What haven't I learned?!?
I learned that baby goats always come when its the coldest day of that week, so be prepared! Baby goat Kidd's have a hard time regulating their body temperature for the first 2-3 days. I make sure to have a draft-free barn or shelter for my Does/Doelings which we like to keep separated for 3 or so days after the birth. So therefore babies & mom can be bonded and nursing well before introduced into herd. I make sure babies nurse or get colostrum as soon as possible, I encourage babies to get up nursing. If babies are to weak I suggest get them to drink colostrum from a bottle, if possible I would suggest milking mama doe out and feeding her colostrum the kidd/s. After babies are born I get a warm bucket of water and add molasses for the Doe. I also like to give electrolyes.
Before kidding we vaccine expectant doe or doeling, trim their hoofs, and any supplements we feel they need (this depends on where you live, please contact your local Veterinarian) For more information check out my blog post "what to have on hand for your first kidding kit" We also separate the expectant Doe/Doelings around 2-3 days before their due date into their kidding stall or shelter. We do have a radiant heater along with a heat lamp and heating pad to be prepared to keep the kidds warm if needed. We had two doelings due within a week they got along well so therefore we felt they would be ok to kidd together. They did great together!
I learned what to have on hand which is included in my blog post "what to have on hand for your first kidding kit." I suggest before your First kidding you develop a relationship with your veterinarian. If you are located in Canada you will have to purchase a lot of supplements and medications directly from your veterinarian. I have included what we personal use and have discussed with our vet. (Please note I am not a trained professional, please contact your local vet as we have a relationship with our local veterinarian as this is our program.)
We milk our Nigerian dwarf goats year round for personal use! I learned so much about milking goats. When do you start milking? I could not find much information as not a lot of people milk year round. I personally choose to start separate our kidds from our does at 3 weeks overnight so therefore our kidds could be left with their moms all day. We separate our bucklings at 8-10 weeks and start milking morning and nights as close to 12 hour intervals.
We had our First kidds November 2020 and are expecting our next kidds in about 2 weeks, April and June 2021. As we breed off season for milk year round we will be breeding again soon for fall babies.
**Note I am not a train professional please contact your local veterinarian.