Reviving Kids

Coming into the would in the middle of a paddock in cold, wet and windy weather can be a terminal experiance. Many kids succumb to hypothermia unless given a little assistance. Using the technique detailed below, we have been able to save many kids over the years which would have otherwise died, only because they were born in an extremely cold exposed position.

You can revive a kid if you can still feel any sort of heart beat, this is after the center of the eye has gone white, and well after it just looks dead.

How to Revive Kids

• Put the kid into a laundry trough filled with warm water. You should be able to hold your hand in the water in comfort, but only just.
• When the kid starts kicking ( 2 to 20 minutes; depending upon how far gone the kid was) take it out, towel it dry.
• Finish drying the kid off with a hair dryer.
• Get about 20 ml to 30 ml of warm milk into its tummy. If it won't, or is unable to drink from an ordinary lamb teat at this stage, use a marsupial bottle ( has a long plastic teat), or a syringe with a long 200 mm plastic tube on the end. If using the syringe the idea is to get the tube in the kid's stomach. For first timers the kangaroo bottle is safer. It is important to give the feed as this gives the kid strength enough to get its first meal from mum.
• After feeding, place the kid in a box, in a warm room.
• When the kid starts trying to get out of the box it's ready for you to return it to the doe.

All this should take about 1 hour, the shorter the time the less trouble you will have with the doe. Remember a dead kid is worth zip, and has no influence on your herd.

Equipment

Most vets nowdays have an excellent stock of animal care products. You should be able to acquire the marsupial bottle and lamb reviver(syringe and tube to attach) from your local vet. Some good pet and livestock suppliers also stock these items.