Nutrition
of Newborn Kids
Colostrum is the first milk produced after
parturition. Colostrum contains a high
content of immunoglobulin (antibodies),
vitamin A, minerals, fat and other sources
of energy. Antibodies are proteins which
help the goat kid fight diseases. The
ability of kids to resist diseases is
greatly affected by the timing of
colostrum intake and the quantity and
quality of the colostrum fed. Reports from
cattle indicate that if left alone, 25% of
the young do not nurse within 8 hours and
10 to 25% do not get sufficient amounts of
colostrum. Colostrum should be ingested or
bottle-fed (in case of weak kids) as soon
as kids have a suckling reflex. In cases
of extremely weak kids, they should be
tube-fed. The producer must be certain
that all newborn kids get colostrum soon
after birth (within the first hour after
birth, and certainly within the first 6
hours) because the percentage of
antibodies found in colostrum decreases
rapidly after parturition. It is crucial
that the antibodies in colostrum be
consumed before the kids suck on dirty,
pathogen-loaded parts of its mother or
stall. In addition, the ability of the
newborn kid to absorb antibodies also
decreases rapidly 24 hours after birth.
Newborn kids should ingest 10% of their
body weight in colostrum during the first
24 hours of life for optimum immunity. The
extra colostrum produced by high lactating
does during the first 24 hours following
kidding can be frozen for later use when
needed. Only first milking from healthy
animals should be frozen for later
feeding, and the colostrum from older
animals that have been on the premises for
several years is typically higher in
antibody content against endemic pathogens
than is colostrum from first fresheners.
Revaccination against tetanus and
enterotoxemia (over-eating disease) 2 to 4
weeks before the kidding date is commonly
used to improve the protective value of
the colostrum against these conditions.
Ice cube trays are ideal containers: once
frozen, cubed colostrum can be stored in
larger containers and the trays used for
another batch. Ice cubes are the perfect
size for newborn kids, thus thawed
colostrum is always fresh, and wastage
reduced to a minimum. It is recommended to
thaw colostrum either at room temperature
or at a fairly low temperature. Colostrum
should never be overcooked during the
thawing process.
When
to kid and when to wean?
Kidding season and weaning age depend on
several management and marketing factors.
However, kids born in very late winter and
early spring (March-early April), when
grazed with their mothers on lush, high
quality small grains or cool-season
forages, will grow faster and will be
healthier than kids born during the heat
of late spring and early summer when
forages mature and worm burdens increase.
Letting the
kids nurse and graze with their mothers
for as long as the doe stays in good
enough body condition so as not to impair
the success of its next breeding season is
a sound management practice that will
ensure rapid growth of the goat kids.
Weaning is a
very stressfull period for kids and
coccidia infestations generally show up at
weaning. It is important to frequently
observe weaned kids. Kids showing signs of
coccidia infestation should be treated
immediately; otherwise they will dehydrate
and die. Coccidia can damage the lining of
the intestines and if not treated properly
surviving kids may not grow to reach their
normal size and production potential.
