Dealing With Goat Kid Rejection

Does may occasionally reject their kids, leading to challenges in ensuring the newborns receive necessary care. Sometimes it can be one out of an entire litter, or it can be the entire litter. While the reasons behind the rejection aren’t always clear, often there are triggers you can work to manage to promote bonding and the well-being of both the doe and her kids.

Common Causes of Maternal Rejection

1. Traumatic Birth: Difficult or prolonged labor can cause significant stress or pain to the doe, potentially leading her to reject her offspring. This is especially true in cases where the doe needs a c-section or requires sedation during the delivery.
2. Disbudding: The process of removing horn buds, known as disbudding, can alter a kid’s scent. Since does recognize their kids primarily through smell, this change can cause confusion and rejection. If the kids are removed from their dam for a significant period of time to be disbudded, or are sedated during the process, this can up the chances or rejection. Try to ensure the kid’s heads are well clipped before disbudding to try to reduce the overwhelming scent of burning hair. Reintroduce kids to their dam so they can only smell their butts at first.
3. Health Issues: Conditions such as mastitis, a blocked teat, or other health problems can make nursing painful for the doe, leading her to avoid her kids. Make sure the udder is one of the first things you check when a kid is being rejected.
   

   Checking the udder to make sure the dam is comfortable with nursing

    

4. Inexperience: First-time mothers, especially those that were bottle-fed themselves, may lack maternal instincts or be unsure how to care for their kids.

How to Encourage Acceptance

1. Supervised Nursing: Gently restraining the doe to allow the kid to nurse can help establish the nursing relationship. This may involve putting the doe on a milk stand, or holding her within an enclosed space and ensuring the rejected kid has the opportunity to nurse.
2. Scent Masking: Applying a familiar scent, such as lavender oil, to both the doe, under her nose, and the kid can help mask unfamiliar odors and facilitate bonding. Lavender is known for its calming properties and can be beneficial in reducing stress during this process. This is particularly helpful in a post-disbudding rejection to help mask the unfamiliar scents.
3. Isolation Together: Placing the doe and her kid in a separate pen away from the rest of the herd can provide a quiet environment for bonding. This reduces external stressors and allows the doe to focus on her kid. If you can, try to make sure you have a camera available so you can keep a close eye on the process when you can’t be physically present to supervise.
4. Distraction with Food: Offering the doe her favorite treats during nursing sessions can create positive associations with the kid’s presence. For instance, providing nutritious and tasty treats from bitemegoattreats.com can make the experience more pleasant for the doe, encouraging acceptance. Putting down a bowl of grain or a nice warm bucket of molasses water can also keep them occupied long enough for a kid to get in and nurse.

Cautionary Measures

If the doe exhibits aggressive behavior towards her kid, such as head-butting or attempting to harm the newborn, it’s crucial to intervene promptly. In such cases, removing the kid to prevent injury is necessary. Alternative solutions include bottle-feeding the kid or introducing it to a foster doe willing to accept and nurse the orphaned kid.

Understanding and addressing the underlying causes of maternal rejection, combined with patient and consistent intervention, can significantly improve the chances of successful bonding between a doe and her kid. Always monitor interactions closely and prioritize the safety and well-being of both the mother and her offspring.

You can further support your doe to stay in milk during this time of stress with Milk Money treats to ensure there’s still milk to offer during supervised feedings, or if she needs to be milked out for bottle feeding. Baby Mama treats are also recommended to help your doe recover from a tough kidding. Supporting dam and kids as much as possible during a rejection can go a long way to help re-forge the maternal bond.