Saving Baby Goats in Cold Weather

Two words: hair dryer.

The best piece of baby goat equipment is a hair dryer and chances are you already have one.

Hair dryer, heating pad, wood stove, space heater, warm water, whatever. You got to get them warm asap. If the inside of the mouth is cold, get busy. If they won't suck or stop sucking you need to get busy. They can't turn themselves around and will die without your help.

As you are warming the baby goat, rub the body, the legs, the cold little feet, move them. You want to get that blood flowing through the muscles. Stand them up, spread all four legs and prop them up, or hold them and just let them put some of their own weight on those little legs.

If they fall, pick them back up and prop them up over and over. If you can get them to stand up for minutes or even longer you have achieved something. You'll notice that when they start to take a step or lose balance they may fall but try to right themselves. Even if they fall, that's still good. They need to get those muscles working, again to increase blood flow and increase body temp. Bicycle the legs. If they resist you when you are moving the legs that's also good. It is getting the muscles primed with blood and increasing body temp. If the kid is limp just keep working on him until he does start resisting.

If they are born on ice but stand up they'll make it. The ice and/or snow will lower their body temps if they are down on it. They need to achieve a normal body temp to get to some kind of homeostasis asap.

After the body temp is up to normal or almost normal, then put some kind of coat on them. I like small dog sweaters but I've improvised with all kinds of children's/infants sweatshirts and sweaters and safety pins. I leave that to you. If you notice within the next couple days they are getting a little lethargic don't wait, they haven't quite achieved homeostasis yet. Get out the hair dryer again. Heat, message, standing, and then a coat. Repeat as needed.

Once they have achieved homeostasis, they are amazingly resilient to all kinds of weather conditions.

Also there are what they call "pig mats" now available through the animal suppliers. they are heating pads invented to warm little ones without the danger of heat lamps. They are more economical than heat lamps to run as well. A little expensive to buy but if you save one baby they might pay for themselves.