Goat Info

Gestation Table for Goats Bred Birth Wean January June (-1) September February July (-0) October March August (-3) November April September(-3) December May October (-3) January June November (-3) February July December (-3) March August January (-3) April September February (-3) May October March (-1) June November April (-1) July December May (-1) August Goats have a 150 day gestation period.  To use the chart, you must know when a doe is bred.  Then use the chart to determine a due date.  For example, if she is bred on May 5th, find May in the bred column.  Follow across to see she would be due in the month of October.  It says to subtract three days, so her due date would be October 2.  Using this table, I have been 90% with a two day before or after window when I know the date she was bred.  Use the third column to see when they would be weaned.  In this example, the kid would be weaned about January 2nd. Keep in mind that even though the chart shows due dates for the entire year, goats are naturally cool weather breeders.  It is difficult to get them to breed during the summer months.  A general rule is that they only breed in months with an “r”. Hoof Care Goat must have proper hoof trimming to maintain their health.  If their feet are painful, it makes it hard to walk and find food.  It makes them susceptible to being picked on by others.  It can lead to problems with other joints.  Notice below the dirt that gets packed and the long, dead growth that forms flaps. The idea behind trimming hooves is to remove only what is necessary. If too much is removed, it will cause bleeding.  The look of a newborn kid’s hooves is what we are trying for.   Hoegger Goat Supply has an excellent booklet that gives more details on how to properly trim hooves.

Goat Vital Data

Temperature	101.5 – 104 (rectal)
Heart Rate	70 – 80 per minute (adult)
Respirations	12 – 15 per minute (adult)
	20 – 40 per minute (kid)
Rumination	1 – 1.5 per minute
Gestation	average 150 days (146 – 156)
Heat Cycle	average 21 days (18 – 23)
Length of Heat	about 1 day

Bottle Kid Feeding Schedule

Colostrum should be given the first two to three days.  This can be nursing their mother or colostrum that was frozen for just such an occasion.

Milk should be heated to 102 degrees.  Make sure commercial milk replacer is specifically for goats.  Goat milk can be frozen and thawed for kids.

Below is a guideline for bottling feeding amounts and times.  In reality, I let my kids drink as much as they want for the first three weeks, but the table is pretty close.

Week 1	1/2 – 1 Cup	8,11,2,5,8,bedtime
Week 2 – 3	1 – 2 Cups	8,12,4,8,bedtime
Week 4	2 – 2 1/2 Cups	8,2,8,bedtime
Week 5 – 7	2 – 2 1/2 Cups	8,2,8
Week 8 to weaning	2 – 2 1/2 Cups	8,8

Goats are ruminants.  They need access to pasture or hay for good health.  They will begin eating grass or hay with their moms when just a few days old.  This should be available for bottle kids also.

Make sure goats have access to clean, fresh water.

I don’t let a mom raise their baby if they have been ill and can’t raise them.  Even then, I try to leave mom and baby together for the emotional support and care.  The only other time I separate mom and kid is if there are triplets and I know the mom won’t be able to keep up with all three.

The earlier a kid is started on the bottle, the easier it is for everyone.  If a kid has been nursing their mom and for some reason has to be taken later, it can be hard to impossible to get them to take the bottle.

This ‘n That

*Goats are very social and do not like to be without other goat company.

*Goats are browsers, not grazers.  They like to flit about and eat this and that.  Goats who are made to graze are more susceptible to parasites.

*Make sure you have a method for parasite control; they are very susceptible to parasites.  I use herbal wormer from Hoegger Goat Supply weekly.  I do keep chemical wormer on hand in case someone is sick and not eating well. It’s best to have the vet do a fecal exam to determine what type of worm they have, so they can be treated with the proper wormer.  Also, overusing chemical wormers can cause the parasites to become drug resistant.

Posts of Note for Goat Health

How Do You Tell Your Goat Is Bred–There’s no sure fire way, but here are some signs to watch for.

Goat Birth–Detailed pictures as Muffin gives birth to twins.

Pistol Gives Birth–another doe as she kids.

Parasites–More information on herbal wormer.

Entropion Eyelid–Birth defect in many animals.

Too Hot to Be Pregnant–Signs your doe is close to kidding.

A Couple of Goat Pregnancy Notes–udders, springing and mucus plugs

Probiotics–probiotics and rumen health

Anemic Goats–anemia and bottle jaw, causes and treatment

Pam’s Prognosis–blood transfusion for severe anemia

Doing Your Own Goat Fecal Exam–step by step instructions

Goat Physical Therapy–How to help a goat regain strength to stand and walk.

Record Keeping for Goats–with links to a printable form.

Kid Positions for Birth–diagrams of common positions and how to help.

Stages of Goat Pregnancy–about pregnancy and the development of the kid(s).

Size Matters–the effects of weather on your kidding season.

Cache Valley Fever–causes fatal birth defects in kids.

Scours in Kids–causes and when to use antibiotics

What a Goat Kid Eats–kids, nutrition and weaning

Anemia in Goats: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment–one stop for all you need to know about anemia in goats

Hay for Happy Healthy Goats–a little bit on the feeding needs of goats (with a link to more detailed information)

CAE: Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus–about the virus, its symptoms and how to prevent it.

Living with CAE in the Goat Herd–My plan to survive this virus.

Uterine Problems in Goats–hydrometra, pyometra and mummification

To Wether or Not To Wether–Castration by banding