Chapter 5: Carry out kid management

5.1 Handling of kids at birth

The first hours after birth decide whether a kid lives. A newborn kid leaves the warm womb wet, must start breathing at once, loses heat quickly and has no immunity of its own. Kid deaths in the first week can come from chilling, weakness, infection through the navel and failure to suckle, and these can be prevented by good preparation and quick, clean handling. The technician prepares the kidding pen, watches the doe, helps only when needed, and then cares for the kid and the dam until the kid is suckling strongly. Example: in a dairy goat unit, an attendant on night duty checks the kidding pens every few hours, keeps a kidding kit at hand and records each birth in the morning.

Preparing for kidding

A doe carries her kids for about five months, so the expected date is worked out from the date of mating in the breeding record. About a week before the due date, she is moved to a clean, dry kidding pen away from the herd where she can be watched. Preparation includes:

• Clean the pen: Remove old bedding, wash and disinfect the floor and walls, let them dry, and spread a deep layer of clean, dry straw or hay.
• Keep the pen warm and free of draughts: The pen is closed on the windward side, and a heat source is provided where nights are cold.
• Put out the kidding kit: The kit is kept in a clean box beside the pen.
• Trim hair: The long hair around the tail, vulva and udder of the doe is clipped to keep it clean.
• Provide feed and water: Fresh clean water and good hay are available at all times.

Signs that kidding is near

• Udder: The udder swells and becomes tight and shiny, and the teats are filled.
• Ligaments: The ligaments on both sides of the tail base loosen and the area sinks, so that the tail bone can be felt easily.
• Vulva: The vulva swells and becomes loose, and a thick, clear mucus may hang from it.
• Behaviour: The doe becomes restless, paws the bedding, looks at her flanks, calls softly, and separates from the others.
• Appetite: She eats less and may lie down and get up again many times.

Normal birth

The doe starts to strain, and the water bag appears and breaks, followed by the kid, which normally comes front feet first with the nose lying on top of them, as if diving. Once the water bag has broken, a single kid or the first of twins is normally born within 30 to 60 minutes, and the next follows within a short time. The doe licks the kid dry and nuzzles it. The afterbirth normally comes out within a few hours of the last kid, and if it is still hanging after 12 hours, the veterinarian is called. The attendant watches from a distance and does not disturb the doe unless the birth is not progressing.

Assisting a difficult birth

Help is needed if the doe has strained hard for more than 30 minutes with no progress, if only one foot, or the head only, or the tail and rear feet in an unusual position appear first, or if she is exhausted or bleeds heavily. Only a trained person assists, and the veterinarian is called early in complicated cases. The steps are:

1. Wash hands and arms thoroughly with soap, and put on clean gloves.
2. Wash the vulva and the area under the tail of the doe with clean water and mild disinfectant.
3. Lubricate the gloved hand and gently feel inside to find the position of the kid.
4. If a leg is bent back, gently push the kid forward and bring the leg forward, so that both front feet and the head are presented. A kid coming backwards, with the hind feet first, must be delivered quickly.
5. Pull gently on the legs only while the doe is pushing, and pull downwards in an arc towards the doe's hocks, never with force.
6. Once the kid is out, clear its nose and mouth, and check inside the doe for another kid.
7. Call the veterinarian if there is no progress in a few minutes, if the kid is very large, or if the position cannot be corrected.

Care of the newborn kid

1. Clear the mucus from the nose and mouth with the fingers or the bulb syringe, so that the kid can breathe.
2. Rub the kid vigorously with a clean, dry towel, or let the doe lick it, to dry it and to stimulate breathing and circulation.
3. If the kid is not breathing, rub its chest, tickle the inside of its nose with a piece of straw, or hold it for a moment with its head lowered so that fluid drains from the nose and mouth.
4. Place the kid where the dam can lick it and bond with it, since a doe that is separated from her kid may reject it.
5. If the cord is longer than about 5 cm, cut it with clean scissors, leaving a stump of this length, and dip the stump in 7 per cent iodine, covering all of it.
6. Check that the kid is normal: it has no cleft in the roof of the mouth, it has an anus, its legs are straight, and its sex is noted.
7. Make sure the kid stands and suckles within the first hour. Feeding is described under Feeding kids on colostrum.
8. Keep the kid warm and dry, away from draughts, in the kidding pen, using straw or a heat lamp, and make sure that a weak kid is warmed before it is fed.
9. Repeat the navel dip once or twice more in the next 24 hours.

Care of the doe after kidding

• Afterbirth: Check that it is expelled, and remove and dispose of it safely, so that the doe does not eat it, and so that it does not attract flies and predators.
• Water and feed: Give warm clean water and good hay, and increase the feed gradually.
• Udder: Check that the udder is not hard or hot, and that the teats are open and giving milk.
• Health: Watch for retained afterbirth, heavy bleeding, fever, discharge with a bad smell and loss of appetite, and call the veterinarian if any of these occur.
• Rest: Leave the doe and kid together for the first days, in a quiet pen, before they join the herd.

Recording the birth

The date and time, the identity of the dam and sire, the number and sex of kids, the birth weight, the type of birth (single, twins), any help given, and any problems with the kid or the dam are written in the kidding record. This information is used later for identification, weighing and breeding records.