KIDDING ESSENTIALS

by Heidi Ritter


Towels lots of them
Paper Towels a whole roll
Iodine (7%) for dipping navels
Film cans for holding the iodine
Nutridrench for babies and mama's
Molasses for mama's
Baby Monitor for your peace of mind
Dental Floss to tie off cord if needed
Scissors to cut off cord if needed
Sucker Bulb to clear out nose
Preparation H cream for mama
Gloves for checking does
Baby Wipes to keep you clean
Lube for checking does
Betadine Scrub to keep you really clean
Bucket to hold the warm water for scrub
Heat Lamp to keep the babies warm
Baby Box to keep babies contained
Bottles to feed babies
Nipples to put on the bottles
Heat-treated Colostrum to put in the bottles

This list is what I find to be needed when I am in the kidding pen with the does. I also keep a small tin in my box to hold a pony tail holder and my wedding rings.

When a doe is kidding, I remove all my rings and watches, pull my hair back and get ready to catch a kid. I assist the doe when necessary by pulling gently, but mostly I just catch the kids on the way out. I dry off the face first, clearing the nose and mouth. I wrap the kids in a towel, squirt Nutridrench in their mouths, then proceed to dry them off. I get most of the goo off of them, then dip their navels in the iodine and wrap them in a clean towel and put them in the box under the heat lamp. That is where they wait for their brothers and sisters, and their first warm bottle. After kidding is complete, I head in the house. I start the bottles of colostrum warming… 2 oz. per kid. I also prepare a warm bucket of molasses water for the doe, and bring out some udder wash and a milking bucket. The doe goes to the milk stand to get milked, and gets a treat of grain. Not too much, just a treat. She goes back to the kidding pen to finish passing the afterbirth. After she has passed it, she goes back out to her regular pen.