What's Colostrum Colostrum is the first milk that a goat dam produces, and that all goat kids must drink within the first hours after birth (any newborn mammal needs the mother’s “first milk”) for survival.The colostrum is how the dam passes on the vitamins and antibodies needed for survival specific to her location. Each new kid should receive at least 1 ounce of colostrum per pound of body weight three times in the first day (see Newborn Goat Kids Need Colostrum). Colostrum ... continue reading...

We've been very fortunate that our Nigerian Dwarf does have kidded with very few difficulties and are very good mothers too.  I’m always amazed at the way they care for their kids – as newborns, waking them every few hours and encouraging them to nurse – as they grow older and they want to nurse all the time, regulating how often the kids nurse but still encouraging the weaker ones to nurse frequently.Even if they don't need help and kid without difficulties (and most goats do) there is ... continue reading...

Colostrum is the first milk produced by a goat after she freshens, and it's the first milk that the goat newborn kids must drink within the first few hours. Why Newborn Goat Kids Need Colostrum It's a thick, sticky, yellow milk that contains high levels of fat, protein, vitamins, and antibodies that newborn mammals must ingest within a few hours after birth. This is how the dam passes immunity (specific to her location and environment) to her kids, and the faster they get colostrum, the ... continue reading...

Note: Several readers have requested posts on topics that have already appeared here – "Preparing for Goat Kidding" this is one of those posts that has been updated and republished.Kidding season is here again, so of course, we're preparing again (see Kidding Schedule). I'm always both anxious and nervous, but there's nothing I can do except to make sure we’re prepared.  What does being prepared mean?  Well for us preparing for goat kidding means:Going ... continue reading...

Pre-Freshening  Goat Clip It's a good idea to give goats that will be freshening a "baby clip" before they give birth. It's not an all-over clipping, it's just a clipping to remove hair in areas that are likely to get messy during the birthing process, or that you and the goat kids will need clear access to.Instead of a pre-freshening goat clip, if you live in an area where it's warm enough, you could clip them all-over; however, we're still likely to get some cold weather, so we don't ... continue reading...