The first stool a newborn kid passes will likely be a tarry, sticky, dark looking stool. This is completely normal. Within a couple of days, it usually turns to a mustard yellow and begins to transition to lightly formed, but still a solid clump. Over time, especially as the kid begins consuming other foods than Continue Reading
Category: Kid Care
Kid Diet: Newborn to Weaning
There are no special dietary restrictions for goat kids due to age. Our kids have access to the same foods as the rest of the herd from day 1 and dam raised kids are often eating alongside their mothers within a couple of days. Bottle fed kids may need some encouragement to learn how to Continue Reading
Caring for Chilled or Rejected Kids
If you raise goats, having a chilled and/or rejected kid is somewhat inevitable. We select carefully for good mothering ability, but still wind up with 1-2 bottle kids every year in our 30-50 kid crop. While the inclination seems to be to bring these kids inside and raise them up, it can create a host Continue Reading
Are My Kids Getting Enough to Eat?
One of the most commonly asked questions during kidding season is, “Are my kids getting enough to eat?” While it may seem as though they aren’t getting enough time nursing, the odds that they’re underfed if mom is nursing at all are very slim. Goat kids nurse frequently and sometimes for mere seconds. It is Continue Reading
Infection at Goat’s Disbudding Site
Infections, though uncommon, can occur when a disbudding site is not fully cauterized. These sites may need to be redone to prevent scurs. Maggie in our goat group graciously allowed me to use her image to demonstrate what this type of infection may present like. Weeping, oozing, puss and discharge can indicate an active infection. Continue Reading
5 Rules for Raising Healthy Buck Kids: A Lighthearted (Sort of) Look at Common Buck Kid Beliefs
Warning: strong opinions will be voiced in this article. I am pretty passionately outspoken about my thoughts on how buck kids are treated but remember, you came here to this website to read and what you’re going to get here is me. It’s also meant to be an exaggerated, humorous look at the way Internetland approaches Continue Reading
Nigerian Dwarf Bottle Feeding Schedule
NEW! Buy the refrigerator magnet of this schedule for instant, easy reference. Shop here. Even if you dam raise your kids, it’s inevitable that you’ll wind up with a bottle baby at some point. Our does have large litters, as many as five at a time, and it isn’t uncommon that we end up with Continue Reading
Disbudding
Disbudding is the process of permanent horn removal. It is done through the use of a disbudding iron heated to very high temperatures to burn away the tissue that will create horn growth. When I had my first goats disbudded something like 15 years ago, the long time goat farmer I took them to mentioned Continue Reading
Using a Kid Creep
Kid creeps are a great way to provide kid-specific care while keeping larger goats away. This brief article details how and when to use one and includes photos of various iterations we’ve implemented on our farm. What is a Kid Creep? A kid creep is simply a space–a shelter, fenced area or any other area Continue Reading
Coccidiosis Prevention and Treatment
Hands down, number one, the big winner for coccidiosis prevention and treatment is oregano essential oil. Let’s look at the data. My initial research into oregano essential oil led me to studies done on oregano as a coccidiostat in chickens. Here’s one combining garlic and oregano, never a bad idea: In conclusion, the combined supplementation Continue Reading