# Bottle babies barely eating



## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

I have 3 nigerian bottle babies that came in the house on Thursday the 10th. I have 2 boys and one girl. They were with their mother for a week but she kept distancing herself from them more and more each day until she wouldn’t go near them even to just let them eat. It is winter and they need her heat for warmth so I brought them in. The little girl was struggling and I was afraid she was going to die as she was the smallest. 

When I brought them in she took to the bottle the first day. She is strong and healthy now . Unfortunately the boys are struggling now. I feel like they just aren’t figuring out the nipple. I’m using the yellow and red nipples everyone recommends. I milk mom and feed it to them. They lay and sleep most of the day. Getting up once to play then take a long nap after. The little girl is up playing most of the day with a round belly and tons of energy.  The boys are sunken in. How can I get them to take to the nipple better? I only get about an ounce of milk down them each time they feed which is about every 3 hours or so. I try more with them, but only feed sis 3 times a day. She gets 3-4 oz. They poo and pee normally. Temperatures are all normal. 

Any help tips or tricks would be much appreciated. They are beautiful babies and I hate to see them this way.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 16, 2019)

First I’m going to tag a few people that know more than I do... @Southern by choice 
@Goat Whisperer @goatgurl @Devonviolet @OneFineAcre


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 16, 2019)

Second a few pointers...try different nipples or even a syringe. They will die if they aren’t getting nutrition. If they don’t have any energy to eat, they won’t. Sounds like all of their energy is going to keeping warm.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...lled-flow-lamb-nipples-pack-of-3?cm_vc=-10005 We used these for our bottle babies. (Lamanchas)

These are also an option...https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-gum-rubber-nipples-pack-of-3?cm_vc=-10005.

The ones you are using are referred to as Pritchard teats by some.

What are you using as formula or milk? How much do they each weigh?


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## Southern by choice (Jan 16, 2019)

Their sugars are probably very low. I would immediately give each buckling some Nutri drench with a syringe (no needle of course) by mouth- a couple of cc's (ml's).  If you have any Vitamin paste like jump start that would be good- a pea size rub in mouth. If using jump start follow instructions.

This will help them get more active and hopefully they will have enough energy to actually eat.
You can try another nipple like @Wehner Homestead  suggested but I imagine they are just getting weak.
Sometimes you have to cover or shield their eyes, rub the nipple down the nose and through instinct they may believe it  is a teat. 
On really difficult ones we have hovered over like a momma and tricked them.

Sometime you have to put the nipple in the mouth and keep the mouth closed around it. Don't squirt the milk in but sometimes they will stop fighting it and be like" ooo I'm hungry- this is good!" 

Make sure the milk is VERY warm 100 degrees - 103 If cold or lukewarm they won't take it 
As far as your doe- Check her temperature. She could have milk fever (Milk fever has a LOW temp) - Is she eating, peeing , pooping normally?
A doe that suddenly stops feeding her kids is a concern.

If dam is ok you can always hold her - put her in stanchion and hold back legs and let the boys eat.


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

Thank you everyone! The little girl is healthy. 

On the boys, I have tried a regular baby bottle nipple and that didn’t work. I think I’ll try the syringe to just get some in their belly. I’ll have to go to the store to get the nutri drench and vitamin paste. Hopefully the syringe will work for now until I can get back from Rural King.


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

I’ll keep you all posted.


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

Oh and I am feeding them their moms milk


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

I have vitamin B complex that I can give here at the house. Would that work? Also how much would I give? They weigh 5lbs


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 16, 2019)

Try to find these nipples also. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-controlled-flow-lamb-nipples-pack-of-3?rfk=1

I have found when kids have been on momma for a couple of days, they take to this over the pritchard.


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 16, 2019)

If you can, stick with the nutri drench- in this case I think it will be better than the B complex.


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## Devonviolet (Jan 16, 2019)

You have already gotten excellent advise.

I'm not as experienced as @Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer. Do the boys have a good suckle reflex? A thought I had, is to stick your finger in their mouth, to encourage suckle response.


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 16, 2019)

Devonviolet said:


> You have already gotten excellent advise.
> 
> I'm not as experienced as @Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer. Do the boys have a good suckle reflex? A thought I had, is to stick your finger in their mouth, to encourage suckle response.


Thank you. Yes they have a good suck reflex. I tried that yesterday. Update is I went to Tractor supply and they didn’t have the nipples nor the drench . I bought a black rubber nipple that looked the same. The lady at the check out happens to raise Pygmy and she recommended I buy a Red Bull. She said she was at a clay at Purdue and was told to rub it on the gums of the baby to get the B 12 into their system. I thought what the heck, I’ll try it. 

I got home and rubbed the Red Bull on their gums. Tried the new nipples but they were a disaster. The good thing is that I went back to the Prichard nipple and they took to them better than before. Both boys drank 2 oz each which is double what they have taken in the past. I guess I’ll just keep going with Red Bull and Prichard nipples lol.


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## SonRise Acres (Jan 16, 2019)

I don’t know if you have given it a try, but I found my nipple stubborn babies take to a basic, cheapest Walmart has (like $3.97/3 pack) Gerber baby bottles with nipples. 

Remember nursing position and milk warmth (100 degrees). Hide their eyes. I often put a bottle under my armpit or in the bend of my elbow so baby can head butt to stimulate milk. 

If the boys are getting weak, you can use a syringe with no needle and get milk in that way. They also have syringes with nipples. I only used that once on a baby goat we had with neurological issues, but he ended up and strong nurser from a bottle eventually.

For my worst nurser ever (bought a “bottle baby” that never actually saw a bottle) I gave used Dr. Brown’s preemie nipples (baby human nipples) that fit standard baby bottles.


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 17, 2019)

I have tried the baby nipple but they don’t even try to suck them. Today I got another 2 oz in one boy at his feeding. The other boy got only an ounce but drank it faster than he did the day before. I guess I just want them to catch on like the little girl. Just as fast and just as strong. With the little boys I’m trying to feed them more often like every 2 -3 hours in hopes they will catch on. Is that a good idea??


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 17, 2019)

Yes! Definitely try feeding them frequently so that they stay hydrated and keep the energy to drink until they get the hang of it.


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## SonRise Acres (Jan 17, 2019)

You can also top them off after a feeding via nipple. It will help them get a few extra calories, hydration, and strength.


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## goatgurl (Jan 17, 2019)

sounds like they are getting the hang of the bottle nursing, yea!!  everyone has already given you all of the suggestions that I would have so just keep on keeping on.  as @Southern by choice  asked, have you checked mama goat for problems?  its not really normal for a mama to be ok with feeding her kids and then just stop without a reason.  check temp, udder and that sort of thing.  hopefully the kids will take off and do great.  just a side note of the human babies in the hospital with problems the girls usually are tuffer than the boys and do better.  never seen a study as to why but preemie girls almost always do better than boys.  makes you go hummmm


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## Ardizzone7 (Jan 18, 2019)

Mom is fine. She just isn’t motherly. I plan on selling her after these guys are weaned. She has never stayed with her babies very well.  In the summer it isn’t so bad because it is warm outside. With all the snow they just weren’t staying warm enough. This was an oops pregnancy. I prefer late spring and summer babies. I think with milking and mamma getting extra grain she is happier. We have always joked that she would rather go out clubbing than take care of her kids lol!


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## goatgurl (Jan 22, 2019)

just checking to see how the babies are doing.


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