Just got back from feeding. Now 7 alive and 9 dead. Not a good year.

Damn Don hate to hear that, maybe it will get better but like we talked about. Thats just part of it and it sucks.

Ah man, thats hard. Guess you win some lose some, hope the living ones stay healthy

Back to 50% 9 and 9

Don, I am not familiar with breeding exotics, can you let me know why infant mortality is so high in ibex?

I wish I knew. I am doing everything right that I know of. The problem used to be mostly predator. Fixed that for the most part.The problem seems to change from year to year. The majority of the deaths are aborted fetuses a moth or more before it is time. Then it is still born kids going full term. sometime it seems as if the kids are twins one will be full term and the other is a few weeks behind in developement. Like it was concieved at a different time. Then if there are twins born alive you have to watch if the mother will take both or just one.Then you have to watch if she does take both that one will not get all the milk and not let the other drink. The last is hope that when the kids start getting together with the herd that one of the nannies does not hook one of the kids and kill it. You probably ask why doI not pen them? They are semi gentle in the 10 acre trap I have them in,but they go crazy in a confined space and will either kill themselves or the kid trying to get out. Most with pure nubian take the kids away at birth and bottle raise. I don't know if they have the premature problem. I feed good and have free choice mineral out. It just seems some years are worse than others.This seems to be one of those years. But I may not have any more problems and I will get to the 30% I normally loose before it is all over. Probably why Ibex are not as numerous as Boer goats.

Don, I have been following your situation via this thread. A couple of thoughts, have you ever had a toxicology done by your vet on a few dead ones? They may be low on iron or vitamin B. My vet advised my to put trace mineral and salt blocks in each pen for them to get the appropriate minerals they need.

Also, I "always" pull the second kid from its nanny and bottle raise them. It helps the nanny to not get so drawn down from nursing 2 at once. As of right now, I just had my first set of twins born February 28 and I chose to put both on the bottle.

Another thing to consider is Covexin 8 (which is a 8 way prevention), we usually give it to them in Late January or early February along with a shot of Vitamin B and Ivermectin.

Finally, I have discovered the more you reintroduce bottle raised into your herd the calmer they become. This is very helpful in luring them into my catch pens to be able to medicate accordingly.

Good luck and I will keep you apprised of my mortality rate. Right now it is 2 alive and 0 dead, but they are just getting started.

I have out loose Purina goat mineral a6t all times for them. I usually take one of the twins unless it looks like she can handle two or does not want both. They are wormed regularly and are in good shape. A few years ago I was having trouble with larger goats kinda just starting to waste away. I took one to the vet and asked to find out what was going on. He took fecal samples and blood samples and sent them off to Tex A&M. he kept the goat for about a week and called to come get it. He said the only thing he could figure out it had the Bandera Goat Disease. that one eventually got better and after a while it never happened sgain. Who knows, it may be the weather, drought, weeds, or anything. But like I said earlier if it was easy Ibex would be selling for the same price as meat goats.

This years kids father

12 alive now. 3 on the bottle.

Status update, how many DOA vs. Alive? I am 5 alive (all on the bottle) and 1 DOA.

That's a good looking Billy there Don, how old is he?

He is 4 years old. I now have 17 live kids. three are on the bottle. I finally got 3 kids that are out of the pure Nubian I got from Caveman Wildlife. Still have a fewto go soit is looking better than it did a while back.

19 live kids now.

2 born yesterday

Thats awesome!

24 alive now. 4 on the bottle. Nanny had twins and would not take one of them. The other nanny had twins and took both. Both twins are out of my pure Nubian Billy. Some really good looking kids from him.

Great to hear. Looks like your gonna have a good herd next year.

Looking good Don, looks like your on on a good roll. Baker

Now 23. It's a bad year.

I'm sorry the goats are having such a tough time with kidding. I hope things pick up and you have a low mortality rate with the ones that are on the ground.
Doug