeks old and it was in the house entire time since it was born cus the mother died.Well when we got it as soon as it was well enough I took it out to the barn during the day and took it back in at night for a few days.It survived and very healthy.We didn't have power back then or I would have just put a heat lamp out there so it could get warm if needed to


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## HerdQueen

So I want to revive this thread. Last year we used heat lamps. Something I really don't want to have to do, since I fretted every night a lamp was on in the barn. Will sweaters suffice or am I DOOMED to use the heat lamps another season?


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## ksalvagno

It really depends. Try it and see. You could also use a warming barrel. Premier 1 has those heat lamps that are much safer too.


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## OGYC_Laura

I had twins born the day before the lowest temp in ten years. I put dog sweaters on the babies and put heat lamps about four feet up. I put fresh hay down and gave the mom fresh water.
When I went out to check on them the buckling and urinated which soaked the dog sweater and he was shivering bad and his umbilical cord was frozen. I brought him in, dried him, warmed him, gave him a small supplement and then put a fresh sweater with an arch cut out to make allowance for urinating. 
They were outside playing for the first time today with no issues!!!


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## J.O.Y. Farm

Karen.. I saw the barrels you had.. Are those simple to make? 

Erica.. We secure our heat lamps to the wall or where ever we put it.. Screws or if you have a little something to kinda 'loop' over and secure down on both sides with the handle of the lamp in the middle  and the wires strung up high in the rafters  we have never had any problems that way and have used lamps every year


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## Tenacross

ksalvagno said:


> It really depends. Try it and see. You could also use a warming barrel. Premier 1 has those heat lamps that are much safer too.


I made some warming barrels last year. They are pretty safe when you attach them to something solid so they can't tip over. I use an electric drill to put screws through the lip of the barrel into the wall. The warming barrels work so well it's like cheating. Fill the bottom of the barrel with clean dry bedding. While the doe is kidding, I keep throwing cleaned off babies in there until the doe is done. It's like keeping your biscuits warm. Make sure the entry door to the barrel is pretty small. Occasionally a doe will try and crawl in there with them. I start with a heat lamp and then go to a lower wattage chicken bulb or whatever that is. I hope they don't quit making those things.


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## Scottfarmks

So we just had our first kids last night and we're not even expecting them. How are we able to tell if the kids need extra heat?


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## Suzanne_Tyler

How cold does it get at night where you live? So long as my kids' ears are warm and dry, I don't do anything. The mamas are excellent at keeping their kids warm


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## goatblessings

Just make sure babies mouths are warm, and that they are lively and nursing well. It's best to warm babies from their core (bellies) if needed. I microwave a bag of dry beans or rice, wrap in a towel and put underneath them. They need to be warm enough ( at leat 100 degrees F) to nurse. You can take their temp rectally if you are concerned.


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## IHEARTGOATS

We bought these heat lamps from Premier. We are using a 175 Watt bulb which I think is about the right amount of heat.
And, we only use if they are born in below freezing weather and only for a day or two.
It also really depends.
We had a single born this year and it got down to the mid 20's her first night and didn't use anything. She was 4lbs 14 oz at birth was dry and nursing well.


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