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Ultimate Guide How to Bottle Feed Your Goat

Ultimate Guide How to Bottle Feed Your Goat

Strep by Step Tutorial How to Suckle a Baby Goat

Sometimes it is necessary to bottle feed young kids due to the death of the mother or the mother’s refusing to take them, somehow they become orphaned. If another Substitute Mother is not Available. Here is the Step by Step Tutorial.

Only Bottle Feed if no Other Options

No doubt there are the benefits of bottle feeding like this is easier, friendly, and profitable methods. But you should not ever choose to bottle feed a goat.

You should make a bond with your goats and make them friendlier by spending time with them out in the pasture while they still nurse from their mom.

You should choose bottle feeding for your newborn goat’s kids in extreme circumstances like the kid is orphaned, the mother completely rejects it, or worse the baby is being attacked by the herd.

Some Commercial Goat farms prefer to Bottle Feed Their Goats.

Mother Fed VS Bottle Feed

Cleanliness is so Important

When you are feeding the milk to your goat’s kids with bottles, it is so important to keep everything clean. If you want to prevent them from any kind of bacteria, then you should keep cleanliness. Their immune systems are still young and developing.

There are the following things you should it:

  • So be sure that you clean their area daily.
  • Be sure that you wash their bottles and nipples on a daily basis after each use.
  • You should check that old milk is not present in the bottles or nipples because old milk is the main source of bacterial infection. It may be dangerous for kids’ health and you will never want this.

Don’t Over-Feed

Overfeeding is one of the largest risks of bottle feeding goats. The reason is that you do not know about the quantity of milk you should give to your kids and you feed the milk more quantity.

Overfeeding disturb the intestinal microorganisms which destroy the epithelium of intestine and in this way, water can’t absorb. Diarrhea may occur and in this way, kids may suffer from electrolytes imbalance. They may go to shock and finally, death may occur.

Avoid this situation, give milk according to 10% of their body weight in 4 times in a day.

See Our Guide – 8 Ways to Make Money from Goat Farming

Try to Milk Mom

You should milk the mom and feed this milk to her kids because it’s better than a milk replacer. Milk from doe contains all the essential nutrients and also the perfect temperature of the milk.

You should milk all the milk from the udder. It will prevent mastitis.

Use Milk Replacer in an Extreme Situation:

It is always a good idea to keep the milk replacer on hand. The reason is that you never know when a kid will be born and not have the milk they need. The situation may possible when the goat could have passed away during childbirth.

Either way, that baby goat still needs milk and colostrums. It is a good idea to keep a bag of the colostrums on hand as well

. You want the baby to get that within the first two hours of life and every 4-6 hours the first 24 hours of life.

If you have a mother goat that has too many colostrums, milk her and freeze it. That is another great option and natural as well to help out baby goats.

Stock Up on Electrolytes / Scours

If you use a milk replacer or if you accidentally overfeed your baby goat, the goat will probably end up with a case of the scours. Hopefully, it won’t be severe. If you catch it in time, then it shouldn’t be.

But in the event, you will need to stop the milk replacer and begin giving electrolytes in its place. Once the scours have cleared, the goat can be returned to regular feedings. Be sure that you know what caused the scours. If it was overfeeding, cut back the amount you were giving so you don’t have a repeated situation.

How to Bottle Feed a Kid

At some farm, bottle babies are the rule. There are the following reasons for bottle feeding the kids:

  • First and foremost, it allows us to make sure kids are getting enough milk to grow well and thrive and that the business gets what it needs.
  • Second, and nearly as important, is that bottle babies, who are handled several times a day from birth, are generally more docile and easy to handle as they grow up to be milk goats.

this is why many people who raised goat for milk and meat purpose go for bottle feeding. But for most hobby farmers and pet owners, there is no real need to ever bottle feed.

Until there is.

If the farmer purchases the newborn kid from the market. Another reason why will the farmer go for bottle feeding is that the loss of a nursing mother or the rejection of a kid by an otherwise fine dam, with enough years in raising goats, eventually you will probably find yourself needing to raise a bottle baby.

Bottle Feeding Guidelines for Goat’s Kids

There are the following most important instructions you should remember while feeding a bottle kid:

  • To make sure the kid’s head is in the proper position. The kid’s head must be tilted upwards with the neck well extended so the milk bypasses the rumen and goes directly into only one of their stomach chambers. Milk entering the rumen can make a kid extremely ill and even kill them if it causes enterotoxaemia.
  • We drape the kids across our laps with their legs hanging down so they can’t move around too much, then gently open their mouths and insert the nipple of the bottle.
  • If a baby is having a hard time figuring it out, we gently circle their muzzle with our fingers to keep the nipple in place, while covering their eyes with the rest of our hand the darkness helps to simulate being under an udder.
  • For the first day or two, while they are getting the hang of it, we will give them a few chances to latch on to the bottle and drink.
  • After their eating well however, one the baby lets go of the bottle or stops sucking, we take the bottle away, so they learn to regulate their intake.
Mistakes in Goat Farming

What to feed

If you have a goat in milk, even if it is not the mother of the kid you are raising, start there. Goat milk is obviously the best choice to bottle feed if you have it. If you do not, we recommend the whole cow’s milk.

This can come from either your own farm or just from the grocery store. If it’s store-bought, just be sure it is whole milk. Milk replacer is not recommended. To start with, it’s more expensive and less accessible.

How Often to Bottle-Feeding

On the day of its birth, a kid will need several small meals. We generally bottle feed about small meals. We generally bottle feed about every four hours or when the kid doesn’t eat much more than a couple of ounces for the first several meals. It will come around. After that first day of feeding colostrums, we move to the following schedule through weaning.

From day 2 to 4:

You can feed 8 to 12 ounces of warm milk and the frequency of this milk feeding should be 4 times in a day. Sometimes, kids don’t feed all the milk. In this case, you should not be worried about the kids. Generally, you can tell a kid is full during any feeding when it starts chewing on the nipple instead of sucking.

From day 5 to 14

Feed 12 ounces (and more if kids are still hungry, as much as 20 ounces) three times per dayMake the bottles progressively less warm to get the kid to cold milk by two weeks.

From 2 weeks to 7

Now, reduce the feeding frequency from 4 times to 2 times per day and give 30 ounces. If your kids are not drinking that much volume of milk. If you have time then you may change the milking frequency 3 times in a day. But the volume of milk remains the same.

From 8 weeks to 12

When kids are reliable eating hay and nibbling goat feed, start the weaning process by reducing the number of feedings and volume per feeding.

There are the following tips on how to wean a baby goat off the bottle:

Steps to Weaning

1.   Get goats off to a strong start in life:

If you will give proper nutrition to your baby goat then it will be helpful in preparing baby goats for the weaning process. If you are giving bottle feeding to your baby goat it will be helpful to tackle the baby goat for weaning. It’s very easy to wean the baby goat.

2.   Prepare a safe and clean weaning environment:

Set up a weaning pen or pasture with sturdy gates and fences. Consider the use of 4-by-4 woven wire and make sure gates are low to the ground to contain your newly weaned kids. Kids should also have access to a clean, well-bedded area to seek shelter from the elements.

If possible, move kids into weaning pens several weeks before the big day when they are completely weaned. Familiarity will help reduce stress.

3.    Offer plenty of fresh, clean water:

A clean, easy-to-access water source is critical. Water not only prevents the kids from dehydration, rather water influences the digestion of dry feed in the rumen. It plays a key role in the kid’s diet and must be readily available at all times to help weaned goats thrive.

Water troughs should be no more than 12 inches high to ensure comfortable drinking. Water should be clean and fresh to encourage adequate consumption.

It is considered that electrolytes feeding along with water during weaning will support good fluid intake and an easy transition.

If you add electrolytes to the water for the first couple of day post-weaning gives kids a boost during what can be a stressful period.

4.   Make sure kids are eating solid feed:

Goats are ruminant animals which means they have a four-chamber stomach. The rumen is one of the chambers that need a little help to develop as it begins to wean.

Weaning usually begins to happen at around four weeks of age, though it can happen at six to eight weeks of age. Follow these guidelines to help its development during this time:

  • At one week, start offering a small amount of grain to help jump-start the baby goat’s rumen development.
  • At one month, offer hay, small amounts of grain, freshwater, and pasture time to a baby goat.
  • Also at one month, slowly decrease the amount of milk (if bottle-feeding) you offer until your baby goat is eating just like the other adult goats.
  • As soon as possible, provide your kid (and adult goats) with loose goat minerals to support muscle growth and milk lactation. A mineral block may be too hard for a goat’s soft tongue, but you can also offer one in addition to loose minerals.
What to Feed a Baby Goat

5.   Vaccinate to prevent disease:

Prior to weaning, kids should be received a CD-T vaccine and booster to protect against enterotoxemia (overeating disease) and tetanus. It’s also wise to deworm kids and their mothers twice before weaning. Spring-born kids are especially susceptible to picking up parasites from pasture, which can cause serious problems for immature immune systems. Check kids for parasites and treat them as needed.

External parasites, such as lice, are another concern for goats. A rough-looking hair coat or goats scratching themselves with their hooves are indications of lice.

6.   Watch for health issues like coccidiosis:

Coccidiosis is a leading cause of illness among goats. The major symptoms of this deadly disease are dark, bloody scours. However, kids can die from a coccidiosis outbreak before showing any symptoms. Pay special attention to growth, looking for kids that have a rough hair coat during or after weaning, as this could signal an outbreak.

It is common to use feed additives at least two weeks before and after weaning to control coccidian, the protozoa that cause coccidiosis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pV0mLzzGE
Commercial Bottle Feeding

Goat Breeds

Goat BreedsMeatDairyWool
BoerAlpineAngora
GenemasterLamanchaCashmere
KikoNigerian DwarfPygora
KinderNubian
MyotonicOberhasil
PygmySaaneen
SavannaSable
SpanishToggenburg
Tennessee Meat Goat
TexMaster

Goat Breeder Associations

Goat AssociationLocationLink
American Goat Breeders AssociationUnited StatesAGF
English Goat Breeders AssociationUKEGBA
Canadian Meat Goat AssociationCanadaCMG
Minature Goat Breeders AssociationAustraliaMGBA
Boer GoatsSouth AfricaBGSA
American Boer Goat AssociationUnited StatesABGA
World Goat Breeders AssociationsListWGBA
Feeding Six Baby Goats

Author

  • Darlene and Greg

    Darlene and I have Lived on a 500 Acre farm, we lived there raising our 3 children and 6 Foster Children. On That farm we and our Children Raised Rabbits Chickens Hogs Cattle Goats

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