# Rejected Kid, Anything I Can Do?



## Heather121 (Jun 5, 2015)

My Nigerian dwarf mix had twins last night. This is her first time, and she has rejected one of the kids. He is clean and dry and looks perfectly healthy, but any time he gets near she butts him away.
The other is a doe kid, and she is being cared for by not only her mother, but her grandmother is also mothering her. The grandmother is also pregnant and due any time now. 
Is there anything I can do to try to get mamma to take care of both twins? I would really rather not have a bottle baby if I can help it. Also, when the grandmother's kids are born, do you think she will reject her little ones in favor of the one she is currently mothering? I have never seen a goat just adopt another goat's kid like that (I assume it is because of her hormones, because she is so close to giving birth?). I worry about her milk supply if she decides to mother her kid(s) and her daughter's. I will be very surprised if she doesn't have at least twins, if not triplets.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First I would separate the goats. You don't want the pregnant doe letting the kid nurse. You can hold mom starting every hour and force her to let him nurse. But be sure he got something. Once he gets weak, he will go downhill quickly.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Lock mama & kids up together for a few days.
If she is an FF ( brand new) it can take a day or two to realize she has to feed both.
Tie her up short, put kid to teat & hold up mama's rear leg if you have to. Keep doing this every few hours.


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

I agree with Karen and Nancy D.
But I have better luck holding up a front leg. The more the doe resists and won't hold still, the higher I raise that leg. If you win the first few episodes (not always pleasant), it will get much easier. At the first sign the doe is giving up and or relaxing, soften your approach to further encourage the desired behavior. 
Every case is a little different.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, momma and babies need to be in a bonding pen alone, until she takes good care of them all, however, if it has been a week, then, she will not accept the kid if she is not feeding him on her own. Go out every couple of hours and ensure the little ignored one is nursing. Even if you have to tie up momma and one back leg. As long as she is not hitting the kid hard, it is OK to leave the baby in there with her. Otherwise, if she is really mean, you have a bottle baby.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


----------



## Heather121 (Jun 5, 2015)

Sorry for taking so long to update. Nothing much has changed. The buckling's mother will still not let him nurse. I have been forcing her to let him nurse so he gets enough to eat. He seems to be perfectly healthy. He is a strong, spunky little guy. I named him Edgar. I think I will give them a few days then switch to goat milk in a bottle if I have to. I am not completely sure, but I now don't think the grandmother is nursing the female. Earlier I saw her nibbling, and assumed. I haven't noticed anyone doing it since. We only have one large enclosure for the goats, so separating them is extremely difficult. I took the grandmother out today and tied her in our yard, but she threw such a fit at being separated that I was afraid she was going to hurt herself.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Teach the kid the bottle just in case, but continue working with them for up to 1 week.


----------



## Heather121 (Jun 5, 2015)

I read that some people try to mask the kids' scent in order to get their mother to accept them. Is there a possibility that would work? A vet told me to take some poop from the accepted kid and rub on the rump hair of the rejected kid, but I haven't been able to catch her pooping. It is tough having such a huge enclosure, because her mother tries to keep her away from me. I do plan on making a smaller partition, but I won't be able to do that soon enough to make much of a difference. 
I fed the buckling by bottle once when I didn't have enough time to catch his mother, and he seemed to take to it relatively quickly.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

The pen needs to be smaller for it to work. Not too small though.

Mom's urine around the tailhead, maybe poo sometimes works.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


----------



## Heather121 (Jun 5, 2015)

toth boer goats said:


> How are things?


That little sucker has played me. He is being fed. It is the weirdest thing though. His grandmother had twins on Tuesday. The grandmother is now feeding all four. I think the mother is feeding them too though, at least her daughter. But the grandmother is letting all the kids nurse. :crazy:I hope she doesn't run out of milk when the kids get older.http://www.thegoatspot.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Heather121 said:


> That little sucker has played me. He is being fed. It is the weirdest thing though. His grandmother had twins on Tuesday. The grandmother is now feeding all four. I think the mother is feeding them too though, at least her daughter. But the grandmother is letting all the kids nurse. :crazy:I hope she doesn't run out of milk when the kids get older.http://www.thegoatspot.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


Thanks for the update and the laugh. :hi5:

I sometimes marvel at how close the families are in our goat herds. If it were me, in the future I would remember this and try to avoid babies nursing grandma before she kids, but goats like her stay on my keeper list longer than does who aren't as maternal. Grandma is a keeper.


----------



## Heather121 (Jun 5, 2015)

Tenacross said:


> Thanks for the update and the laugh. :hi5:
> 
> I sometimes marvel at how close the families are in our goat herds. If it were me, in the future I would remember this and try to avoid babies nursing grandma before she kids, but goats like her stay on my keeper list longer than does who aren't as maternal. Grandma is a keeper.


I wish she would have fed last year's bottle baby! She wasn't having any of that, though I did try. I think it probably had to do with her mama hormones because she was so close to kidding, combined with the fact that her daughter is her best buddy and she was present at the birth. But I don't know. Little brat anyway!
http://www.thegoatspot.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------

