# Premature kids



## llewellynfarms (May 13, 2013)

Is there a way to tell if kids are premature if you didn't know the does due date? I have a buck/doe combo out of one of my first time kidders. They were born April 17 and have not gained any weight.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Are you sure that mom is producing enough milk? Usually a sign of premature is that their legs are like jello and they can have problems breathing and they can be very weak.

My bet would be on not getting enough milk from mom.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Premature kid will also not have teeth through gums.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

I am also thinking they are not getting enough milk.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I would weigh them...and check in a couple of days. Offer them a bottle and see if they will take it. Make sure you get some very warm milk in their mouths...you may have to be "forceful"...they won't want it at first. Try several times, over several days.


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## llewellynfarms (May 13, 2013)

We have been bottle feeding for three days now. They also still feed from their mother.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I bet they will start gaining weight. Weigh them daily or every couple days for a week using a scale that weighs in pounds and ounces or pounds and tenths of pounds to watch their weight growth.


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

I have not yet seen premature goat kids, but I have seen premature lambs (mom breeds on two different heats, and sometimes one or two lambs out of quads will not look right). Premature lambs sometimes have shorter wool, softer feet, and "don't look finished." They may have poor sucking reflex and be slower to bond to mom or to feed. They may not compete well with other siblings, so they will not grow as fast.

Lambs or kids can also be small if the fetus did not attach well to the uterine lining -- those that attach better get more nourishment and growth in the womb. If there are twins or triplets stuffed into one of the two horns of the womb, they may be smaller than a single in the other horn of the womb -- so you will get lambs of different sizes. I bet the Boer goat people see this.

If the nutrients from feed, water or soil are "off" - -say, deficient in a mineral or vitamin, or have an excess of something which blocks usage of other nutrients, the lambs or kids may fail to thrive. There are also genetic faults, and toxicity from fungus in the fields or forage the mother ate. 

A really big factor in fail-to-thrive babies is that sometimes people find a weak baby and fuss over it and help it to live, and then are so attached to it, that they keep breeding that weak baby, and it passes its genetic defects on to its offspring. Then you get a whole line of goats or sheep (or whatever) that are extra-dependent on human intervention. This is not a good thing. 

First thing to worry about is bad weather, less-than-perfect feeds or pastures, or mineral and vitamin deficiency. Try to correct that first. 

Next, do not over-feed or under-feed the moms. Thin moms will have week babies, and fat moms will too - -because they don't have room enough in their bodies to eat enough forage to provide all the growth necessary in that third trimester of pregnancy. So, try to learn what is just right for your own goats, with what feeds and minerals you can get hold of. It can take a little while to learn. Then you can worry about possible genetic flaws or whatever. Talk with your extension agent at your State's agricultural college, and with veterinarians if you can find some who know about livestock and goats. 

One of my mentors taught me to put out a little snack of soybean meal in the pen with mom and babies from day one -- the babies may only play with it, but it is very palatable and they will learn to eat faster from having it around to mouth and play with. Set up a creep pen where kids can go inside 24/7 and get grain and a warm bed and some light, and get away from mom. The grain or "creep feed" helps the rumen develop the ability to process food faster - -even better than hay - -and will help them eat forages and hay better in the future. If there is coccidia in your herd or barn for your species (goats) then you might want to make it a medicated feed or keep everything spotlessly clean. 

Mom may need more grain or corn or something to help her make more milk for the babies, if they are still in with her. Separate mom from the herd, have mom and kids with her and let them eat a little extra snack of grain together if you can - -it may help. Just a thought. 

That's all I can think of for now. And I totally agree with giving them a supplementary bottle -- the longer you wait, the harder it is to give it to them. They may also drink out of a pan or bucket of milk. But, give them grain (not hay or alfalfa pellets) to develop their rumen faster, since they may need to make up growth later than the other kids.


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## Squires (Sep 14, 2010)

Oh! Another thing! Some people automatically give each newborn kid or lamb a 1 ml shot each of thiamine and of BoSe. These are both prescription items from your veterinarian -- and ask them about this. I suppose you could give a Nigerian Dwarf kid 0.5 ml of each. These are the two most common deficiencies that cause fail-to-thrive in kids and lambs. 

Just a thought. onder:


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## Countrygirlnjn (Jul 1, 2014)

I work on a farm where there are fairly new twins and the one is half the size of his brother and is always alone the mother barely lets him drink and he is slow to move. My boss is a jerk and does not care about him. What can i do to try to help this little guy? He is a boer goat. Any suggestions please!!


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## emilieanne (Oct 15, 2012)

Countrygirlnjn said:


> I work on a farm where there are fairly new twins and the one is half the size of his brother and is always alone the mother barely lets him drink and he is slow to move. My boss is a jerk and does not care about him. What can i do to try to help this little guy? He is a boer goat. Any suggestions please!!


First off, I'd start a new thread to get more action and responses  but if you supplement him with a bottle 2 times a day, he should be better. Hope your boss comes around and so does the dam!! Good luck 

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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