# How often to bottlefeed?



## Tapsmom (Aug 20, 2011)

We just got our new babies yesterday.  They are 2 4 week old Nigerian Dwarf kids.  A brother and sister.  How often should they be getting a bottle? I thought 2X a day but i want to make sure i am not underfeeding them.  I have goat feed, hay and water left out for them to free feed and they are just nibbling on it a little here and there.  I just want to make sure I am taking good care of them.  Also, what is the best age to whether a Nigerian dwarf buckling?  As a first time goat owner I don't think  I want to worry about a buck


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## Ms. Research (Aug 21, 2011)

Tapsmom said:
			
		

> We just got our new babies yesterday.  They are 2 4 week old Nigerian Dwarf kids.  A brother and sister.  How often should they be getting a bottle? I thought 2X a day but i want to make sure i am not underfeeding them.  I have goat feed, hay and water left out for them to free feed and they are just nibbling on it a little here and there.  I just want to make sure I am taking good care of them.  Also, what is the best age to whether a Nigerian dwarf buckling?  As a first time goat owner I don't think  I want to worry about a buck


Congratulations on your new Kids.  I don't have goats but have become very interested in them from reading about them here.  There is plenty to find in the Goat section of this forum but here's a website that has much information given from someone with experience.  

http://goat-info.blogspot.com/

All you have to do is ask and people on this forum will come with advise.  Very informative advise from people who have experience.  And if they don't know, they will direct you to a get the advise from a vet.  All of us know how important the health and well being of our animals is.  

Hope this Helps.


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## rmh0508 (Aug 21, 2011)

We feed our bottle babies 4x a day for the first 2-3 weeks depending on the kid and then 3 times a day for a week then 2x day for a week and after that depending on how good they are doing just once a day for a while to give them the extra nutrients. I live by the rule of less per feeding and more feedings per day as it is easier on their digestive systems, just like us. Hope this helps....


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## Tapsmom (Aug 22, 2011)

Should I be regulating them at all or just let them grab ahold of the bottle and suck down as much as they want?  Do I have to be concerned about bloat?  If so, what do I need to do to prevent it?


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## Roll farms (Aug 22, 2011)

I feed mine 3x a day.  I have standard sized goats, by 1 mo. old they get 3 - 20 oz. bottles...but I work them up to that slowly, they start at around 3- 8 oz bottles and go up gradually until they're at 20 oz.  I always wait 6 hours between bottles to make sure that they had time to digest the last one.

I've had one case of constipation in 14 years.  No bloat issues.  

If they get the poops, I treat for cocci unless they've been into something they shouldn't....unless they're under 2 wks of age, then I treat for bacterial issues.
If they refuse a bottle, I wait until the next feeding and if they still refuse it, I either have a fecal ran or treat for cocci, depending on other signs.

Some posters have said they put baking soda in the bottles, but I've never done that as a matter of course and never had a problem.  BUT - if a kid seemed prone to bloating, I might be tempted to try that.

Once a week I put a pinch of probiotic powder in their bottles.

I wether bucklings no earlier than 2 mos.


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## Tapsmom (Aug 23, 2011)

They are quite funny.  I have decided to let them drink what they can. They seem to take about 6 oz per feeding.  The buckling will just grab the bottle and drink, but the doeling won"t drink unless you settle her onto your lap.


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