more birth chill

Birth Chill is one of the main killers of baby goats!

When a baby goat kid is born, there is only time a short time before it becomes too weak to nurse. This is why I always stress to people during kidding season-
If there is any way to be home and with your goats during kidding DO IT! In cold, windy, wet weather, babies get chilled fast. Even in warm weather, babies chill if they do not nurse right away.
The kid not only needs to get colostrum in it's stomach, but needs glucose to the brain. Glucose from the colostrum provides the energy the kid needs to become active and alert. Only an alert baby can nurse vigorously.

Typically, a kid will stand up and nurse right away, with mama helping stimulate the baby to stand and nurse.
The quicker it can nurse successfully, the more likely it is to survive. Kids should eat within the first few minutes of birth..no less than 1/2 hour.
Kids can only assimilate the antibodies from the colostrum for 24 hours- and at this is decreased by about 50% after 12 hours. This is why it is so important for the newborn baby to eat right away. Making sure the waxy seal in the teat is cleared is a very important step in kidding delivery.

Attention should be paid to kids seeming to nurse, making sure the kid is actually getting milk(colostrum) and not just suckling on a strand of fiber (in the case of angora goats), or a blind teat (non-working extra teat) or a wax plugged teats that wasn't cleared.
A hungry kid who isn't getting enough milk will cry and stand humped up with tail tucked and belly empty-mouth will be cool or cold.
*A baby with a cold mouth is an Emergency! and needs to be treated for birth chill NOW! Attention should also be paid to the quality of the colostrum. There should be no blood, pus, or foul odor. You may have to help the kid to nurse. Restrain the doe, then milk a drop of milk into the kid's mouth. You may have to tickle it's butt, to stimulate the sucking reflex. (Notice mama licks baby's butt while nursing-this does encourage baby to suckle)

If you cannot get the kid to nurse, give it 5cc of 50% Glucose by mouth. Put the kid and mama together in a warm, close pen or kidding stall. Wait 5 minutes, then try again to help the kid nurse. The quicker baby nurses, the stronger the sucking reflex.

When you find a kid flat and cold, it is very important to warm it quickly and replace the glucose it has lost. Get some 50% glucose into it. (5cc by mouth). The best way to warm it is fairly warm not hot water, This will remove the scent, and the mama may not claim it again- although I have never had a problem with mamas not claiming babies after reviving them in a bath. It helps if you have afterbirth to rub on baby after it is fully recovered and ready to go back with mama. Another way is to use a freezer bag and place baby inside up to the neck and then place the entire package into the warm bath. yet another method is to use cold packs (frozen ice packs in plastic that usually come with your vaccines ordered through the mail). Heat it in a microwave and wrap a towel around it like a heating pad. Place on on baby's head, one on the tummy and one on the chest. Tube feed the kid it's mama's own colostrum mixed with strong coffee and molasses.

Then...As soon as possible, return the kid to it's mama, in a draft free stall. Help the kid to nurse. Keep the kid and doe stalled for at least 24 hours to be sure the kid is stable and the mama has bonded with baby. The udder may be so full that the kid can't nurse. You may need to milk her out to relieve some of the tightness and fullness of the teats. Be sure to save all the colostrum milked out in the first 24 hours that is not used. Freeze in ice trays, then put in air tight freezer bags or containers. When defrosting colostrum, always warm in warm water, NEVER in a microwave, as this will destroy the antibodies and make it useless. Colostrum curdles if it is overheated.. warm slowly for longer than a short time on a hotter burner.
Do not overfeed kids on colostrum or milk. Overfeeding can result in diarrhea and even Floppy Kid Syndrome!

If a kid is born during a difficult birth, you may need to resuscitate it. Upon arrival of kid clear the nose and mouth. The baby should cry right away. Immediately. Towel dry baby briskly. Don't be afraid to hurt it. It needs strong stimulation sending a signal to the brain to "come alive" helping respiration begin. If the baby is not breathing by now or has mucus stuck in it's lungs and air passageway, You need to do the "Swing Baby" Technique. Properly done it works.
Go here for further instructions with pictures showing exactly how to do it. I avoid mouth to nose rescusitation as the lungs of the baby kid are so very delicate the chance of popping them is too easy.