# Kidding stall necessary?



## SleepingDogRanch (Aug 10, 2018)

Hi everyone! I've been hearing a lot about kidding stalls built in the goat shelters. Can y'all explain the benefits or the reasons to build some for future reference?


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## Pack Goat Girl (Jun 17, 2018)

I have two kidding stalls, the reason i have them is for more than one reason. i like to keep the momma and baby (s) away from the rest of the herd for the first few nights, i also like to put the momma in it for the night once she is getting close to kidding. I will also use it if one of the the goats needs some extra food, or is getting picked on. The other time i will use one is when i started separating the kids at night to milk the mom in the morning.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

We didn't have any this last year. I had 3 goats kidding. My herd queen kidded first in the shelter, the other 2 didn't bother her...no issues. 3 days late both the other girls went into labor. Herd queen kept trying to kick them out of the shelter. The other 2 are bonded so they didn't care about each other nearby. When the second started kidding we had to keep the queen out. That was the hard part. So a separate area would have been nice. 

Next season we will have some for the reasons above. It's always great to have a space to separate someone.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Pretty much it’s just a safe dry and warm place. The come in handy. A few reasons I have them:
Mine are in a large pasture. If one looks like they will kid at night I can put her in a stall so I don’t have to walk a field checking or chasing her in the night if she needs help.
I now have winter kidding so in a stall the kids are totally out of any wind and if they get cold I can set a heat lamp up.
As mentioned above no one can get kicked out. It also gives them a place where they are away from the herd but not any any stupid spot to kid, like out in the wind.
It comes in handy if you have a doe that is a little clueless about her kids. She has nothing on her mind but focusing on those kids and what she needs to do.
I just changed from spring kidding to winter kidding so made a bunch of stalls because of the cold. But before that I had 6 (I run around 70 does) and only used them when I had to. If it was a nice warm day and they had it together (letting kids nurse) they stayed out in the field. Or as I said if I didn’t want to walk a pasture checking on a doe that would go in the middle of the night.


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## SleepingDogRanch (Aug 10, 2018)

Thank you all! We are considering tearing down our current goat shed because it’s old and parts were destroyed last year in the hurricane, so when we rebuild I want my goats to have all the essentials they need!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't have one - just one stall. And I had four does kidding. One kidded in our trailer. One kidded out behind the barn. One kidded in the pen at night. And one kidded on a tether in our yard during a birthday party.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I have separate kidding pens for the following reasons:
Cold weather kidding - I can get in and take care of babies and mom without interference
Mom/kid bonding - especially for FF.
Being able to keep a strict eye on kids nursing, mom's health and udder.
No worries about other does being less than nice to kids.
It just takes the stress off of me worrying about the kids and helps me out if I need to go in and help with something without another nosy Nancy bugging me.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

goatblessings said:


> I have separate kidding pens for the following reasons:
> Cold weather kidding - I can get in and take care of babies and mom without interference
> Mom/kid bonding - especially for FF.
> Being able to keep a strict eye on kids nursing, mom's health and udder.
> ...


Definitely smarter than my high stress method!!!! We did plan to use our trailer as a kidding pen, but we had several due simultaneously!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Trailers work! I had to use mine and my dads trailer my first kidding. We got freakish cold wether and it was a mess! Heck I still use my trailer if I need another pen. Not long ago one of my bucks kept destroying his fence. I put him in there and told him good luck ripping that to pieces buddy! Lol


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Oh yes - love the trailer! I have to find ways to reduce stress at kidding - I'm such a mess anyway!


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

I always have a kidding stall available, but that doesn't mean I'll use it for each goat. I never know who I'll put in it until the last couple days, because sometimes a doe will get really stressed out when separated (even if she can touch noses/see the other goats through the goat panel). 
But for the most part, it is so nice being able to put an expectant doe in the pen for the night, if only for my own peace of mind, LOL. 
I also always worry about the kids' noses being covered in mucus (or the sack) and the mama not cleaning it out soon enough, so they suffocate. We lost a beautiful heifer calf that way several years ago, so I guess that is why I'm so paranoid about it!


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## Nigerian dwarf goat (Sep 25, 2017)

i have 2 kidding stalls, one next to the main pen, and one in the barn. i dont really like that setup but oh well. i use one because last kidding it was winter and ponelope just HAD to kid outside of the shelter. so that night and next day were nice days but the day after it was cold and rainy so i had to but her in the shelter with her three babies and two other does each with 2 week old twins, so 10 goats,but when i had come back, one of her babies had been what it looked like layed on and he died, so now i have kidding stalls so each doe and her babies have time with each other for a few days, to bond and to stay safe from other goats.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

I have a maternity ward and kidding stalls. They are close to my house so I can sleep without worrying about varmits. The barns, pasture and milking parlor is out under the oaks.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Kidding stalls, bonding pens are good to have.


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## bluepickle (Sep 30, 2015)

If I only have 3 goats and they are all preggers, due around the same time, should I worry about them needing separated from each other? Or is it ok for them to all deliver in the same large-ish shelter?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

bluepickle said:


> If I only have 3 goats and they are all preggers, due around the same time, should I worry about them needing separated from each other? Or is it ok for them to all deliver in the same large-ish shelter?


Honestly it's going to depend on the does. As long as the other does are not mean to the wet wobbly kid, or try and steal them, and the doe that delivers is a good mother then no you won't. 
I personally would have something you can slap together fast and just have it sitting there waiting just in case. You can get a panel and section off a corner. Build wooden panels that you can just tie together, really anything that a kid can't get threw. But with only 3 I would assume they are pretty bonded and friendly with each other and there probably wouldn't be a issue but it's better to be prepared then out at 1am trying to figure something out.....yes I speak from experience


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, separate so they can bond for 3 days or longer if things are not going well.

When you have a bunch of Does kidding at the same time, it will get very confusing.
They may kid too close to another, who is kidding at the same time, causing major confusion.

If one who wants kids now, but hasn't kidded yet, but close, get in the way when they are born and try to steal the kids, putting their scent on them causing the real mom to disown them.

It isn't a good idea to free range IMO.
First time moms really have no idea what to do, so, disowning can happen really easy, when other Does are sniffing at the kids. New moms, some, have to be taught.


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