Our first kidding season on the farm has come and gone, and I’m happy to report that it was a great success!
Being prepared ahead of time for what was about to come definitely reduced my stress and anxiety levels around kidding.
A huge part of that was assembling the goat kidding kit or birthing kit over the months and weeks leading up to the due dates.
I researched EVERYWHERE, I spoke with my veterinarian and goat mentors, I bought an extremely helpful book and I included the following in my goat kidding kit.
Goat Kidding Kit Essentials
Towels
And lot’s of them. Goat birth is a very wet and messy process. The Dam will do her best to lick her kids clean, but if temperatures are low, thoroughly drying them off with a towel can be the difference between life or death in some cases. Bottom line: have more clean towels than you think you’ll need in your goat kidding kit.
Puppy Pads
Alternately, you can use puppy pads to help keep things clean and dry. You can place them under kids to keep them out of wet bedding. I like to spread them out on a table to provide a clean surface to place and prepare my supplies.
Disposable Gloves
We used both regular length surgical gloves when handling kids and the OB shoulder length ones for repositioning kids and performing internal inspections.
Lubricant
It’s important to use lubricant if you need to go in for an internal inspection or to adjust positioning of kids to make things more comfortable for the dam.
7% Iodine
This is a goat kidding kit essential needed for dipping the umbilical cord to prevent infection.
Dixie Cup
We use small Dixie cups to pour the iodine into the dip the umbilical cord, but any small, clean container will do.
Floss and Sharp Scissors
You may need to use this to cut the umbilical cord if it is so long that it’s dragging on the ground.
Nasal Aspirator
We didn’t end up needing to use this but it can be a handy tool to have if you need to remove mucus from kid’s mouth and noses after birth.
Nutri-drench
Can be used for giving a little boost to both the dam if having a long or difficult delivery, or weak kids.
Drenching Syringe
We always have one of these on hand for administering oral medications and we did end up using it to give our doe some Nutri-drench in between delivering her first and second kid.
Molasses
We like to add a little molasses to warm water for the dam to drink up after all of her hard work. Careful not too much or she could get diarrhea. About a tsp per half gallon of water is all you need.
Colostrum Replacer
It’s vital that kids consume colostrum within the first 24 hours of life. Ideally they will be able to get this from their mom, but things happen. This is a crucial item to have on hand. Make sure that you purchase a complete colostrum replacer and not just a colostrum supplement.
Bottles
You can purchase bottle specific to feeding livestock and goats. Alternatively, many teats screw into soda bottles.
Pritchard Teats
After years of bottle feedings, we have found that Pritchard teats are the easiest to use and tend to be the best accepted by the kids.
Tube Feeding tube and syringe
One of those things that hopefully you’ll never have to use, but can be life saving so it’s important to have on hand.
Digital Thermometer
An inexpensive and widely available item that is essential to any first aid or goat kidding kit.
70% Rubbing Alcohol and cotton pads
These can be used to clean and disinfect tools like the thermometer, scissors in between uses.
Other Considerations
Some other items that may be useful depending on the time of day and year that your goat is kidding.
- Flashlights/headlamps
- Heat source
- Any vaccinations recommended by your vet (plus needles and syringes)
- Trash bag or bin