Kidding Supplies
Kidding Season is upon us and we can’t wait! Every year as we prepare for the first births, I like to refresh my memory so I can be as prepared as possible. As more and more people are adding goats to their lives, I figured why not share my must-haves for kidding.
If you watch our live web cam every year, then you will know that I always have my yellow toolbox near by when we move any of the girls into the kidding barn. It is filled with the things I am likely to need, as well as some things that are rarely or never have been used.
Here I will go over my list of what we have and why we have it.
Towels: Not your nice kitchen towels or hand towels from the bathroom. These are the stained, old, maybe even from a second hand store, towels that you don’t mind anything (and I do mean anything….) getting on. Many people use the disposable puppy pee pads. I just prefer to throw less away so we use old stained/bleached bath towels that I have cut in half. They are easily sprayed off with a hose nozzle before heading into your washing machine.
Nitrile Gloves: It is important that if you need to do any intervention, you not introduce any potential risk of infection. We keep a clean box of nitrile gloves handy for nearly every birth. Best to do a quick disinfect of your gloves with a squirt of rubbing alcohol. Be sure to let the alcohol evaporate before working with your goat.
Lube: We have both J jelly and a powder lubricant on hand. If you need to do some intervention, it is a nice courtesy to make the experience as smooth and slippery as possible. The J jelly works by squirting directly onto your clean glove. The powder can also be sprinkled on your glove for immediate lubrication, or you can sprinkle it onto your bucket of warm betadine solution. I used this for the first time last year in a couple of tricky births and I was blown away by the effectiveness of the powder lube. It seemed to last way longer than the J Jelly. Highly recommend!
Scissors: Disinfect your scissors before every birth, or before cutting the cords of the kids. Some kids don’t need their cords cut, but if there is a particularly long cord once it has detatched, we cut it to about 1” long, and do a quick dip into 7% iodine to ensure no infection will enter their tiny bodies.
Bulb syringe: I call these sucker balls. They are very handy if it sounds like the newly born kid has mucous making their breathing more difficult. NOTE: YOU MUST EXPRESS THE AIR OUT OF THE BULB BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE KIDS AIRWAY! IF YOU DEPRESS THE BULB IN THE NOSTRIL OR MOUTH, YOU WILL LIKELY PUSH THE MUCOUS IN FURTHER!
7% Iodine: For protecting the babies from anything entering their body from the cord. The cord dip should be done within a couple of minutes of being born.
Milk test vial or shot glass: This makes the cord dip really easy and allows you to waste less iodine.
Floss: Rarely, a cord will not stop bleeding and you’ll need to tie it off. Floss is a great easy way to do this and not have something bulky that the doe is likely to lick off while cleaning the kid. I have never needed to use this but I have it in my box just in case.
Rubbing alcohol: For disinfecting your gloves, scissors, or if you need to administer a shot to the doe.
Make-up wipes/cotton balls: For disinfecting your scissors between kids, applying alcohol for administering a shot.
Betadine: This solution is for more invasive intervention in a birth. You do not want to introduce potential infection to your goats so make up a solution of warm water and betadine. Dip your fully gloved hand and wrist into the solution and be sure to fill the glove inside as well in case your hand does go farther than the glove. It will significantly reduce the risk of introducing infection. Pro-tip: Sprinkle your powder lube into the bucket for more efficiency and slip!
Fresh or dry raspberry Leaves: When a doe begins labor, you can give her a snack of raspberry leaves to help her through. It is amazing how well this can work when a doe stalls out. I give it to all of my girls once their ligaments go soft. Plus they love it!
Calcium Drench: Particularly in older does, a bit of calcium drench given with a drenching syringe can really help a doe with her contractions. You can give it to any doe in labor.
Nutri-drench: Giving birth is a very tiring business. Nutri-drench helps give them a little boost of energy to keep going. They seem to love it and especially once they are in the licking-phase (I’ll talk more about this in a future post), you can just squirt it right on your hand and they likely will happily lap it all up.
Reference book: As I mentioned before, I read up on kidding every year right before the first due dates. It helps me to refresh my memory on birthing positions, how to help, things to remember. Learning never ends and we can never retain everything we thought we knew. The book I recommend the most is Holistic Goat Care by Gianaclis Caldwell. Gianaclis and her husband, Vern, ran an off-grid raw-milk creamery called Pholia Farm for nearly 20 years. She is also my friend, mentor, and the person I call when I have a question that I can’t answer. It is such a valuable resource that I reference many times throughout the year when something comes up. I recommend it to every person who gets goats from us, whether they are getting goats for pets, or for breeding and milking.
Extra Kidding Supplies that I recommend, but not necessary, especially if you intend to call a vet for tricky things:
Tea or Te-Quila: Kidding can be very stressful! I like to keep a small bottle of bourbon or tequila in my kit for those difficult births where I just need a little liquid confidence to boost my self esteem. If that’s not your thing, have a fresh batch of chamomile tea brewed and ready to keep you calm and focused. =)
Pain medication: A veterinary prescription is usually necessary for any kind of goat pain medication, but we always have some Banamine on hand for invasive assisted births. It really helps comfort the doe and also decreases the chance that she will reject her kids from the trauma. Always be aware of the proper dosage.
Syringes and needles: For administering any pain medication.
Feeding tube: Rarely needed (I’ve only used it once helping a friend’s weak kid) but I always say, better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it. Also, a catheter syringe is very helpful to feed the kid through the tube. You can also use a regular syringe without the needle attached. Bonus tip: There is a fantastic part of Holistic Goat Care on using feeding tubes.
So, there you have it. I may have forgotten a thing or two on there but I will surely add anything if I think of it. It is important to remember that if your goats are healthy and get enough exercise, they are unlikely to need any help. Some farms are very hands off and allow their goats to do it all on their own. I like to be there in case something goes wrong. My feeling is that if I can give a little help to get the kids out safely and alive, it is my preference to losing a kid and wondering if I could have changed the outcome had I intervened. We’re all different, and nobody should be more correct than another in their level of intervention. Best of luck to all of you goat humans and cheers to healthy moms and babies!