We
occasionally sell bottle babies as pets usually after they
have reached 2-3 weeks of age, they are able to eat solid
food and are drinking properly. There are many reasons why
breeders bottle feed their kid goats and there is no reason
why a pet owner should not be able to share the experience.
We raise our animals with their care and welfare being our
first priority and are always happy to help anyone with
any questions regarding bottle feeding babies.
Kids can be raised using milk replacers. The success of
raising kids using milk replacers requires strict adherence
to correct feeding practices, ensuring good hygiene in rearing
facilities, and cleanliness of feed and feeding equipment.
Hand raising goat kids has a number of advantages over natural
methods, particularly in more intensive goat-breeding operations
and where animals are handled regularly.
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have frozen COLOSTRUM
(50mls X 4) available for anyone that has lost a doe
before bubby has been able to nurse. (pick it up only).
I will replace it on a regular basis, when available
and it is offered FREE,
for EMERGENCIES ONLY.
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Why
Bottle Feed?
There
are many reasons why kid goats are bottle fed from orphans,
to supplement feed when the doe has multiple kids or if
she gets sick, to milk the doe or for disease control or
simply to ensure that the kids of a timid or highly strung
doe are raised with a quiet temperament and easy going nature.
Bottle feeding is very rewarding, producing exceptionally
friendly animals that enjoy attention and affection. Bottle
feeding is fun when all is going to plan, but things can
change quickly and animals can become sick when mixtures,
volumes or products are changed. Bottle feeding should only
be done by competent knowledgeable handler or with the guidance
of one.
When
do we take the Kids?
It is best to remove the kids at birth. The kids then accept
you as “mum”, and the mum is convinced you are
her baby as you are milking her. Kids can be left on mum
for the first day or two, a week or two or longer but just
remember the longer they are left on mum, the harder it
becomes to teach them to take the bottle. We ususally leave
our kids with mum, provided she is well and they are healthy,
until they are about 3 days to a week of age.
Where do we keep the kids?
Young kids need to be kept in a warm dry draught free
environment. Our youngsters are kept in small groups of 2-4
and have a large dog kennel attached to a little yard. As
they get older, they are put into a small grassy paddock with
animals of a similar age.
Premature babies MUST be kept warm for the first week or so.
We keep premature babies inside until they are strong enough
to go outside with their pen mates (usually a week or two).
What
do we use when Bottling?
We use a plastic soft drink bottle that
will hold at least 350mls & go up to a 600ml bottle
as they get older. Replacement teats can be purchased
from your local produce store.
Bottles DO NOT need to be sterilized. Simply wash and
rinse the same way you would do your dishes and allow
to drip dry. Bottles (being disposable) can be replaced
as often as needed. Sterilizing bottles and other equipment
may kill off the "bad" bacteria, but it also
kills off the "good' bacteria too. I use hot water
to rinse bottles and wash teats in the dishwasher once
a week.
Milk
Substitute
We use fresh full cream cows milk (straight from our
dairy), we have successfully used and can recommend;
DENKAVIT, SUNSHINE full cream cows milk powder or KARICARE
infant goat milk formula (available in the baby section
of your local supermarket).
Fresh goat milk is the best, if you can access it.
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There are other milk replacements available but be very careful
that they are also formulated for goat kids.
How Much Milk?
Day 1
From birth, kids MUST receive colostrum, mothers first milk.
Colostrum serves three functions: (1) laxative to aid in the
excretion of the meconium, (2) nutritive - provides an high
source of energy for the newborn and (3) protective - it contains
antibodies (immunoglobulins) to protect the newborn goat until
its own immune system begins functioning about 3 weeks of
age.
The only time colostrum should not be fed is if the doe has
Caprine retrovirus (CRV), formerly known as Caprine arthritis
encephalitis (CAE) or ‘Big Knee’. It is then vital
that the kid drinks no milk from its mother, as CRV/CAE is
passed on through the milk.
We milk mum (our does are CAE free) and feed the very thick
creamy, sticky colostrum to the kid/s over the period of the
day.
Premature babies will need 10-20mls every 2-3hrs, if they
take 50mls then you can feed every 3hrs or so.
Full term babies will take about 40-80mls every 3-4hrs
Day 2 to 1 Week
Premature babies will need to be fed every 2-3hrs while drinking
up to 50mls.
Babies drinking up to 100mls will need 4 feeds in the day,
Babies drinking 150-200mls will need about 3 feeds per day.
1 Week to Weaning
Babies
will be on about 250mls morning, lunch and night after the
first week. We gradually increase this over the next week
or two until they are on 300ml-600mls twice a day.
REMEMBER: each baby is an individual. Some will need more
than others and volume will also depend on the size that the
animal is expected to grow to.
Bottle
Feeding Rules
* Do not alter the
milk mixture.
Always make the milk up to the specifications
on the packet (or as directed by the company that makes it)
and stick to it. DO NOT DILUTE the milk for any reason. If
your baby is thirsty, they will help themselves to water you
have available in their little bucket.
*
Do not change milk.
Changing of milk from one product to another,
should be done gradually to avoid stomach upsets. If you have
to change milk, do it gradually, ¼ new milk to original
milk, a couple of days later ½ and ½ then a
couple of days after that, ¾ new milk to ¼ original.
A day or two later put them on to the new milk. Ideally, if
you are not having problems with the milk they are on, don't
change it.
*
Do not use "other" milk.
Baby goats need normal full cream milk. They
can NOT live on soy based milk, skim milk, light milk, condensed
milk watered down etc. Feed full cream milk.
*
Do not overfeed.
The stomach is easily upset and if too much
is given, milk, bread, grain, fruit, scraps, bloat from fermentation
of undigested stomach contents can occur and can be fatal.
Remember the key is: if you want to feed extras, then a little
at a time.
*Do
not give water in a bottle.
No matter how hot it gets or how hungry they
are or if they are sick, NEVER feed water from
a bottle. There is a good chance that they will gulp down
an unnecessary amount of water because they are used to getting
milk from the bottle. This WILL result in scouring and problems
that are avoidable. In very hot weather make sure your baby
is kept in a cool area in the shade. Fresh cool water can
be left in the pen.
Your little
one will often think it is "starving" (and many
do, even after they have just finished a full bottle), offer
them chaff or hay, or let them pick at the grass.
DO
NOT feed them excessively
with extra milk even if they want to try and drink it,
if you overfeed them you will cause numerous problems
from bloat to scouring and possibly even death.
Please note
Each baby is different and while some will drink and
seem to never get enough, some will be slow drinkers
and will require a little more patience at feed time.
They are all individuals and need to be treated this
way. It is important that your babies diet is a healthy
mixture of milk and solids. |
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*Do
not delay!
If you have purchased a bottle baby and it becomes sick,
develops diarrhoea, or stops drinking, CONTACT the Breeder
immediately, as there may be a problem. We are always happy
to help owners get their babies "back on track".
Weaning
Weaning can be a stressful period in the young goats' life,
and is often characterized by a slowing of growth, or sometimes
even loss of weight. This is referred to as weaning shock.
The level or degree of shock depends on age and weight of
the kids as well as the feeding program before weaning.
A. O'Brien - Sheep & Goat Specialist, 1998, recommended
minimum weights and feed intakes for weaning are when kids
have reached at least 2.5 times their birth weight and are
consuming at least 30 grams of solid feeds per day. From studies
with both goats and lambs, weight at weaning is more important
than age at weaning when attempting to minimize weaning shock.
Goat kids that are consuming solid feeds also experienced
less growth check than those that were not.
We simply stop feeding the morning bottle. We continue with
the night bottle feed because the little ones go to bed with
a full tummy and sleep contentedly rather than have them sing
out every time they hear a noise thinking the next feed is
on its way. There should be no major problems because you
have been feeding your babies hay, grass, grain, fruit etc
(since it was about 2 weeks of age).
Water
Fresh clean water should be available at all
times. We keep fresh water in our pens, but just make sure
that they do not "gorge" on it as a lot of water
will make them scour (get diarrhoea). Some babies don't seem
to drink water, but don't worry, they will still be getting
fluids via the milk you are feeding them. Cool water in summer
and luke warm water in winter is always appreciated.
Feed
We offer solid food when our babies have reached
one week of age. It is a good time to introduce grassy lucerne
hay or mixed chaff (1/2 lucerne ½ oaten) and a good
quality grain mix, (work horse mix or goat muesli or steam
flaked barley or guinea pig mix, etc). We offer about an ice-cream
container full of hay-chaff with a little grain sprinkled
over the top. This is given freely each day and the left overs
are removed the next morning and replaced with fresh food.
Different food can be given as your baby grows including small
amounts of fruit and vegetables (usually grated). Wethers
should not be fed too much grain as this may contribute to
urinary tract stones. We feed extra vegetables, pumpkin, carrots
instead.
Your little one must have access to solid food, hay, chaff,
grass etc starting at an early age, to develop the rumen (first
stomach). Without solids, this part of the stomach may not
fully develop and your little goat can become prone to digestive
problems and other illnesses and will not develop and grow
properly.
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Minerals
We supply a "Horse and Goat"
lick block that contains COPPER. Copper is said to help
keep the internal parasites away.
Make sure you keep the block out of the weather, water
will cause the calcium to break down the copper making
the block worthless.
There are lots of things that
you need to keep your little one away from, (meat,
bones, dog biscuits etc), they
are listed on the General
Care Page. We would also
like to recommend that you keep your little one away
from electrical cords, dont let them pick at the carpet
or chew on plastic of any kind.... |
Please
feel free to contact us if you have any other questions that
we have not covered here, we are always happy to try to help....
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