How to Care for Your Growing Goats

Welcome back to Renewal Reads! Today Marianne and Elinor are two weeks old! I have enjoyed every bit of watching them grow! Marianne has become extremely playful and adventurous, while Elinor prefers sticking close to her mother, Abbey. Before Marianne and Elinor were born I was constantly researching about how to care for young goats, what do growing goats need, etc. I thought it would be nice to share my thoughts and experiences here to help other people in need of goat help. 

Before your goat or goats are born you’ll need a few things to keep your baby as healthy as possible. First make sure you have a dry and draft free birthing area. No matter what time of year it is you’ll need some form of bedding. Personally I would not use shavings of any sort. Shavings can become trapped in nasal passages very easily which can be deadly to a newborn. You will also want to have fresh water and food on site. The dam (mother goat) will be exhausted after giving birth so a lot of people will give them a mixture of  molasses and warm water to help boost their energy.  The two most important things your baby goat needs once it is born are colostrum and bonding time with its mother. I know all you want to do is hold the precious thing but please wait a day or so, as a strong mother/baby bond is essential for your goat to grow up healthy and strong. The reason why colostrum is vital is it provides the first source of nutrients a baby goat will get. It protects them until their immune systems are fully developed. A way to tell if your baby is getting its colostrum is to make sure it has been peeing every so often. Something that was scary with Marianne is that she began walking on her pasturns. There are two things that can cause this: either she was cramped in the womb or she had a selenium deficiency. When I researched what to do, multiple places said to stretch her tendons by bending them back and forth or put them in splints. We stretched her tendons back and forth and now she walks normally. Whenever something strange arises don't panic! Stay calm and keep your head! 

  As your baby grows it will need lots of space to run, play and explore. I would suggest keeping them in a covered pasture or staying outside with them while they are in an uncovered pasture. The reason I say this is hawks, owls, eagles, or any bird of prey will likely try to swoop down for an easy meal. 

When your baby is six to eight weeks of age to three months of age is when you need to begin weaning. Take it slowly, you don't want to just rip them away from their mama. At two or three weeks they should show interest in eating grain, hay, grass, etc. When you do separate them it's easier if they can see each other. It reduces stress and helps them to adjust. Weaning can be a stressful time, so have patience and I’m sure you’ll do just fine. 

That concludes this week of Renewal Reads. I encourage you to go and read more about this online as this is a vast topic. Next week we'll be talking  about how to milk a goat and pasteurize its milk. 

Isaiah 57:10 says,

“You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint.”

NASB1995