The newly born goats are called kids or baby goats. Baby goats are really very cute, frolicking and always follow their mom on their tiny legs. They need proper care when they are just born.
Good caring during this period will ensure healthy and productive goats for your business. Sometimes you might think about raising these cute, little baby goats as pets.
But caring newly born baby goats is involved with lots of step by step hard work. It’s not too easy as you are thinking. But it will be much easier if you allow your does for caring their babies.
If you want to care for the baby goats, then you will need to get well-versed with the basics of goat’s care.
You must have to understand what is good for the baby goats, and what is bad for them. However, here we are describing more about how to care for baby goats.
How to Care For Baby Goats
Newly born baby goats are lovely but helpless, just like other animals or humans. The kids need to be left alone with their mom, for the first few weeks after their birth.
Especially the kids need their mom’s nursing badly during the first 24 hours after their birth. The kids need colostrum during this period.
Colostrum is the fist milk, produced by the doe after giving birth. And colostrum is considered as life giving milk. Within the first 24 hours of birth, the lining of a goat’s digestive system can only take in the colostrum.
This first milk is enriched with various nutrients, antibodies and proteins. Colostrum also helps the baby goat to protect them from various types of diseases.
Ensure a suitable place is ready for the baby goats, where they can sleep. The selected place must have to be dry and warm enough, and it should be protected from the sun and rain.
Drafty place is not suitable for the goat kids. So ensure that the place is not drafty.
For sleeping, pile up some fresh and clean hay for the babies. Place heat lamp inside the kid’s shed or inside the barn, during the winter season. This will keep the place warm and comfortable for the babies.
Feed the baby goats frequently on a regular basis. They usually have a small stomach after their birth. So you have to feed them frequently (several times a day).
You have to feed the kids at least 4 to 5 times a day. Feeding 4 to 5 times a day might seems very difficult to you.
That’s why most of the goat breeders allow their does to take care of their babies for a few days after birth. If you don’t want your does to take care of the kids, then you can consider feeding them goat’s milk or milk replacer through bottle-feeding system.
Hold the nipple near the kid’s mouth for bottle-feeding them. Sometimes the kids will refuse at first, but they will start suckling after a few try. You have to be patient.
You must have to take proper care of the baby goats, in order to prevent any health problems and for keeping the kids healthy.
Trim the hooves of the kids and deworm them on a regular basis. Give them all required vaccines when they are young.
Before vaccination, it will be better if you contact with any of your nearest veterinarian. Clean the ears, hooves, face and legs of the baby goats regularly by using warm and damp cloth.
These are the basic caring steps of baby goats. If you are thinking about raising goats as pets, then you can also consider naming the baby goats. However, be very careful in very steps and always try to take good care of them. God bless you!
