First 2 Hours after Birth

Up Est Birthing Dates Preparing Does Where to Kid Problems in Pregnancy Detecting Labor Birthing Prep Labor First 2 hours Shedding Afterbirth Bottle Feeding Colostrum

  • If the mother kidded outside and it is cool weather, we will move mom and kids into our barn with a clean pen, fresh water and food.
  • As soon as the mother has cleaned the kids, we will give them some Nutra-Drench for temporary energy
  • Next we will trim the umbilical cord to one inch and apply 7% Iodine to the navel to prevent infection
  • We will check the mother's teats for milk. There may be some wax in the tips that need to be removed to allow milk to flow.
  • We will monitor the kids while they try to nurse on their own for about 90 minutes. The faster they get their mother's colostrum, the better their future health will be.
  • If they have not nursed on their own in the 90 minute timeframe, we will try to help them nurse from their mother. We want the kids to nurse on their own if possible.
  • If they cannot or will not nurse on their own within the 90 minutes, we will milk some colostrum into a glass jar and feed the kids with a bottle or drench with a syringe.
  • Once the kids have had some colostrum, we will give them 2cc of Bar Guard 99.
  • After the kids have had colostrum and the Bar Guard 99, we will put them in a small doghouse type of  shelter in the pen with the mother. They can wander in and out but we want them to have some protection from their mother accidentally laying on them during the first 3 days.