Kidding Kit

PREPARE your kidding/lambing kit at least 2 weeks before your doe/ewe’s  delivery due date! Here’s a list of suggested items:

• old towels
• lubricant, if you have to ‘go in’ to assist
• shoulder length surgical gloves
• scissors – to cut navel (approx 6-inches from the body) IF necessary
• dental floss – to tie off navel IF necessary
• 7% iodine – to dip navel (to prevent navel ill) & hooves
• film canister – to put iodine into for dipping
• nipples – to bottle feed kids (I prefer Pritchard Valve Nipples)
• Sav-A-Kid Syringe & feeding tube
• colostrum replacer/milk replacer
• BoSe (and syringes) – available thru local veterinary
• black strap molasses/warm water – for dam, and to smear on kid if she is having trouble bonding with her newborn 
• organic cod liver oil for signs of Vitamin A/D deficiency – the tendons in their legs appear to be too tight causing them to “knuckle under” as if they were standing on their tip toes.  Approx. 1/2 tsp of cod liver oil per day for 2-3 days
• Nutri-drench
• Small drench syringe

For the blessed day, in addition to being prepared, be CONFIDENT. Be there to help, don’t stress and keep your cool. Don’t be over-anxious to hElP!!! Allow Mother Nature to do the work. Provide a CLEAN area for mom and the babies…lots of CLEAN, dry bedding. It should be draft-free. Allow access to good quality hay (pls, NO HAY NETS!) and fresh clean water at all times; position the water bucket so kids do not drown by accident.

Help to dry the kids off (especially in cold weather) with clean dry cloths/towels with attention to the nose and mouth. Help to direct/assist the newborn to mom’s teat for life-saving sips of colostrum! Mom’s milk or milk replacer should be the kids primary source of nutrition for the first three months.

Have a blessed kidding/lambing season!