# Advice on pulling kids



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

With Pinky about to have a high-risk kidding, I'm trying to read up on everything to do with pulling, resuscitating, warming up cold kids, etc. Any advice and stories you have would be awesome 

Some info -

-Pinky is a small Nigerian Dwarf who was accidentally bred to an American Alpine buck.

-She is due in 24 - 31 days.

-We had an ultrasound done. From what the vet could tell, the kids are fairly small.

-This will be her second freshening.

TIA! 

And a photo, cause Pinky is cute


----------



## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

It's good to hear the babies are fairly small (so far). One big caution would be to not overfeed Pinky. You want to make sure she gets good nutrition, but you don't want those kids to get too large. When you say she's a "small" Nigerian, how much did she weigh before her pregnancy? (ie. I have a 40 pound Nigie and a 60 pound Nigie)


----------



## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Being 2nd fresh, and having small babies, try not to stress! Just make sure she kids within a reasonable time frame. If you have to assist, put on gloves, lubricant. Always pull with a contraction and down toward the ground. I always start the doe on pen if I have to go in. She probably will pop them out when you go in the house for something! Good luck!

Every pregnancy and delivery is different, stories to go with. Will spare you all of mine. Just call a vet if she has stalled and you can't feel babies. I'm sure all will go well!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


----------



## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

My doe had kids yesterday and she delivered her first kid with ease but she had another kid coming out and she pushed twice just to get the legs out and stopped!!!! Well I had to pull the last kid out with no help from mom but as long as you can see hooves and she's not making progress the make sure to reposition the kids and pull them out! My goats second kid was coming breech which was ok but she just wouldn't push!


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Jk make a thread about that, not very strong contractions like that is a sign they are lacking something, for the life of me I can't think of what it is. They should still push pretty much all the way threw it. My biggest frustration with having to reposition kids is that they just won't stop pushing!! 
In one of my books it says it's more easy to fix a problem off the bat then it is trying to push it back and reposition. This is true! When I see one in labor I usually just put a finger in and feel what's going on. If I feel something I make sure it's a nose and 2 feet. Or if it's a breech I make sure it really is two back legs and not a tail or two front feet with they head off to the side. Those are so hard to get repositioned when they already have their butt out or all their front legs.
Pull down, I said that in your topic on your girl but down is suck a key. I've had calfs get stuck on their hips and have even pulled them way down and towards the bag (udder on a goat lol) to get them out. 
If the kid is in position and seems to stop coming pulling one leg then the other will help A LOT. 
Hay string!!! They are much more easy to hang onto then wet little legs. Keep calm, have a vets number handy and when in doubt always remember the kid NEEDS to come out.


----------



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

First the does body knows what is too big and will do its best to keep it small.
second do not assume you will have problems.
and third do not get involved too soon if you do you will most likely do more damage than good.
more than likely the birth will take longer than normal but if everything is in the correct position all will be well if you can wait that long.
It is good that there are multiple kids that alone will keep the kids smaller. about the size of a single.
good luck and breath while nature takes its course.


----------



## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Jessica84 said:


> Jk make a thread about that, not very strong contractions like that is a sign they are lacking something, for the life of me I can't think of what it is. They should still push pretty much all the way threw it. My biggest frustration with having to reposition kids is that they just won't stop pushing!!
> In one of my books it says it's more easy to fix a problem off the bat then it is trying to push it back and reposition. This is true! When I see one in labor I usually just put a finger in and feel what's going on. If I feel something I make sure it's a nose and 2 feet. Or if it's a breech I make sure it really is two back legs and not a tail or two front feet with they head off to the side. Those are so hard to get repositioned when they already have their butt out or all their front legs.
> Pull down, I said that in your topic on your girl but down is suck a key. I've had calfs get stuck on their hips and have even pulled them way down and towards the bag (udder on a goat lol) to get them out.
> If the kid is in position and seems to stop coming pulling one leg then the other will help A LOT.
> Hay string!!! They are much more easy to hang onto then wet little legs. Keep calm, have a vets number handy and when in doubt always remember the kid NEEDS to come out.


She was having strong contractions she was just distracted by her first buckling to even worry about the one coming out! And yes if there is ever a problem and you have to pull pull down.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok I see now, I have them do that all the time lol


----------



## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Jessica84 said:


> Ok I see now, I have them do that all the time lol


Yea now I have a problem with her hitting her first born!:sigh:


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

I will tell you it can be really hard to sit back and relax when you are there during the delivery. One thing I have done when my does are having really big kids is help stretch the vulva around the head. I feel like that sometimes is some of the issue and I just slowly go all the way around the kid with a finger and each time I go around I stretch it a little more until with her pushes and my stretching that kid pops it's head out. Again not sure if it helps but my does seem to act like it does when I have done it.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

The only re positioning I do is if two are coming at the same time. I push the second kid back so the first has a clear path.
Breech? I pulls em as I feel em. If they are backwards that's how I pull, by grabbing the upper leg.

If there's a head & only one leg it gets pulled as is. One time there was a head & no front legs presented. I reached in & pulled both legs up & around. Ouch.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ugh 7 years later and I still have night mares and freak out over heads only. That was my first ever kidding and I killed the whole family. To make it worse that's when I also learned how vocal they are during labor which made it all so much worse.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Jessica84 said:


> Ugh 7 years later and I still have night mares and freak out over heads only. That was my first ever kidding and I killed the whole family. To make it worse that's when I also learned how vocal they are during labor which made it all so much worse.


One my first kiddings I had to call my mentor she talked me through how to pull.
As for the head only, that doe was a Nubian. I knew there was trouble because of her intense screaming while trying to push.

Unless they are first timers, the Boers only grunt.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

You know what your right! I never really paid attention but the boers will scream their heads off before hand but when they get down to it they are pretty quiet, unless I'm having to help. It I didn't have anyone to help me on her, I've never had a calf head only. For the most part they are set up ready to go just sometimes need a little help coming out......especially last year when the neighbors Holstein got in and bred my heifers :/


----------



## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

More than one kid is good 'cause that usually means they'll be smaller than a single kid. The doe also doesn't look terribly huge in the belly herself. 
Several years ago, a pygmy doe of mine was bred by a nubian buck. She had twins and it was really hard to get the first one out, but then the second came very quickly and needed no help. While my mom pulled on the kid's legs, I used my fingers to stretch the vulva over the head of the kid. Once the head was out, it was easier going, and then the shoulders came out, and the rest of the kid followed.


----------



## Kupla (Aug 1, 2014)

Jessica84 said:


> Ugh 7 years later and I still have night mares and freak out over heads only. That was my first ever kidding and I killed the whole family. To make it worse that's when I also learned how vocal they are during labor which made it all so much worse.


About two years ago I had a friend call and ask if I could help with a Mini-Alpine who had been in labor for 9 hours. I get there and see three front legs. I did my best to re-position them but we ended up losing all three. We even tried emergency C-section to try and save the kids but they were gone. Those two were huge though! Easily the size of week old kids already.


----------



## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Ugh, I'm kind of dreading this years kidding. It's pretty uncommon that I have to pull anything but the waiting to decided if I should or not is the worst. I just have that hunch for some reason this year is going to be rough. The majority of the 25 does kidding this year are first timers....

Along with that, wondering if there's more in there drives me nuts! On my last kidding last year, I finally had the chance to do the "belly bounce" when there was still one in there (every other time I've tried it, all the kids were out). So hopefully that wont be a concern anymore. Like they say in the article explaining it (forget who,,fiasco farms maybe?) once you feel it, it's hard to forget it.


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Kupla it seems it's always the bad ones that really stick with you :/ 
Don't jinx yourself lstein lol for the most part goats do just fine. I know I kinda jump the gun on helping them out. I watched some thing on TV awhile back, it was about cows but the guy said the sooner the calf comes out the better chance it has to live. That kinda sticks with me but really I just use my best judgment on if the doe is getting tired or not it's just kinda taking forever. One thing that did cool my heals a bit was when my buck was born. I woke up and the does water had broke and no idea when it did. I couldn't get the dang kids out and by 1 that afternoon the vet got him out. That was a LONG time in there but the cord never broke. We honestly thought he was dead and the vet even pulled and threw him! We were shocked when we heard a little snort.
But yes the bumping is a live saver!! I cringe even thinking about going elbow deep searching for another kid, but that's probably just the girl in me lol


----------



## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

nancy d said:


> One my first kiddings I had to call my mentor she talked me through how to pull.
> As for the head only, that doe was a Nubian. I knew there was trouble because of her intense screaming while trying to push.
> 
> Unless they are first timers, the Boers only grunt.


I had a first timer that screamed my head off when she gave birth to her doeling which I had to pull and she was in the normal diving position! I thought she was done but then she had a boy no problem and he had head first feet back! I had my pygmy kiko cross I like to call them Kigmies and shes 8 moths old (accidental breeding) I was expecting her to give birth in February but she had other ideas she would scream at me (not in labor yet I think idk she was standing) and I looked out of my tack room and she would just look at me as if saying its time for babies! Well she didn't scream but once the rest of the time she grunted!


----------

