Kids on the way? Here’s how to stock your goat kidding kit and be prepared for kidding season, including a full list of supplies!

Kidding season is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking times of the year for any goat owner. Thank goodness we only breed 1 or 2 does a year because I’m not sure my nerves could take more than that!

It’s actually been several years since we’ve been around kidding, but now that we are building and settling in with our herd and getting all of our outbuildings ready, we will be breeding soon for Winter 2019 babies! I already have jitters of anticipation and nervousness!

One thing that I like to do well in advance is to compile all my kidding supplies into one convenient place. We recently started using 5 gallon buckets to store our first aid supplies and it is a great way to keep everything organized and conveniently stored! (Read more about that here.)

I have been collecting all our kidding supplies and putting them in the bucket so that we will be ready when the time comes! I keep a list of all our kidding supplies on one of my Medical Supply Inventory lists in my Animal Management Binder (get yours here). This list helps ensure I never have to wrack my brain trying to remember what to restock before a new season, and I can make sure I didn’t overlook or forget any supplies.

In addition to our kidding supplies, I also make sure that our regular goat first aid kit is stocked and ready for kidding season.

*Update: 2019 kidding went absolutely perfect! Gypsy, our mini-lamancha, had 4 beautiful and healthy doelings at midnight on a full moon and the Spring Equinox! Can’t tell me that animals aren’t in tune to those celestial forces! Having the first aid kits ready and packed was an amazing relief! We had everything we needed, ready to go! Plus, the buckets double as lovely seats while you are waiting! ?

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Where to Buy Supplies for your Goat Kidding Kit:

Buying your kidding supplies ahead of time will help ensure that you have everything on hand when you need it! Here are my favorite places to buy supplies: 

Target or Walmart: Some of the basic supplies like thermometers, paper towels and puppy pads can be purchased at a super store like Walmart or Target.

Local Feed Store: Depending on your feed store, they may or may not carry a good assortment of medical supplies. I’ve generally found that smaller local feed stores carry more medical supplies than chain stores like Tractor Supply. However, even at a good feed store, quantities and varieties of products can be really limited. For instance, goat supplies are limited at my local feed stores. And trying to score a tube of OB lube during birthing season is like winning the lottery! But, feed stores are a great place to get some basics like needles and syringes.

Amazon: Obviously, you can buy pretty much anything on Amazon! It can be a great place to shop for items that you can’t always find locally. Plus you don’t have to spend your whole day driving around to different stores. I’ve included links for several of the products below. 

Online Vet Supply Store: Online pet and veterinary supply stores are ideal for those hard to find items like blood tubes, specialty supplements and even vaccinations. My favorite online supply stores are Jeffers and Valley Vet. 

The Basics for Your Goat Kidding Kit:

• Puppy Potty Pads
• Towels
• Paper Towels
• Baby Wipes
• Gloves
• Flashlight and headlamps
• Scissors
• Thermometer
• Suction Bulb (just in case you ever have to clear nasal passages)
• 7% Iodine Solution, Chlorohexidine solution or Navel Spray solution (for dipping umbilical cord) (buy it here)
• Small Container (to dip umbilical cord in)
• Floss (to tie umbilical cord if needed)
• OB Lube (by the gallon: buy it here, or 5 oz tube: buy it here)
• Wormer of choice
• Penicillin (Pen G)
• Needles & Syringes
• Feeding Tube with Syringe (buy it here)
• Bottles and nipples (these are my fav)
• Jar or other clean container you can milk into (in case you need to milk the doe)
• Betadine, Povidone or Chlorhexidine Scrub (use to scrub your hands/arms in case you have to “go in” and assist) (buy it here)
• Bucket of soapy, warm water for washing in
• Garbage bags (to clean up everything afterwards)
• Vet and mentor phone number on speed dial

For the Kidding Pen:

• Bedding such as straw or shavings (shavings are like wet baby goat Velcro! So be sure to dry babies off very well if using shavings.)
• Empty feed bags or large black garbage bags (cut open and laid flat under straw for easy clean up)
• Baby monitors (optional but so nice to have! We love our Smonet cameras. They don’t require a WiFi signal to relay back to the hard drive, making them perfect for barn cams! Plus, we can watch from the app on our phones which is a lifesaver non long nights!)
• Heat source or “kid hut” for warming kids. We prefer Premier 1 heat lamps which are safer than standard heat lamps.
• Warm water, grain and hay for mama goat (remove water bucket once kids are up and walking)

Helpful Supplements:

• Selenium Supplement: BoSe or Selenium/Vit E Gel or Replamin Gel (especially if your area is selenium deficient)
  Note: BoSe is prescription only but great to have on hand. I prefer Replamin over basic Selenium/Vit E gel because it contains selenium, Vitamin E, cobalt and other minerals (buy it here)
• NurtiDrench (buy it here)
• Electrolytes or homemade electrolyte mix
• Molasses (add to warm water for mama goat to drink)
• Honey (Rub on gums for energy)
• Cayenne (Mix with honey and rub on gums for weak kids or mama goat to increase blood flow)
• Bananas (Provides energy and vitamins to mama goat)
• Box of wine to keep in barn (This is for you, not the goats. You’ll understand why…)

Additional Items You May Need If Issues Arise:

• Ketone Test Strips (to test for pregnancy ketosis)
• Dextrose or glucose solution or propylene glycol and Probios to treat ketosis
• CMPK gel (calcium gluconate) to treat hypocalcemia, aka “milk fever”

These are the items that I have initially stocked in my kit. I’m sure I will change or expand the kit as time goes on. I will try to keep this list updated and current as we make those adjustments.

I’d love to hear what you keep in your kidding kit! Let us know in the comments below!

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