Goat Kidding: Signs of Labour and Newborn Kid Care

Quick answer

Goats are pregnant for about 150 days. As kidding nears, the udder fills, the ligaments by the tail head soften, the vulva swells and the doe gets restless, paws, and takes herself off. Most does kid without help: a water bag appears, followed by two front feet and a nose. If there's no progress after about 30 minutes of hard pushing, she probably needs help. Make sure every kid is breathing, dip the navel in iodine and get colostrum into it as soon as possible.

Before kidding

Write down breeding dates so you know when to expect kids. In late pregnancy the doe needs good feed, especially if she's carrying twins or triplets, as the kids grow fastest in the last weeks. Don't let her get too fat or too thin. Ask your vet whether she needs a clostridial booster (such as enterotoxaemia and tetanus) a few weeks before kidding, which helps protect the kids through colostrum.

Get a kidding kit together:

• clean towels and a clean, dry, draught-free kidding pen with fresh bedding
• disposable gloves and obstetric lubricant
• iodine solution and a small cup for dipping navels
• a torch, a thermometer and a notebook
• frozen colostrum (from your own healthy herd if possible) or a colostrum replacer, a bottle and teats
• your vet's phone number written somewhere obvious

Signs that kidding is close

From about day 140, check the doe several times a day. Over the last days and hours you may see:

• Udder filling and becoming tight and shiny, sometimes only right at the end
• Tail-head ligaments softening, so the area either side of the tail feels sunken and loose
• Vulva swelling and looking loose, sometimes with a string of clear or white mucus
• Hollow flanks, as the kids drop lower
• Behaviour: restlessness, pawing at the bedding, lying down and getting up, staring at her side, talking softly, going off on her own, or going off her feed

Some show every sign for days; others go from looking normal to kidding in a few hours.

What normal kidding looks like

Early labour can last several hours, often longer in first-time does. She'll be restless and uncomfortable but not yet pushing hard. Leave her quietly in her pen and watch from a distance.

Active labour starts with strong, visible pushing. A fluid-filled water bag usually appears and may burst. Soon after, you should see two front feet, soles pointing down, with the nose resting on top. Each push should show a bit more of the kid. Once the head is out, the rest usually follows quickly.

Twins and triplets are common. Further kids often follow within a short time, but there can be a longer gap. Some kids come back legs first, which is normal and often more common in twins. Back feet have soles pointing up, and the hocks bend the opposite way to knees.

The afterbirth usually comes away within a few hours of the last kid, often sooner. Don't pull on it. Remove it from the pen once it's out.

When the doe needs help

As a general guide, intervene or call your vet if:

• she has been pushing hard for about 30 minutes with no kid appearing
• the water bag has been showing for about 30 minutes with no feet or nose
• you see only a head, only one leg, a tail, or legs that clearly belong to different kids
• she has stopped trying, is exhausted, or labour has stalled between kids
• the fluid is dark brown, very smelly, or there is a lot of bright blood

If you've been trained and the problem is simple, such as a leg folded back, use clean gloves and plenty of lubricant and gently reposition the kid between contractions. Never pull hard or force a kid that doesn't move, and call the vet straight away if you can't sort it out within a few minutes or don't recognise what you're feeling. A narrow, undilated cervix, a kid that is too big, or a kid turned with its head back are jobs for a vet.

Newborn kid care

The first minutes

1. Clear the airway. Wipe mucus from the nose and mouth with your fingers or a clean towel.
2. Get it breathing. Rub the kid briskly with a towel and lay it on its chest, not its side. Tickling the inside of the nostril with a clean straw can trigger a sneeze. Don't swing kids by their back legs.
3. Let mum lick. Licking dries the kid and helps bonding. In cold weather, help dry kids thoroughly, especially the ears.

The navel

Dip the navel in iodine soon after birth, so it's fully soaked. This lowers the risk of navel and joint infections. Keep the bedding clean and dry.

Colostrum

Colostrum is the doe's first milk, and kids are born with almost no immunity, so it's the most important feed of their lives. A good target is at least 10% of the kid's body weight in colostrum over the first 24 hours, starting as soon as possible, ideally within the first hour or two. A 3 kg (6.6 lb) kid would need at least 300 ml (about 10 fl oz) over that first day. Some guidelines aim nearer 20%, as for lambs, so treat 10% as the minimum, not the limit.

Watch that each kid actually finds a teat and sucks. A kid with a round, full belly after feeding is a good sign. If a kid is weak, if the doe has little milk, or if there are more kids than she can feed, give warm colostrum by bottle. Thaw frozen colostrum in warm water, not in a microwave, which can damage it. A kid too weak to suck may need tube feeding by someone trained to do it.

Warmth

Normal body temperature in a kid is about 38.6 to 39.7°C (101.5 to 103.5°F). A cold, floppy kid must be warmed first, then fed once its temperature is back up, because a chilled kid can't digest milk properly. Warm it gradually in a warm room, a warming box or a warm-water bath with its head held clear, then dry it thoroughly.

The first days

Check the kids several times a day. Healthy kids stretch when they get up, play, sleep stretched out, and have round bellies. A kid that stands hunched, cries a lot, looks hollow, or stops sucking is either cold, hungry or ill and needs attention quickly.

Check the doe too. She should eat, drink and pass the afterbirth. Feel her udder for heat, hardness or one side much bigger than the other, which can mean mastitis. Normal body temperature for an adult goat is around 39°C (102 to 103°F).

For diarrhoea and tummy problems later on, see Bloat and Diarrhoea in Goats.

When to see a vet

Call a vet straight away if:

• a doe has pushed hard for about 30 minutes with no progress, or you can't correct a kid's position
• you see only a head, a tail or a single leg and can't sort it quickly
• the doe is straining with nothing happening, or is exhausted and has stopped trying
• there is heavy bleeding, a large swelling or tissue hanging from the vulva after kidding
• the afterbirth hasn't passed within about 12 hours
• after kidding, the doe has a fever, a foul-smelling discharge, stops eating, or is weak and wobbly
• in late pregnancy, a doe goes off feed, seems dull, stands apart, grinds her teeth or wobbles (possible pregnancy toxaemia, an emergency)
• a kid is cold and weak, can't suck, has diarrhoea in its first days, or a swollen, hot navel or joints

In Pakistan

Twins and triplets are common in goats, including popular Pakistani breeds, so be ready to supplement kids and keep a close eye on does in late pregnancy. In winter, cold nights are a bigger risk for newborn kids than the birth itself, so keep pens dry and free of draughts. For one of the most popular local breeds, see Beetal Goat: Breed Guide, Size and Care.

Planning to expand your herd? You can browse goats and pregnant does from verified sellers on Paalo.