Mom rejects kid

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I took a couple of my nigerian kids to another farm to be disbudded. When I returned home (after a hour and a half)one of the doe moms wanted nothing to do with her kid, obviously smelling the other goats on her. Tonight about four hours later she's still pushing her daughter away. I tried rubbing mom's scent over the kid. Do you think she'll be okay by morning and accepting her kid again? Or will I have to take up bottle feeding? Thanks

-- Lynn (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), April 21, 2002

Answers

Something we do when we bring someone new in is to put Vics Vapor Rub or Metholatum on everyones noses and butts, so that everyone smells the same. I would think she is smelling the burnt head and not the other goats. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

Sometimes this works... Hold the little kid on her back in your arms like a baby till she starts hollering really loud. Mommy will hear her and hopefully get protective of her kid since the kid sounds stressed. This worked for me this year when one of my moms that was to keep her kids didn't like on of them. Hope it works for you.

-- shari (smillers@snowcrest.net), April 21, 2002.

We had a doe who would ahve twins when she kidded. She would acept one and then desert or reject other. I tried the vanilla on nose trick w eused with the cows, nothing, then vasoline, nothing, then vicks, still. She was pretty bullheaded. So we ended up placing that kid on a adopted dam, and she did well. In fact it was wizard, the doe i cried a dishtowel wet last yr when she died.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 21, 2002.

Put the doe of the milk stand, hold her leg, and make her nurse the kid. Do this several times a day. She should accept the kid an a day or two. I have grafted kids onto does that were not their mothers, so this doe should catch on faster, since she has already bonded with her kid. But don't wait too long, the sooner the better, because the longer she rejects the kid, the more entrenched this behavior will become. JMHO.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 22, 2002.

Rebekah, your solution worked! All day long mom kept pushing baby away. Finally I caught her, held one rear leg and let the kid nurse. After that, she's back to letting her suckle. Thank you a million!

-- Lynn (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), April 22, 2002.


So glad to hear that they are a happy family again!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 22, 2002.

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