Experienced goats breeders know that the offspring of their wards must be prepared in advance. It is important to clean the shed where the animal is kept, put a cage for babies with a feeder and a drinking bowl, cover the floor with a dense layer of straw.
Preparation for lambing
When
mating a goat with a goat, it is easy to calculate when to wait for the young kids. After all, their pregnancy lasts 21-22 weeks (5 months). Days 10 before the expected date of birth of the babies must be removed in the goat house, clean it of litter and disinfect with a solution of lime.
Throughout pregnancy, the goat should receive feed and mineral supplements in sufficient quantities, have constant access to clean, cold water. Every day, the animal must walk, in the winter for this it is enough to release him into the pen. In order for pregnancy and lambing of goats to proceed without problems, it is necessary to feed them with twigs, brooms from birch, aspen, and cherry. It is important to monitor their behavior. It is necessary to provide them with relative peace, to exclude the possibility of jumping over ravines, fences. This will help to avoid many problems.
Food change
Experienced breeders know that it is important to change the diet of the goat. Preparation for lambing is to change it a few days before the offspring. So, usually 7-10 days before the calculated date (based on the expectation that the pregnancy should be about 148 days), the animal is left in water, hay and root crops. During this period, it is necessary to abandon grain, mixed and crushed feed with compound feed. True, if the animal is exhausted, then you can remove ordinary food 3 days before birth.
Vegetables should not cause bloating in the goat. Therefore, it is worth abandoning rutabaga and fresh white cabbage. They can be added to the diet only in small quantities. It is best to leave the pumpkin, potatoes, red beets, zucchini and kohlrabi cabbage for the goat.
Three days before the expected date of the appearance of the kids, it is better to remove vegetables, leaving only high-quality hay and water in the diet. This is necessary so that the goat could naturally get rid of excess fluid and mucus before childbirth.
Signs of lambing
If you notice a change in the behavior of the animal, then it is time to recall the features of feeding goats after lambing. Before offspring are born, animals usually behave very restlessly. They can quickly lay on the floor and stand up, their udder increases significantly in size. By the way, many precisely on this body determine when to wait for the kids. About a day before lambing, it ceases to be elastic, but becomes hot and hard. If you notice this symptom, then you need to regularly look after the goat.
There are also other symptoms of an approaching birth:
- softening and lengthening of the ligaments of the pelvis, retraction of the sacrum;
- an increase in the genitals, the appearance of viscous mucous discharge from them.
The behavior of the goat also changes, it becomes cautious and looks for a place for delivery.
Nutrition in the early days
It is worth knowing that after the appearance of babies, goats are very thirsty. To
restore strength, it is better to prepare a warm swill. This may be a decoction of bran or flaxseed. You can also give sugar syrup. Due to its high carbohydrate content, it will help to quickly restore the strength that the goat lost after lambing. Feeding can begin no earlier than 1.5 hours after the baby is born. It is important to ensure a sufficient amount of water, it must be added every 2-3 hours. At one time, it is better to give the animal no more than 2 liters to avoid swelling of the udder.
Many recommend feeding goats after lambing to start with a piece of black bread, which must be spread with a thick layer of melted lard or butter. A good option is flour soup. It is advisable to give it warm, adding linseed oil to it.
The first days to restore strength and normalize digestion, the diet should consist of coarse oats (about 200-300 g), finely chopped carrots, a small amount of high-quality hay mowed during the flowering period of herbs, and 10-15 grams of table salt. Everything is given in small portions. To stimulate the formation of milk and normalize digestion, you can use a warm soup, in which juniper berries are added.
First feedings
It is important not only to figure out how to care for the goat after lambing, but also to properly organize its diet. The first feeding may consist of 2 liters of liquid, 1-2 handfuls of oatmeal, which must first be boiled with boiling water, a tablespoon of sugar. Such a talker can be given immediately after birth to restore strength.
After a couple of hours, you can boil two tablespoons of flaxseed, boil some flour with boiling water and mix them with two liters of water. This not only contributes to the replenishment of fluid in the goat's body, but also has a good effect on the separation of the placenta. By the way, for these purposes, flax seeds can be added to the first feeding.
From the second day, the goat is drunk simply with clean, warm water.
Possible problems
It should be understood that the feeding of goats after lambing must be changed. After childbirth, the animal’s body is weakened, and the digestive system does not work at full strength. Therefore, for three days it is necessary to completely abandon the feed. Its large particles may simply not be digested, and this will only weaken the animal. If it is not possible to replace it, then feed must be sieved before feeding. But it’s better to give the goat flour.
You can also restore digestion using warm milk soups. To avoid problems, hay should only be given in small portions. The main food should be liquid.
If you immediately switch to feeding goats after lambing with concentrated feeds, this can provoke a disorder, cause diarrhea, and disrupt the function of the pancreas. All this will further oppress the body, which is so weakened after childbirth.
Return to normal mode
Three days after the appearance of the offspring, you can gradually return concentrated feed to the diet. At this time, the activity of the digestive organs is restored.
But it is necessary to introduce concentrated and succulent feeds gradually so that the goat can get used to them again. After lambing, the animal should be fed in accordance with all the rules. This will prevent a number of problems and help the goat recover quickly. Bring the animal to normal nutrition gradually, starting with half a serving. After 4 days, an approximate diet may be as follows:
- root crops (3 kg);
- branch feed (1 kg);
- meadow hay (2 kg);
- bran (0.4 kg);
- concentrated feed (0.5 kg).
Do not be afraid that after giving birth the goat will starve. In three days nothing will happen to her, but she will be able to digest the mucus that she licked from the babies born.
Care Features
It is advisable to prepare for the appearance of offspring in advance. After all, it is important not only that the diet be changed. Particular attention is paid to what should be the care of a goat after lambing. After the cubs appear, it is necessary to help her to her feet for several minutes, and then lay her down again for rest. This is necessary in order to avoid prolapse of the uterus, when rising, it falls into place. Also, 1.5 hours after birth, it is advisable to milk it a little. This is necessary to prevent the development of mastitis. But decanting is not worth it.
If animals have little milk, then goat feeding should be reviewed. After lambing in such cases, you can give milk soups, drink tea with milk. You can also independently distribute goats, this stimulates milk production.