Why Do My Baby Goats Keep Dying?

 

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The word “shepherd” is a popular word with strong religious connotations. A shepherd herds, protect, feeds, and tends to sheep. But when it comes to livestock farming, goats are more economically profitable than sheep, all factors considered. Sheep have a more favorable representation in religious cycles than goats. On the other hand, goats just happen to have better multi-product commodity value such as meat, milk, and wool.

Most of us know about shepherds and what they do but not as many people know what a person who tends to goats as a vocation is called. They are called a goatherder or goatherd. So, a goatherder who raises and breeds goats- usually domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) - for their meat, milk, etc., or commercial purposes is a goat farmer just like we have fish farmers and suchlike.

 

For goat farmers, the premature deaths of baby goats (kids) can be very painful and may lead to painful economic losses too. The word “Perinatal” is the medical term used to describe kid deaths immediately, before, and after birth. The perinatal period typically falls between twenty to twenty-eight weeks of the nanny’s pregnancy, and one to four weeks post-birth.

In other words, if a kid dies within 1 to 4 weeks after parturition or 20 to 28 weeks before it was born, its death is classified as perinatal. “Nanny” and “doe” are the terms in animal husbandry for adult female goats. An invested goat farmer wants to do whatever they can to ensure the mortality rates of the nannies and the kids are as minimal as possible. If you are a goat farmer, you want to be able to detect the onset of illness or disease on your goat as quickly as possible.

The facts remain that the likelihood of success and prosperity for a goat farmer is largely dependent on the minimal mortality rates of the herd’s newborn kids. In fact, the primary goal of goat farm management and appropriate investment in proper nutrition is to achieve little to no perinatal deaths. In some cases, the nanny does an excellent job of raising the kids, and the goat farmer will have little to stress over.

 

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Indeed, the bulk of the job of keeping the kid alive and healthy falls to the doe. Early bonding between the doe and the kid is vital for the kid’s survival and good health. Does will not let the kids suckle without maternal bonding. Likewise, nannies will not protect the kids from dangers or nourish them with colostrum and milk without a developed maternal bond. Colostrum is rich in antibodies necessary for fighting diseases in infants. These factors and more like it explains why the bulk of kid survival falls with the doe.

Interestingly, does sometimes flat-out reject their own kid. Inexperienced goat farmers would be stunned when this happens. But what makes a doe reject its baby is akin to what humans know as the battle of the fittest. Nannies that reject their kids are often first-time moms, who for fear of their inability to produce enough milk for their kids decide to “sacrifice” one to “save” the other. The doe makes the somewhat questionable decision to reserve both sides of her udder for the “fortunate” kid.

What the goat farmer should do in the unfortunate event that this occurs is to quickly find a nanny in the herd that will take in the castaway. The doe that rejected its kid usually has enough milk to feed all her kids next time. But even so, goat farmers should monitor the herd's performance and be prepared to provide added support when needed.

What are the causes of perinatal deaths in goats? There are many reasons baby goats die but these four- chlamydiosis, brucellosis, leptospirosis, and toxoplasmosis- are the most common infections responsible for goat perinatal deaths. These four infections are singular in the sense that they’re all related to inadequate hygiene/ biosecurity.

Chlamydiosis is an avian pathogen that can be fatal with symptoms such as cough, mucous, or pus coming from the nostrils and eyes, loss of appetite, diarrhea, loss of energy, etc. Brucellosis mainly affects cattle but can also be found in goats with symptoms including fever, swollen udder, swollen testicles, and most importantly for baby goats, abortion.

Leptospirosis is a bacterium that affects the blood with symptoms including fever, muscle pains, and meningitis. And lastly, toxoplasmosis is caused by one of the world’s most common parasites called Toxoplasma with fetal mummification and perinatal death as its most significant effects on goats.

Another common cause of perinatal deaths in goats is Enterotoxemia. This disease is usually fatal and is typically brought on by poor hygiene and inadequate biosecurity. Enterotoxemia is the most likely culprit of sudden deaths in goats.

A goat farmer should be able to detect the early signs of diseases and sickness on his or her herd. A newborn kid with a low body temperature is most likely sick. For this reason, the first step, according to veterinary expert recommendations, is to take the goat’s rectal temperature.

This is done by lifting the goat’s tail and inserting a digital thermometer into its rectum, and then press the “Record” button, after which you can read the results. Lethargy is another warning sign of decline in a goat. Kids should be able to react promptly to the nanny’s bleating, and they should also be able to get up and suckle their nanny.

Besides body temperature and lethargy, other warning signs of illness include loss of appetite, not drinking, sores or blisters on the mouth and nose, limping, swollen belly, isolation, strange-looking feces, excess crying, pale/grey eyelids and gums, runny nose, staggering, shivering, etc.

Shivering is not necessarily an indication of a dying kid, but it does mean that something is wrong and the kid is dehydrated or malnourished and should be properly fed with food and water.

If a doe gives birth to her kids at unusually low temperatures, hyperthermia may occur, in which case the goat farmer should be equipped with the life-saving skill to nurse the stricken kid back to health. To nurse a baby goat back to health, follow the following steps below:

1. Lift the goat’s tongue and deposit a little honey or maple syrup under its tongue. Make sure the maple syrup is not made of corn or sugar.
2. You can easily get honey or maple syrup in good supermarkets or online from retailers like Jumia and Jiji.
3. Then keep rubbing the kid’s limbs and back to help return its blood circulation. This technique should help so be patient and wait for the kid to bounce back to life.