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Kids must be born after 1st of July, hand reared and in the child’s care.
Ideally the kids should be chosen between 3 - 5 days after birth. This allows the kid to have its mother’s colostrum, which gives protection against diseases and is high in both vitamins and minerals. On occasions, Kids have been rejected by its mother, are orphaned or are one of triplets (and one is removed from its mother), in these cases, the Kid may not have received colostrum.
Colostrum can be purchased from a vet and can be kept frozen or a small bag of Jumpstart Colostrum powder from farm supplies.
Kids need to be kept warm, with a clean dry bed to sleep in. New Kids sleep most of the time between feeds. You can put your Kid outside when it is warm and sunny, but otherwise keep it inside out of the cold wind and rain as it has no mother to snuggle up to, to keep warm.
You may wish to use a cover when it is small, as it will grow better if it is not using energy to keep warm.
Your Kid will see you as family, so spend lots of time playing with them.
A healthy Kid should have a dry small navel, lively movements and clear bright eyes. There is no judging on the breed or type of Kids.
If a buck Kid is chosen, he can be weathered with a rubber ring from 1 week old; otherwise he may become smelly and possibly aggressive as he reaches maturity. Ensure both testicles are down before releasing the ring.
If kids are to be de-horned, they should be debudded by a vet at 2 weeks of age. Failure to do this at the correct age often results in horn re-growth. Dehorning adult goats is often very unsatisfactory.
Take note of your Kid’s date of birth as it may be required for judging.
Supplies and Gear required
2 X 10 kg bags of milk powder, per animal.
2 X Lamb teats (it pays to have a spare as they perish).
2 X bottles (glass is more hygienic than plastic)
Pellets or meal (from approx. 3-4 weeks).
Collar and lead.
Drench.
Vaccine.
Cover (optional)
Vaccination and Drenching
Kids who have not been vaccinated will not be allowed at Ag Day.
If the mother of your Kid was not vaccinated with a 5-in-1 one month prior to kidding, or if you do not know if she was vaccinated, the Kid should be vaccinated with a Kid vaccine or PK/Antitet from 1 week old.
If the Kid has come from a vaccinated mother and has had adequate colostrum in the first day of its life, it will have protection for about 3 months.
Your Kid should be vaccinated with a 5-in-1 vaccine at weaning (3 months) and then given a booster shot 1 month later and thereafter, once a year. This vaccine prevents Pulpy Kidney Disease, tetanus, black disease, malignant oedema and blackleg.
Drench at about 4-6 weeks old and again at 10 weeks. Vets recommend an oral drench for young animals.
Lice Control
Lice are a common problem. Lice treatments include Permoxin and Cypercare and are available from a vet clinic. It helps to brush the Kid daily to remove the dead lice eggs. If your Kid gets lice, you will need to isolate it from other livestock.
Feeding
Kid milk powders will meet the needs of your Kid. Kid teats that can be screwed onto a bottle or Kid feeding bottles are available from vets and farming outlet stores.
Mixing and feeding instructions are clearly written on the bag. Avoid sudden changes in the type (brand), quantity or temperature of milk or milk powder. For best results, feed your Kid milk until Ag Day.
When feeding your Kid in the first 5 days, watch that its tummy doesn’t get overly distended. As a guide, feed 20% of bodyweight daily, split into 5 small feeds. E.g. a 3 kg Kid needs 600 mls per day fed at 120 mls per feed.
Thoroughly clean bottles and teats after each feed.
Supplement the milk with a Kid or multi-feed pellet and keep moving your Kid so that it has access to fresh grass every day. Your goat (depending on how old) should be around 10 kg by Ag Day.
They must have water available at all times.
Amounts to Feed
This is a guide only - please check the bag of milk powder for mixing instructions and feeding amounts.
Age Kids Frequency
1-2 days 100ml 6 x per day
3-7 days 250ml 4 x per day
1-3 weeks 300ml 3 x per day
3-6 weeks 500ml 2-3 x per day
>6 weeks 1000ml 1-2 x per day
Important Notice – Poisonous plants
Important Notes - Poisonous Plants
Kids have a love of garden plants; however they are unable to determine which are Poisonous.
Some examples of poisonous plants include:
Buxus (box hedging), many plants in the Forget-me-not family, Bracken/rarauhe, erica or rhododendron, camellia, daphne, azalea, daffodil, delphiniums, snowflake, snowdrops, hyacinths, hemlock, cress, red maple, oak, oleander, arum lily, ivy, five finger, swan plant, heathers, lilies, poppies, clematis, cyclamen, poinsettia, titoki, fox-gloves, snapdragons and rhubarb leaves.
Housing Requirements
Kids need to be kept warm, with a clean dry bed to sleep in.
You can put your Kid outside when it is warm and sunny, but otherwise keep it inside out of the cold wind and rain as it has no mother to snuggle up to, to keep warm.
You may wish to use a cover when it is small, as it will grow better if it is not using energy to keep warm.
Kids and adult goats need a shelter to get out of the rain when they live in a paddock as they do not have a fat layer to keep them warm like sheep and their hair is not waterproof like fleece.
Daily Care
Regular feeding
Wash its face to remove any milk residue
Walk it on a lead and play with it
Brush it at least once a day
Practice calling your Kid before each feed
Points to Remember
Hooves should be clean and trimmed
Hair around the hooves should be clipped
Trim long hair under its tail
Brush it often to get a nice finish on the coat and to remove loose hair
Make sure the Kids face and ears are clean
Kids may be washed with warm water only. NO soap/shampoo as it will remove the natural oils. They MUST NOT be shampooed for Ag Day.
Ensure the collar is loosened regularly so it is not too tight, otherwise it will wear the hair off around its neck
Judging
Generally ribbons are allocated in two age groups - Junior and Senior; then overall winner in the following categories.
Rearing - and condition of the Kid. This is judged on the Kid size for its age, so you need to know its date of birth. The Kid is also judged for excellent health.
Leading - Kids need to walk through the course without dragging or pushing. Your Kid must walk beside you; stop when you stop and wait 5 seconds then start off again when you walk off.
Calling - the steward will hold your Kid while you walk approximately 10 metres away. Using your usual voice call the Kid - loudly and clearly. You must be able to hook its lead back on. It is best to only give the Kid half its milk on Ag Day morning, the Kids lead and call better. When you have finished give the Kid the rest of its bottle.
Rearing
The judge wants to know how much you know about rearing your Kid. Think about the following points.
What age is it?
What breed is it
What have you done to keep it warm and safe?
What vaccinations has it had and why?
How often have you fed it?
What have you done to look after it?
Have you had any issues? How did you deal with this?
Calling
The steward will hold your kids while you walk a few metres away. Using your usual voice call the kid - loudly and clearly. You must be able to hook its lead back on. It is best to only give the kid half its milk on Ag Day morning, the Kids lead and call better. When you have finished, give the kid the rest of its bottle.
Watch an example of calling here: https://youtu.be/HfNY9_CuDh0
Leading
Your kid needs to get used to you so talk to it often so it gets used to your voice. Call your kid at feed times. They enjoy being patted and your company, after a while it will follow you everywhere. Before feeding put a collar on and lead your kid, walking it on your right side with its shoulder by your leg. The lead is held firmly in the right hand and passes across the front of your body and the excess is coiled in your left hand. Adjust your pace to suit your kid, never drag or pull your kid or allow dogs to chase it. Be patient and only practice for a short time. Then give the bottle of milk as a reward - even if it didn’t lead well. Kids learn quickly to walk alongside you and will start and stop when told.
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