# What should a 4 week old be eating?



## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

WE got another goat and my family was wondering what exactly should a 4 week old goat be eating the lady had him on 2 2pint bottles a day she said he needs to be introduced to hay now so we did he is verry little interested what should he be eating? He is only getting 2 2pint bottles of formula a day how could i get him interested in hay when to intoduce goat feed?


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## elevan (Mar 15, 2011)

Mine are about that age (but are dam raised) and are starting to eat hay well.  The doeling is starting to be interested in her mama's grain too...but the buckling is not yet showing interest in grain.  They are both, of course, still nursing.


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

Well when we got him she said we should start introducing him to hay how could i incourage him to eat the straw? should i let him have some feed see how he acts if he eats it should i start transfering him over to feed?


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## elevan (Mar 15, 2011)

You should make the hay available (straw imo is just a filler) all the time.

Whether to grain or not is a personal preference but if you choose make it available in small quantities.

I don't bottle feed so I can't offer any advice there.  My dam raised kids will wean at approximately 8 - 12 weeks old.

I personally don't feel that they should be removed completely from milk too soon...so 8 weeks would be the earliest I would wean imo.


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

She said to bottle feed him 2 a day so he gets feed that and has all the straw/hay he can eat/have is that all he should be having what is he is just introduced to hay and not eating it much should i give him 3 bottles of furmula a day he is all the time hungry?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 15, 2011)

I put out grain and hay for my little ones. They picked at it at first but now eat it. You just have to give him time. They play with it at first and then slowly start eating it. Before you know it, he will be eating it just fine. I wouldn't give a kid any straw, only hay. I would also put out water for him. Once again, he may not drink much but it is there for him to try and eventually get used to drinking.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 15, 2011)

You can wean at 8 weeks, if you are happy with the amount of hay and possibly grain he/she is consuming ,some people wait until 12. 

just provide some tender hay, like timothy hay, or good 2nd cutting grass hay and, and a half a handful of goat pelleted feed in a dog food bowel. he wont eat but a piece or two at first, and just barely nibble the hay, but in a couple weeks he will get the hang of it. by 8 weeks he should be looking forward to a little grain. Put fresh grain out everyday. 

Not everyone puts them on grain, but if you don't you probably should bottle feed until 12 weeks, and make sure they are on good pasture or very good quality hay. 

If a male, and you choose to give him grain, he needs to have grain that contains Ammonia Chloride in it. Most Pelleted goat feed has it, but you need to read the label on the bag.


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

Um,sorry but i dont know much but what is different between straw and hay how do i know what i have?He tried water drunk a little blew some bubbles then looked up at me .sorry im kinda new.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 15, 2011)

how much milk is in the bottle?


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

he gets 4 cups a day 2 at a time that is what she told me i dont feel that it is right he is always hungry and he drinks it super fast.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 15, 2011)

Straw is usually yellow and flat. Hay usually looks green. Straw is for bedding and hay is for eating. If you need a lesson in hay, the best person to talk to is someone who sells hay. We got a lot of information about hay from the guy we purchased our hay from. Make sure it is a good person who isn't selling you a bill of goods though. We were lucky to come upon really good people who were willing to educate us.

It makes a big difference if you are feeding him straw or hay. You also want 2nd or 3rd cut hay for your goats. Make sure it isn't moldy. Moldy hay can kill a goat.

What kind of goat is he and how much does he weigh? You can weigh yourself and then weigh yourself and the goat on a bathroom scale. Then subtract your weight from you/goat weight.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 15, 2011)

IF you have time to feed him 3 bottles a day, I would say yes, do that. 

Do you know what breed the goat is?  

I think most people are recommending 3 feedings a day, You might want to try 3 cups a feeding, 3 times a day. And see if that helps him. But they will seem very eager to get a bottle.


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

well my dad had that backwards i will see if farmers co-op have hay for him will he be OK until i get some tomorrow that really sucks we still got over half left!well i have chickens and ducks that can use it how can i encourage him to eat hay.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 15, 2011)

He will learn just provide it for him on a daily basis fresh a handful or two a day until he starts eating it. feeding it off the ground in a little hay feeder would be better, that hay he wont waste it.

Did you say you had other Goats?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 15, 2011)

I would also get some goat feed for him like Noble Goat Feed at TSC. Just give him a little bowl full to have 24/7 and he will slowly get used to it. You have to be patient with little ones eating hay and grain. They eat it at their own pace and no 2 kids are alike. There is no making them eat anything. Eventually he will get it and start eating it.


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

He is a lamancha cross with nubian i will do the extra feeding i figured that wasent right i geuss bring it down to 2 cups when he starts eating hay does that sound good!! oh there is old wooden poles with bark on them he does get bark off of it and chew it!


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

Oh and what is TSC is it a feed store i only have framers co-op and tractor supply!


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

Is TSC short for tracter supply?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 15, 2011)

Yes


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## Brandon.b. (Mar 15, 2011)

alright then i got it thanks to all!


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## Our7Wonders (Mar 15, 2011)

Though I don't have it in my area I *think* TSC is Tractor Supply Company.  I'm sure someone else will let us know if I'm mistaken.

Oh, and the straw you bought won't be wasted - it makes perfect bedding for he and any other livestock you may have.


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## elevan (Mar 15, 2011)

Our7Wonders said:
			
		

> Though I don't have it in my area I *think* TSC is Tractor Supply Company.  I'm sure someone else will let us know if I'm mistaken.
> 
> Oh, and the straw you bought won't be wasted - it makes perfect bedding for he and any other livestock you may have.


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## BlackSheepOrganics (Mar 15, 2011)

You will want to be careful about jumping from 2 bottles a day to 3 a day or you could cause some serious tummy issues for the little fella due to such a sudden increase of that size.  If you want to go to 3 bottles, you might try splitting the current 4 cups you feed into 3 feedings and only slightly increase it a little at a time until you get to the amount you want, 3 times a day.

I feed my Nubian babies 2 cups twice a day.  They have free choice of good hay (meaning it is always available to them).  We feed a Timothy/Brome mix of hay and it is always available to them along with fresh water, from the time they are 7 days old.

We do treat them with very small amounts of grain from the time they are 2 weeks old.  However, it is a small amount to just get them used to it.  I do not want it to be their main source of food.

I have 3 Nubian kids that are 4 weeks old and they have been eating hay very well since about 3 weeks old.  Before that, they would just nibble at it and grain but about 3 weeks old they became little gluttons!

Good luck with your little one!


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## Emmetts Dairy (Mar 16, 2011)

Congrats on your new buck!!  First..straw is bedding only...as you may fiqured that out by now.  Second..when looking for goat hay..get 2nd or 3rd cut..and never...never feed goats from the ground.  Especially babies..they can get coccidia and it will be all over the ground in their poops and it will really be hard to get rid of if they eat off the ground.  So build a little hay manger for him!  And keep his grain up and water up. Important for good health! And also its a natural position for them because they are browsing animals...so they like to eat that way!   

Also..its important when you grain bucks that the grain has Amonium Chloride it in.  READ the labels.  Really important to get familar with Urinary Calculi with bucks. Its a disease they can commonly get if fed improperly and they dont get AC to help balance the ph!!  They can easliy die from this or have to be euthenized.  Not trying to scare you..its just a fact of owing bucks/whethers.  

And lastly...I agree with Blacksheep...I would not change amount of milk. I would change times...Split that milk up throughout the day.  Leave grain and hay out..and he will get into it!!  Once he fiqures out how good it is...he will gobble it up!!  If you feed him to much milk..he wont be hungry for anything else...and he also needs that hay in him to start his rumen rolling!!  

Have fun and enjoy!!!!


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