What's in My Kidding Kit?
This is a list of essentials to have on hand before your doe (or ewe, or pig for that matter) goes into labour. Includes what you may need during, and after, kidding!
Kidding is an exciting time. Most births, the mom does all the hard work with no assistance needed from their human helpers. There are a few things which you can do to help the kids have a successful start in life, such as iodine their naval after birth and making sure they've had their first drink from mom. There is the rare time, a kid or kids are malpositioned and need help, or the dam has other issues before or after kidding relating to pregnancy and needs extra help. Being prepared with some essential supplies makes you feel more confident in helping out in timely manner and having the best possible outcome.
In my kidding kit:
- OB gloves
- Regular Surgical gloves
- Lube (I have J-lube- a powder you add to water)
- Thermometer
- Iodine
- Naval Clips or dental floss
- Selenium/vit e
- Arnica gel/wipes
- Nutri Drench
- Calcium drench
- YMCP (or molasses)
- Towels
- Scale
- 1ml syringes (slip tip not luar lock)
- 10ml syringe/drencher
- 22g needles
- scissors
- Tube Feeder
- Puller/snare
- Colostrum (frozen), can substitute gel/powdered in a pinch
- pen
- sharpie
- notepad or paper
- zip loc bags (sandwich size)
The above items are what I consider essential. I have ended up using most of these each season (not every doe that kids, but at some point). Most are pretty self-explanatory, but I will detail below what each item is for, in case you need more info.
-OB gloves have a longer wrist, sometimes up the whole arm, and are for if you have to go in to reposition kids.
-Surgical gloves - keeping your hands clean and sterile is important for the kids, does, and yourself.
-Lube: if you ever have to go into a doe, you will need this to get your hand in easier without hurting the doe
-Thermometer: an essential in not only your kidding kit but your animal first aid kit. If the doe is looking "off" before, during, or after kidding it is important to establish her temperature for correct diagnosis of the issue presenting.
-Iodine- for cleaning the naval /umbilical cord.
-naval clips or dental floss: for a thick or stubborn cord that doesn't break on its own and/or is bleeding.
-Selenium/vit E - we give 2-3 weeks before the doe gives birth, and don't usually need to top up the kids, but sometimes if you have a runt or weak kid, a dose of this will make them stronger, faster.
-Aarnica gel or wipes is if the doe has a swollen/bruised looking vulva after kidding, especially if you had to manually assist. It provides quick, soothing relief (its actually a hemorrhoid cream)
-Nutri drench and/or calcium drench: this is given to a doe before she kids, or to keep energy up during a particularly long or hard kidding. Calcium drench is particularly good for a doe at risk of or presenting with milk fever.
-The YMCP is what I use in the doe's water after kidding, it is a complete doe supplement featuring yeast, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and niacin to help ease the transition into lactation. You could also use molasses.
-Towels: for helping to dry off kids when born, especially if multiples.
-Scale: to weigh kids after birth and record, then weight and record as they grow to make sure they are growing properly.
-Syringes: The reason you want to have some syringes that are NOT luar lock is in case a kid wasn't drinking right away, the first thing I do is drop some drops of colostrum in their mouth via a syringe. I milk it right from their mom and give them it right into the back of their mouth or under their tongue. It often seems to perk them up so they have the energy to stand and drink on their own.
-small syringe and needles are for dosing selenium e if needed or any other typeof medication.
-scissors: in case umbilical cord will not break, and for any other things you need to cut
-Tube feeder: to get colostrum or milk into a kid or lamb who cant or won't swallow*
-Puller/snare: to get a grip on a body part to pull a stuck kid out (use with caution/experience)*
-Colostrum: don't worry if you dont have any saved, you can milk the mother for it if needed. If a doe only has 1 kid, I always milk some colostrum off her to freeze and save.
The last few things like pens and baggies etc are for record keeping, and also you just never know when you will want a clean baggie to put something in. I freeze excess milk in them.
* Some items I have not needed to use yet (tube feeder, puller/snare) but feel it is a good investment to have on hand "just in case".
These are a few more things I have on hand for kidding season in my general animal care items; you can order from your vet as needed if you have a smaller herd:
-Vit B Complex
-Metacam (pain relief)
-Antibiotic (I have penicillin and bio-mycin)
-De-wormer (I use Ivomec sheep drench or Valbazen depending)
-Baycox (coccidiosis prevention/treatment)
-Thiamine
-Estromate
The above things are usually needed if there is a complication, which is not necessarily that often. If you have a good relationship with your vet, often they will dispense you only the dose you need when you need it. These items do have expiry dates so might not be worth it to have to buy the whole bottle. In my case, with a big herd, I have these items on hand at all times
And, not many people go into detail about what you need to have on hand for the kids AFTER kidding time. These things are important and will save you money and are more ethical to do on younger kids rather than older. The older the kids get, the more chance you should be using a vet do to the procedure.
Things to get ready for post kidding:
- disbudding iron
- hair clipper
- pain relief (metacam is suggested)
- castration tools (bander, with new bands, or burdizzo)
- tattoo kit
- new green ink
- tasvax 8 vaccine (or similar vaccine)
- ear tags (for lambs)
You will want to neuter your boys if banding, by 6 weeks. If using burdizzo or other method can wait until up to 12 weeks. Long acting pain medication is given at this time as well.
If you are selling registered kids you will need to tattoo them before going to their new home. All lambs you sell wether registered or not need to be ear tagged with certified ear tags bought through wool.ca.
We vaccinate our moms 2-4 weeks with tasvax 8 before they give birth, so the kids are protected for their first 8 weeks of life, and then we make sure to give our kids and lambs their booster 8-12 weeks after birth.
If you choose to use bay cox for coccidiosis prevention, you would give them a dose at 3 weeks.
If you routinely deworm, do the mothers 24 hours after birth and the kids at 6 weeks old. It is highly recommended to determine the necessity of this through a fecal sample.
I hope this helps you get together the basics to have a smooth and un-eventful kidding as possible. Then, the best part, enjoying those kids!
Let me know if you have any questions!
First published on January 20, 2021.
Updated January 4, 2022.
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