KIDS!!!!! WHAT'S A MOTHER SUPPOSED TO DO?
KIDS! WHAT'S A MOTHER SUPPOSED TO DO?
Let them put some love in your Heart!
It is
touching to see a baby anything nursing on it's mother, but to reduce the chance
of getting diseases that can be transmitted through the mother's milk the kids
should be taken away and bottle fed. The milk is pasturized to reduce the chance
of getting certain diseases. With alot of kids, a lambar bucket is used. This
will feed up to 10 kids at a time. Bottle or bucket feeding has other advantages
too, such as a much calmer, friendlier kid as they now count on you as they
would have their dam for everything!(And the Dam's udder and teats stay safe from injury
from teeth and head banging on the udder, both of which can cause mastitis and serious
infection for "mom".
Oh My They Have Horns Starting!
When the kid is 3 days old or older you need to feel the "poll" or
top of the head and check for swirling of hair or the start of horns called buds.
If the head is smooth then maybe you and the kid got lucky and it is polled.
If they are there, then the buds need to be removed with an instrument called a disbudder
or dehorner. This heats up and gets very hot and when applied around the horn
bases kills the bud and stops the growth. The kid recovers fast and is back
to normal activities as soon as we are finished. This picture is of Jamie comforting
Flash after his dehorning. He was not done soon enough for us to be able to do.
He actually had horns even though he was only 5 weeks old when we bought him.
The vet put him under anesthetic and while he was sleeping removed them. Waiting
too long to disbud a kid is much harder on them. Leaving them to have horns all
their life is dangerous as they get them caught in things and can cause serious
injury to themselves or us unknowingly.
Bucks,Bucks,and More Bucks?
So it was a "buck" year you say? Keep in mind that only a select few males should
be left a buck. He should be an outstanding representative of his breed and
make improvements in your kids . Not every buck born is going to be buck material.
The ones that aren't should be castrated by the time they are about 2 months
of age. This is so they do not get a "bucky" flavor to their meat. This can be
done by cutting the lower part of the scrotum off and removing the testicles,
or by "banding" the entire scrotum and testicles with a special rubberband where
they are attached to the belly. This and the cord crushing method stop the blood
supply to that area and they will dry up and fall off in about 2 weeks.
The cutting type results in very little to no blood loss and of course is
immediate.
Shots?! Catch Me If You Can!!
Stop back when we can continue....gotta catch that kid!
OK!!! Got her... If you forgot to vaccinate mom then by all means the kids need
shots as soon as possible. We are a selenium deficient area here in Michigan,so
we give the kids 1 ml of bo-se. They would also get their first cd&t booster. If you
wern't able to be there for that wonderous moment of birth , then our vet has
us give them 1cc of Durapen also. If we were there, then the iodine on the navel should
be all you need to do to prevent naval ill disease. Some farms may have to vaccinate
for sore mouth or other disease such as abcesses. Knock on wood...we haven't had
those problems on our farm. Don't forget to give all boosters at the appropriate
times. (Your vet can help you with that.)
Which Sire Is Right For Our Herd?
Everyone strives for that Champion, or the best milker. You could breed to the
top Sire in the nation only to find out the genetics just didn't "click". It
takes time, research,dedication and trial and error to get that perfect mesh.
You should start by breeding to a Registered buck and make sure his evaluations
show that he could be the one to improve confirmation, milk, etc. Does he produce
*milking daughters?....Once you have done all this, you cross those fingers,make
a little wish,and wait for 5 months! Remember........
