What you need in your goat birthing (kidding) kit
Our favorite time of year has arrived. Kidding Season!!!
We thought we were having kids about every two weeks starting tomorrow and ending late July. Boy were we wrong!
Cassie surprised us on Saturday afternoon with QUADS! and boy are they precious. She is such a good mama - she had already delivered 3 of the kids by the time Michael happened to walk by the pen and see an unfamiliar baby wobbling around. Dad witnessed the fourth delivered still in the sack, so Mom rushed in to administer a little doula care… baby struggled for a few moments but came around!
Cassie and her three doelings and one buckling.
Cassie’s fourth doeling was born with the sac in tact, which required some intervention. Here she is getting a rubdown.
Fast forward a few hours (11pm) and Mom texts me that we are having contractions. I grabbed Kyla from bed and we ran down to the barn. Lillie kidded with twin bucklings!
Mama Lillie and her twins.
This cord was long and dragging on the ground. It was important to tie it, cut it and dip in iodine to prevent infection. (Dad is an expert at tying knots, which came in handy here!)
We wish every day could be baby day - it is our favorite part of having goats.
If you wonder what you need in your baby goat birthing kit, read on. This is not a vet kit - but a home kit. You should always have your vet on call during kidding season. If you face something more than you need here, it is time for a call.
🧼 Basic Sanitation Supplies
Disposable gloves – For cleanliness and biosecurity. (We wash our hands and skip the gloves unless something happens.)
Lubricant (OB lube) – In case of assistance with delivery.
Towels (clean, dry) – For drying off kids or cleaning the doe - you will need a lot of these.
Antibacterial soap – To clean your hands and supplies.
🧰 Kidding Essentials
Iodine (7% or tincture) – For dipping umbilical cords to prevent infection.
Dental floss and sterile scissors – To tie or trim the umbilical cord if needed.
Nasal aspirator or bulb syringe – To clear mucus from kids' noses and mouths.
Flashlight or headlamp – For nighttime births.
Heating pad or hot water bottle – To warm chilled kids.
Puppy pads or chux pads – For clean bedding during delivery (have a lot of these as well, they don’t ever stay where you put the pads.)
Vet contact info – On hand in case of emergencies.
🍼 Feeding & Support Supplies
Colostrum (fresh, frozen, or powdered) – Essential if the doe cannot nurse right away.
Baby bottles with Pritchard nipples – For feeding kids if needed.
Nutri-Drench or molasses water – Energy boost for the doe post-kidding.
Electrolytes – To help both does and weak kids recover (we haven’t needed these.)
🩺 Medical/Backup Supplies
Thermometer – Check for fever or hypothermia.
Calcium supplement (like CMPK) – For does showing signs of milk fever.
Mom has delivered kids breech, had to tie off, cut and dip umbilical cords, revive cold and floppy kids, cut stitches from a prolapse, and all sorts of things - we have used almost every single thing in this kit at one time or another. (I am so grateful that she is a trained nurse!)
Keep a camera handy, weigh your babies shortly after birth, and document everything so you can refer to it later!
Wonder how to tell if your goat is in labor? Read my post about it. Sometimes you can’t tell at all, other times your doe will be crying all day and pawing at the ground before she starts clearly contracting. More than once we missed it (because she went off and hid) and it all turns out ok, but most times we step in to help or just provide some comfort.
This is the stuff life is made of and boy do we love it. The circle of life is visible every day here and in addition to just being awesome, it helps us to teach our children without embarrassing conversations. I highly recommend it if you have ever considered raising animals!
