by Heidi Ritter
| Towels | lots of them |
| Paper Towels | a whole roll |
| Iodine (7%) | for dipping navels |
| Film cans | for holding the iodine |
| Nutridrench | for babies and mama's |
| Molasses | for mama's |
| Baby Monitor | for your peace of mind |
| Dental Floss | to tie off cord if needed |
| Scissors | to cut off cord if needed |
| Sucker Bulb | to clear out nose |
| Preparation H cream | for mama |
| Gloves | for checking does |
| Baby Wipes | to keep you clean |
| Lube | for checking does |
| Betadine Scrub | to keep you really clean |
| Bucket | to hold the warm water for scrub |
| Heat Lamp | to keep the babies warm |
| Baby Box | to keep babies contained |
| Bottles | to feed babies |
| Nipples | to put on the bottles |
| Heat-treated Colostrum | to put in the bottles |
This list is what I find to be needed when I am in the kidding pen with the does. I also keep a small tin in
my box to hold a pony tail holder and my wedding rings.
When a doe is kidding, I remove all my rings and watches, pull my hair back and get ready to catch a kid. I assist
the doe when necessary by pulling gently, but mostly I just catch the kids on the way out. I dry off the face first,
clearing the nose and mouth. I wrap the kids in a towel, squirt Nutridrench in their mouths, then proceed to dry
them off. I get most of the goo off of them, then dip their navels in the iodine and wrap them in a clean towel
and put them in the box under the heat lamp. That is where they wait for their brothers and sisters, and their
first warm bottle. After kidding is complete, I head in the house. I start the bottles of colostrum warming… 2
oz. per kid. I also prepare a warm bucket of molasses water for the doe, and bring out some udder wash and a milking
bucket. The doe goes to the milk stand to get milked, and gets a treat of grain. Not too much, just a treat. She
goes back to the kidding pen to finish passing the afterbirth. After she has passed it, she goes back out to her
regular pen.