Kidding time!

[Boot Jack Bulls]

While many of the rest of you are calving, we are deep into kidding out does. We have about 16 done , another 4 left. So far mostly sets of twins and trips, but we also got a couple of huge singles and a set of quads. Only losses have been a yearling whose pelvis wasn't big enough to pass kids ( her 3/4 sibs have done just fine, her kid was taken c-section and is doing great) and an aged doe (10+ years old) who developed a tumor that blocked the birth canal and had to be put down (lost the kids too :cry: ). The barn is full, we had six does drop kids in the last 24 hours! Here is the orphan.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Shes in the barn now.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

A big single my daughter loves.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

The set of quads ( one is lying behind the others), doe is raising all 4 just fine.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

A yearling doing a nice job with her pair.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Another young doe getting it done.

 

[M-5]

Nice, I miss kidding out goats.

 

[fenceman]

Some really good memories, but I don't miss it.
We always tried to not kid until April. Goats don't do good in the cold.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Some really good memories, but I don't miss it.
We always tried to not kid until April. Goats don't do good in the cold.

Kidding is chaotic, but not too bad for us. Very few disasters, and the weather is cooperating. We have to kid early enough to make kids old/ big enough for weigh-ins up here. And our heavy breds do not like warm weather. We actually run into respiratory issues when we kid and its too warm out. Honestly, we have more issues with the weather having a negative affect when its wet. They don't seem to mind the cold, as long as they can be somewhere dry. We have a good set up and the mommas do good work, so we are better off kidding early.

 

[Luca Brasi]

You like to live dangerously with those lights where an adult doe can get to them. My dairy kids go in a box in the house until dry, then out into the barn. No lights, no mother, no problem.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

You like to live dangerously with those lights where an adult doe can get to them. My dairy kids go in a box in the house until dry, then out into the barn. No lights, no mother, no problem.

Those are the kidding jugs. They are only under lights for a few hours. Not sure where you are from, but up here, we at least want them to get dry and warm, and having 20+ kids in the house at a time is not an option. They are under pretty much constant watch in the jugs, and we have had no issues with the lights. Then the pairs go into maternity pens with other pairs, where only the kids can get in huts under lights if it gets below about 25 degrees. Because they are not dairy does, the kids stay with them until weaning time.

 

[Philip-TX]

My uncle just sold his last 600 Angoras (down from 2500 in his younger years). He's getting older and was too much work. (esp. shearing twice a year).

I used to help him kid'em out.
So no kid'n for me this year...yea.

But he did get a couple hundred Boers cuz he will always have goats. He can let them mainly kid on their own. Unlike the Angoras, they need a bed-side nurse-maid.

My chill'ns always looked forward to bring their friends to the goat barn in Feb.

 

[fenceman]

My uncle just sold his last 600 Angoras (down from 2500 in his younger years). He's getting older and was too much work. (esp. shearing twice a year).

I used to help him kid'em out.
So no kid'n for me this year...yea.

But he did get a couple hundred Boers cuz he will always have goats. He can let them mainly kid on their own. Unlike the Angoras, they need a bed-side nurse-maid.

My chill'ns always looked forward to bring their friends to the goat barn in Feb.

Bet your in the desert or the hill country.
We never had any angoras , but they were the number one form of ag. In many county's. Especially in the Chihuahua. Until mohair went to 0.00.
We always had Spanish then latter Spanish xBoer.

 

[Philip-TX]

One of the last few Angora guys in Hamilton county. Not many around anymore.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

I can't imagine having 600 goats, much less 2500! That is crazy! It seems like we have a ton of the after kidding sometimes when we start pushing the 100 head mark. I like our Boers, but not enough to have several hundred of them!

 

[Ky hills]

Those baby goats are cute. It brings back lots of memories, I have usually had a few goats up until maybe 3-4 years ago. Mine were mostly just pets. Had about 60 ewes, and 5 does, lambing in January for a few years, so I can sympathize.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Well, most of the does dropped kids in a five day stretch. Just 3 left to go, bred to a different buck, hence the gap in kidding dates. This one of them looks to be about ready. She's a doe we've shown a ton, and one of our only percentage bred does, so we have really high hopes for her kids. Fingers crossed!

 

[wbvs58]

You put up a photo without your little girl in it. Is she still on the horse?

Ken

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

You put up a photo without your little girl in it. Is she still on the horse?

Ken

Guilty! Riding is probably her favorite thing. Baby goats are a close second. I'm sure the majority of my posts will have her in the picture somewhere for the next 16 years or so! :heart:

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Another young doe getting it done.

Those lights scare the heck outa me! Two places burned down here last year because of those -- in chicken coops. BUT, there is a time and place for lamps, and we got some we use for baby chicks, and used for a bottle calf. I love them! With the bottle calf, that light on the first day got knocked into the straw -- don't know if it was there for 15 minutes or 2 hours, but we didn't have a fire. I HIGHLY recommend them! Link attached. https://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=131924&gclid=CKuCyqK_qMsCFVJgfgodol0O7A