# Need help introducing a bottle baby to food....



## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

Chip is a Nigerian Dwarf buckling (rejected by Momma) and is about a month old. He nibbles at everything when he is outside, and I keep a selection of hay, cut grasses and grower pellets with loose minerals in his crate. He will mouth at everything, but doesn’t actually eat any of it. Just his 4 daily bottles.  He is due to drop down to 3 per day per the feeding chart that I was given by the end of this week. I’ve even tried sprinkling milk replacer in the feed. No luck. Then I put a few spoonfuls of actual goats milk onto some feed to entice him. No luck.

How can I get this very spoiled, much loved bottle baby to take an interest in “real goat food”?

I’ve got no issue whatsoever continuing him on bottles until he is 2-3 months old. No worries there, but I know that getting him to start taking regular food is also very important for his rumen development.

ideas?


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## Beekissed (Mar 23, 2020)

Why not switch him from a bottle to a bucket, then transitioning from there to soaking a little feed in his bucket of milk, then progress from there to a thicker gruel and onward?  Babies usually learn what to eat from watching Mom, so it could take him a little longer to catch on.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

I had tried putting it in a bowl when I got him, but he wouldn’t have any parts of it. My dog did teach him to drink water from a bowl, so maybe I’ll give this another shot this week. He’s been with us since he was 2 weeks.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

Beekissed said:


> Why not switch him from a bottle to a bucket, then transitioning from there to soaking a little feed in his bucket of milk, then progress from there to a thicker gruel and onward?  Babies usually learn what to eat from watching Mom, so it could take him a little longer to catch on.


Thank you!!!


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## AlleysChicks (Mar 23, 2020)

I got a 4 week old bottle baby that wouldn't touch food. Only wanted the bottle. I put her with kids her own age and she's eating solids now and almost completely milk weaned at 9 weeks. I say almost because she's also learned the does have milk 😂🤣😂


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

AlleysChicks said:


> I got a 4 week old bottle baby that wouldn't touch food. Only wanted the bottle. I put her with kids her own age and she's eating solids now and almost completely milk weaned at 9 weeks. I say almost because she's also learned the does have milk 😂🤣😂



He will be 4 weeks in just a few days. I don’t have any other kids his age to put him with right now because we are all on stay at home orders. I was taking him over to hang out with his brother and sister for goat socializing (so he’s stop thinking he was a human-Labrador 🤣) before all this happened.


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## farmerjan (Mar 23, 2020)

Cut a bottle.  He doesn't need to eat because he is getting enough milk to satisfy his hunger.  Cut a bottle and he will start to pick at it more and actually eat it.  Everyone babies them too much.  If he is hungry and there is no bottle, he will try what is available.  Yes, it helps tremendously to have a bigger/older one for them to follow, imitate etc..  
I am not saying starve him.  Just give him incentive to eat because he is feeling a little hunger pang.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

farmerjan said:


> Cut a bottle.  He doesn't need to eat because he is getting enough milk to satisfy his hunger.  Cut a bottle and he will start to pick at it more and actually eat it.  Everyone babies them too much.  If he is hungry and there is no bottle, he will try what is available.  Yes, it helps tremendously to have a bigger/older one for them to follow, imitate etc..
> I am not saying starve him.  Just give him incentive to eat because he is feeling a little hunger pang.



I wondered about that. He’s taking more during his feedings now and was due to be cut down a bottle in the next few days anyway, according to the feeding chart that I have.


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## AlleysChicks (Mar 23, 2020)

Oakknollfarms said:


> He will be 4 weeks in just a few days. I don’t have any other kids his age to put him with right now because we are all on stay at home orders. I was taking him over to hang out with his brother and sister for goat socializing (so he’s stop thinking he was a human-Labrador 🤣) before all this happened.


Cut a bottle. Can you pen him with his siblings of the night? He definitely needs herd socialized. He may pick up on what they do.


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## farmerjan (Mar 23, 2020)

Oakknollfarms said:


> I wondered about that. He’s taking more during his feedings now and was due to be cut down a bottle in the next few days anyway, according to the feeding chart that I have.


How can he be taking more during his feedings unless you are giving him more?   You are increasing his amount of milk if he is taking more during his feedings, so he will never start to try more solid food.  Decrease the total amount he is getting a day.  Split it in however many bottles you want but do not keep allowing him to be "taking more during his feedings"


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

AlleysChicks said:


> Cut a bottle. Can you pen him with his siblings of the night? He definitely needs herd socialized. He may pick up on what they do.



I am currently under stay at home orders where I live, and his siblings live at a different farm. He is also recovering from pneumonia, so taking him over there for the night isn’t an option right now, but I might try that soon as he is healed up and we’re allowed togo out for non-essential things.

I am cutting his midnight bottle as of tonight though, and am going to transition him over to eating from a bottle to a bowl or bucket starting tomorrow like what was suggested above as wel. Thank you!!!


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## AlleysChicks (Mar 23, 2020)

These are my kids from this year. There are 6 days difference in age. 1 is the bottle baby. She's been penned with them since I got her. She's more dog than goat and it really hurts her herd status.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

farmerjan said:


> How can he be taking more during his feedings unless you are giving him more?   You are increasing his amount of milk if he is taking more during his feedings, so he will never start to try more solid food.  Decrease the total amount he is getting a day.  Split it in however many bottles you want but do not keep allowing him to be "taking more during his feedings"



The feeding chart that I was given said 4 bottles per day until 4 weeks, then down to three a day, the number of ounces to be fed was listed by weight, with more ounces per day as he gained weight, no more than 20% of his body weight to be fed to avoid over feeding?  And to start introducing the other types of food during this time?


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## AlleysChicks (Mar 23, 2020)

Oakknollfarms said:


> I am currently under stay at home orders where I live, and his siblings live at a different farm. He is also recovering from pneumonia, so taking him over there for the night isn’t an option right now, but I might try that soon as he is healed up and we’re allowed togo out for non-essential things.
> 
> I am cutting his midnight bottle as of tonight though, and am going to transition him over to eating from a bottle to a bowl or bucket starting tomorrow like what was suggested above as wel. Thank you!!!


I have the stay at home order too. But what's really essential and non essential? 
Oh I thought maybe you just took him home to bottle feed and your farm was somewhere different than your house. Good luck with the bucket. Mine would drink water from a bucket but not milk.


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## AlleysChicks (Mar 23, 2020)

Oakknollfarms said:


> The feeding chart that I was given said 4 bottles per day until 4 weeks, then down to three a day, the number of ounces to be fed was listed by weight, with more ounces per day as he gained weight, no more than 20% of his body weight to be fed to avoid over feeding?  And to start introducing the other types of food during this time?


The one I went by said no more than 18oz in a day. It split the oz up unevenly so through the day they got less for chance of grazing solids. Breakfast and dinner were the larger oz.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 23, 2020)

AlleysChicks said:


> The one I went by said no more than 18oz in a day. It split the oz up unevenly so through the day they got less for chance of grazing solids. Breakfast and dinner were the larger oz.


Oh I didn’t think of that!  Thanks!!!


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 25, 2020)

Ok, he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 25, 2020)

Beekissed said:


> Why not switch him from a bottle to a bucket, then transitioning from there to soaking a little feed in his bucket of milk, then progress from there to a thicker gruel and onward?  Babies usually learn what to eat from watching Mom, so it could take him a little longer to catch on.


Ok..... he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???


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## Beekissed (Mar 25, 2020)

Oakknollfarms said:


> Ok..... he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???



Some folks dip fingers and let them suckle the milk off fingers, then lower those fingers closer and closer to the milk each time until fingers are down in the milk and they are sucking it off fingers and also out of the milk of the bucket.   Probably works best on a very hungry little one, so let him get hungry.

Another option is to remove the water bucket and leave a milk bucket instead....gotta drink some time.


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## Oakknollfarms (Mar 25, 2020)

Beekissed said:


> Some folks dip fingers and let them suckle the milk off fingers, then lower those fingers closer and closer to the milk each time until fingers are down in the milk and they are sucking it off fingers and also out of the milk of the bucket.   Probably works best on a very hungry little one, so let him get hungry.
> 
> Another option is to remove the water bucket and leave a milk bucket instead....gotta drink some time.


I will try that!  Thank you!


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## Stephine (Apr 1, 2020)

Taking a baby goat to hang with its siblings is definitely NOT essential. 


AlleysChicks said:


> I have the stay at home order too. But what's really essential and non essential?
> Oh I thought maybe you just took him home to bottle feed and your farm was somewhere different than your house. Good luck with the bucket. Mine would drink water from a bucket but not milk.


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## Oakknollfarms (Apr 1, 2020)

Stephine said:


> Taking a baby goat to hang with its siblings is definitely NOT essential.


That’s why we’re aren’t doing that anymore. I could take him over there, put him in the paddock with everyone and not interact with another person, but we aren’t even doing that anymore.

He ate some pellets from my hand the other day, and he’s down to three bottles a day, so we are making progress, and he grazes in his own when we are out in the pasture.


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## AlleysChicks (Apr 1, 2020)

Stephine said:


> Taking a baby goat to hang with its siblings is definitely NOT essential.


I consider it learning. People are doing worse. I'm lucky my animals are on the same land as my house so I'm not really traveling.


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## Oakknollfarms (Apr 1, 2020)

AlleysChicks said:


> I consider it learning. People are doing worse. I'm lucky my animals are on the same land as my house so I'm not really traveling.



I think I may have confused you. My animals and my home are on the same land. I don’t have any other goats though, so I was taking him back to the farm that he came from so that he could socialize with other goats. The vet was concerned that he wouldn’t know how to bond with them properly when his brother came to live with us as well as his companion, with the way that he had bonded to me and our Labrador. He truly thinks he’s a dog. Since that farm has multiple people and tons of kids (human), we aren’t doing that anymore until this thing settles down.


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