I don't have the time or the heart to go thru the archives right now. We had a horrible kidding last night. My Alpine doe bagan laboring at...? well i don'tknow when she started but i noticed it at seven yesterday morning. she worked at it until she finally had her first kid at about two oclock in the afternoon. As he was coming out, a sac with red fluid came out too. So after the kid is out here she is with these two red sacks hanging out of her. i wondered if she was done bec she hadn' thinned at all and was still restless but she had those red things hangin' out. anyway about 35 min later she started trying to have another one and from start to finish this whole thing didn't look easy for her at all. This is her third kidding and she has never had any trouble before. after the second kid she passed the afterbirth and it was business as usual as far as milking her and the others and whatnnot. She drank lots of molasses water and ate grain all was well. But she still looks just as pregnant as the other alpine who has not kidded yet and this morn when i went to milk i see her in her stall in the corner laying down moaning and she won't eat anything. she ate a carrot but no grain and or hay and she just looks miserable. Vet can't come out until four and i dont know what the heck's the matter with her but she isn't acting like herself at all. Her kids weighed 8lbs and 8lbs 14oz, the smallest kid i'v had was 4lbs 16 oz so which birthweight is closer to average for a large dairy breed?

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), March 19, 2002

Answers

Susan, I think she may have another kid in there. If you can go in and check, and turn it or help out, then do. Otherwise, you will need to get someone woth exerience in sheep or goats to help you. The sooner the better, I would not wait for the vet, take care of it as soon as you can. If there is not another kid, it may be that she tore while she was laboring, or she could have milk fever. Are her ears cold? But first I would go in and look for a third kid. Eight pounds is an average size, four pounds is little. I've had them born as big as 13-14 lbs, which was too big. The red sacks are the the sacks that the kid came in, and the placenta. Did she drop any more placenta after the second kid? The sacs look like, well sacks, the placenta is fleshy and more substantial.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 19, 2002.

After the second kid she passed the afterbirth, i know what it looks like and she definitely passed it. i just went out there and she was still laying in the corner. she got up when she heard me snap a carrot and she ate it but still hadn't touched her hay or grain. i didn't feel her ears and other than a vet i wouldn't know who to call. i did go in last night because i just felt tlike she wasn't done, like there was another kid but i didn't feel it. Of course i don't know what i'm feeling for but it just felt squishy in there, nothing solid.

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), March 19, 2002.

Susan how far up your arm did you go in? What is her temperature? Offer her hot water with molassas or Kero in it in case it is just low blood sugar. Never let a doe labor for that long again without assistance, you are lucky you had live kids. If she does have a rip in her cervic she will do lots of pushing for no reason. Get her up, milk her out, with lots of massage, this will help her produce natural oxytocin to help close the cervic and shrink the uterus. If her kids are nursing than twice a day after you have seen the kids nurse her, milk her out. If you went in after she passed the placenta than you need to put her on antibiotics. If her temp is low than ask the vet about treating her for milkfever, it will not hurt her to treat her. Also get some B vitamins, they will help with her appetitie, and also some Probios to give while she is on antibiotics. Don't forget to worm her later today or tommorrow. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.

Susan,

Rebekah and vicki pretty much covered it. before we can really help any further we need a temp, and a few other details. Is her vuvla red or swollen? Hot to the touch? I would try getting her on anitbiotics if you note anny sign of infection. Good luck.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 19, 2002.

Susan, I was reading up on kidding difficulties lately because both my does kidded this past week and one had a tough time. There's a site called The Goat Lady ( the addy is www.geocities.com/goatladys_goats ) that had some good information. One thing they mentioned was that a doe carrying triplets can pass afterbirth, then give birth to a third kid. The third kid is usually dead. The doe would then pass a second placenta. If your doe is still really big and acting ill, maybe she's retaining a third kid. Hopefully your vet has been out by now and you have answers and solutions (and I truly hope this is not the answer!).

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), March 19, 2002.

You are right about the third kid. We lost a doe where the vet went in and couldn't find it either until it was too late. Don't wait.

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), March 19, 2002.