# 1st time owner - bottle baby



## WingAcres (Apr 18, 2016)

Hi all,
New here and to backyard anything...my family will be getting 2 Nigerian dwarf wethers soon. The breeder asked if we'd be interested in a bottle baby - in case mom rejects baby or otherwise. 

I've been researching but not sure if this would be too much of a commitment since I'm a first time goat owner...I've never even owned a dog either (cats, yes). Will a bottle baby be too much to handle? I two human kids; 5 and 4. 8 chickens (month old) and will be adding 13 chicks in July.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## babsbag (Apr 19, 2016)

Bottle babies aren't really hard if you have the time to spend feeding them 3-4 times a day. You are getting a small goat so they need to be fed smaller amounts more often. I don't have any experience with the nigs but when I bottle raise standard goats I don't do any middle of the night feedings, I feed about 9 at night and then about 9 in the morning and once or twice during the day. They take the bottles really quickly and it is pretty easy. Just make sure you clean the bottles in between. I use plastic Pepsi bottles and the pritchard nipples to start and then transition to caprine nipples as they get bigger. 

Here is another post about bottling raising a goat.
http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/bottle-feeding-help-needed-please.32886/page-2

It is fun and the baby goats will get very attached to you. It really doesn't take much time if you are home during the day. When I had to do it and work I used a Lambar bucket and would put the milk in the bucket with a frozen bottle of water to keep it cold and the kids would self feed.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 19, 2016)

Thanks babsbag so much for the info, it does put me at ease. I'll have the time to commit to multiple feedings as I'm a stay at home mom and the human kids will be on summer break. 

I think I got a little overwhelmed reading different things about possibly overfeeding and other's concerns with replacer or cow's milk. 

I'll check out that thread also. And I'm very impressed with your bucket bottle!


----------



## Ponker (Apr 19, 2016)

Here's a great write up. http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/so-you-bought-a-baby-goat-now-what.59/


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 19, 2016)

Thanks @Ponker, I'm a long time lurker so I've read that post over and over lol. I'm just really in my own head and didn't want to dive into something I couldn't handle then not be able to provide the appropriate care.


----------



## Ponker (Apr 19, 2016)

I know what you're saying! I have books and books about the care and diagnosing diseases of sheep. And thankfully, I've met some wonderful people here who are kind enough to help me if I have questions. I think I'd lay awake at night worrying if I weren't so completely exhausted. I've acquired a few books about goats and now pigs. It sure is a wonderful life. Even with the worry.


----------



## Mason&lily (Apr 19, 2016)

I've actually bottle raised a Nigerian, lamancha, and Pygmy bottle babies all at the same time!! And that was the first time I ever bottle raised. If your are able to be there so they can get there feedings you should be ok. I attended school and raised all three  trust me it was a lot of work. But one baby shouldn't be as much work. I have a schedule that I followed for all three even thought it was for Nigerians I just changed the amount for my lamancha. I never did feedings at night. I'll have to find my schedule and post it, it's really easy to understand. Also if you are not able to get goats milk, I used whole cows milk and added a little buttermilk to mine.


----------



## Mason&lily (Apr 19, 2016)

Here is what I followed for my bottle babies. You can always change it for your and your babies needs. I changed the times so they got there bottle when I first woke up.


----------



## goats&moregoats (Apr 19, 2016)

The first time I had to bottle feed I scared myself to death thinking I might over feed or mess something else up. It was much easier than I thought. Mine were Dwarf Nigerians. I only had to feed them in the middle of the night for like three nights(maybe two) then they were fine with a late feeding and an early feeding. I happen to use regular baby bottles bought from the dollar store. The cheaper nipples work the best. I have not had a problem with getting them to take the bottle.  I have since bottle fed quite a few. Last year we had 6 on bottles. My daughter & son in law helped me at feeding time. I didn't have a Lambar bucket. Nor was I planning on feeding that many bottle babies at the same time. Yup, it was one of those trips to pick up one baby and came home with five extra...lol. Loved the experience though. 

Good luck with your new goats(when they arrive) regardless of bottle feeding or not your going to fall in love and become and addict(goats that is).


----------



## samssimonsays (Apr 19, 2016)

I am terrified of bottle feeding thanks to rabbits and their darn touchy systems. My logical side KNOWS they are much different but my mind freaks myself out and I am afraid I will mess it up. Even though I have success with bottle raising rabbits, squirrels and kittens. 

All the research I have done and people I have talked to say it is just fine and that It is hard to mess it up. You should do just fine


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 19, 2016)

We had 2 bottle kids and a bottle lamb so far this year and last year we had 9 bottle kids all at once. It wasnt really that hard.

On a side note..why do i keep seeing different places that kids/lambs should be on a bottle until they are 4 months old? 

Or kids and lamb always start eatting hay, grain and drinking water by 4 weeks old even for the last starters, we keep feeding milk thru a bottle until their around 8 weeks and then switch to feeding out of a bucket/bowl. Never had any problems except this year with our broken leg lamb....she will be 10 weeks old on the 25th and will not at all drink water even warm water. She will go all day with a bowl of water and not touch it. i can put the tiniest pinch of milk power or milk in it and she sucks it dry though. Anyone have this issue before? i dont mind giving her milk still bout im worried about her getting dehydrated for lack of water in between feedings.


----------



## Latestarter (Apr 19, 2016)

Greetings @WingAcres from the front range in Colorado! Glad you joined us! Welcome to BYH. As you can see from the numerous replies, it's not THAT difficult or complicated... I'm betting that you and your kids (human & goat) will get it all figured out and have a blast! I sorely wish I could have had farm animals for my kids when they were young like yours.   Mine are all grown now and the grands aren't close. 

Anyway, there are a LOT of great (goat/sheep/cow/etc) folks here (could you tell?), and if you run into issues, just jump on and post your questions/issues and in short order, I'm sure you'll have the help you need! Mean time, browse around a bit  and jump in when you feel the calling!


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 21, 2016)

Thanks so much everyone! And my apologies for not replying sooner, I thought I was set up to get flagged as others responded but guess not  I'm so glad to hear all of your experiences, it's very reassuring and encouraging. I'm guessing once we get our first two goats - "goat math" will hit us just like the chickens.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 21, 2016)

"9 bottle kids all at once. It wasnt really that hard."

You're being modest!!! Lol. I'm curious to know what happens with your broken leg lamb. I'm lurking and learning a lot here. Yay!


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 22, 2016)

WingAcres said:


> "9 bottle kids all at once. It wasnt really that hard."
> 
> You're being modest!!! Lol. I'm curious to know what happens with your broken leg lamb. I'm lurking and learning a lot here. Yay!


The worst part about 9 bottle kids is....they were also in the house..oh the mess.

Thanks @WingAcres  sadly it did not end well with my poor house lamb. Her leg fully healed and she was walking fine, she got the eye infection and healed up from that and regained 85% or so of her vision. Wednesday night she died from we assume Endotoxemia, we had followed the advice of our vet on vaccinating with CDT. The problem is the vet gave us the wrong info and told us we only need to vaccinate kids/lambs for CDT and just to do it in the first 3 months. She also told us the wrong dose with Bar Vac she told us 1ml per....its suppose to be 2ml per. So we thought we were doing that right but no we were not. The entire herd needs to be vaccinated for CDT and given booster shots yearly. We are very sad we lost our lamb but we learned an important part of livestock, read the labels on the vaccines. We stupdily blinded trusted the vet and that was the wrong thing to do.

Anyhow i hope your bottle baby is doing good!!  I'm sure you will do a great job.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 22, 2016)

Oh my, that is heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your loss @misfitmorgan.


----------



## Starlight4Leah (Apr 26, 2016)

WingAcres said:


> Hi all,
> New here and to backyard anything...my family will be getting 2 Nigerian dwarf wethers soon. The breeder asked if we'd be interested in a bottle baby - in case mom rejects baby or otherwise.
> 
> I've been researching but not sure if this would be too much of a commitment since I'm a first time goat owner...I've never even owned a dog either (cats, yes). Will a bottle baby be too much to handle? I two human kids; 5 and 4. 8 chickens (month old) and will be adding 13 chicks in July.
> ...


We have always done bottle babies, so I will give you a few pointers/tips.
1.) They will be hard to start the bottle. - I am not exaggerating when I say hard. Every bottle baby that we have done doesn't accept the bottle until around three days of not  taking it, by then they learn that this is where there food will be coming from, and quickly learn. (Note: we have had bottle babies that have gone easier and taken it within a day. So don't be nervous, they will not die on you because they don't take their bottle right away. Make sure to allow them access to feed and water.)
2.) Be prepared for a lifelong bond between you two that no one could break. 
3.) It will be worth it!!! I mean it too, every bottle baby that we have done is totally worth fighting them to take the bottle, and having to feed them on a set schedule. All of our bottle babies were the sweetest, most kind, lovable goats that we have had. They follow us around like puppies, snuggle, etc. Now I am not saying that any goats that aren't bottle babies are bad, that is not the case because we have had non- bottle babies turn out just as loving. 

Now, we did buy one goat and bottle feed him in February, and were just now able to buy him another goat friend, he has not yet taken to the two, we were told that he will it just takes time, but at this rate we are not sure about this as he still prefers the horses over two does. So, just remember that you may want to buy two at once. I hope this helps.


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Apr 26, 2016)

Starlight4Leah said:


> They will be hard to start the bottle. - I am not exaggerating when I say hard. Every bottle baby that we have done doesn't accept the bottle until around three days of not taking it, by then they learn that this is where there food will be coming from, and quickly learn.


When were these kids removed from the dam? 

I raised ~20 last spring and over 20 this year. All took the bottle strong soon after being born. But most of these kids are removed from the dam right after they are born. It's much harder when the kid has been on the dam for a while.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 26, 2016)

I guess this is the newbie in me and I can't say I've read about it before but what would be the reason to remove the kids from the doe immediately vs them nursing and weaning later? Think I've only read about removing the kid sooner when mom rejects it.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

Starlight4Leah said:


> We have always done bottle babies, so I will give you a few pointers/tips.
> 1.) They will be hard to start the bottle. - I am not exaggerating when I say hard. Every bottle baby that we have done doesn't accept the bottle until around three days of not  taking it, by then they learn that this is where there food will be coming from, and quickly learn. (Note: we have had bottle babies that have gone easier and taken it within a day. So don't be nervous, they will not die on you because they don't take their bottle right away. Make sure to allow them access to feed and water.)



We have not had much of a problem getting any of our kids or lambs to take a bottle so long as they are healthy. I would say within the first 2-3hrs or so they were just fine taking a bottle.



Goat Whisperer said:


> When were these kids removed from the dam?
> 
> I raised ~20 last spring and over 20 this year. All took the bottle strong soon after being born. But most of these kids are removed from the dam right after they are born. It's much harder when the kid has been on the dam for a while.



The ones who do nurse on mom are not so pleased with a bottle but i still havnt seen it take more then a few hours...but to be fair the kids we bring in the house to bottle are already having some kind of issue. Such as to cold, mom not producing enough, got stepped on..etc.



WingAcres said:


> I guess this is the newbie in me and I can't say I've read about it before but what would be the reason to remove the kids from the doe immediately vs them nursing and weaning later? Think I've only read about removing the kid sooner when mom rejects it.



Some people just like to bottle all their kids. Sometimes the weather is just to cold so they have to be put someplace to keep them warmer. Sometimes yes the mom rejects them. Sometimes mom is an excellent mother but had twins/triplets/quads and just doesnt have enough milk for them. They also might pull a kid and bottle feed if mom tested positive for CAE or if they are doing herd management to stop/prevent CAE spread in their herd. Probly other reasons I not even thinking about too.


----------



## Starlight4Leah (Apr 27, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> We have not had much of a problem getting any of our kids or lambs to take a bottle so long as they are healthy. I would say within the first 2-3hrs or so they were just fine taking a bottle.


All of ours have been healthy, vet checked and all, maybe its the bottle/nipple that we use to bottle feed ours, because they always fight us.


----------



## Starlight4Leah (Apr 27, 2016)

Goat Whisperer said:


> When were these kids removed from the dam?
> 
> I raised ~20 last spring and over 20 this year. All took the bottle strong soon after being born. But most of these kids are removed from the dam right after they are born. It's much harder when the kid has been on the dam for a while.


The first set we got were around 3 weeks old, and this last one that we did was two days old.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

Starlight4Leah said:


> All of ours have been healthy, vet checked and all, maybe its the bottle/nipple that we use to bottle feed ours, because they always fight us.



I dont know we have used the transparent nipples you stick on a pop bottle from TSC and a regular baby bottle without really noticing a difference. i will say i know some people who swear by the pritchard nipples ony and also Hubby has way better luck getting them started then me lol. 

Best trick i have found is to hold them along my side, with my arm over their withers and my hand under their chin, then open their mouth and stick the nipple inside. The important part here is dont let them get their head off the nipple...then we gently squeeze the bottle so they know there is milk in it and they usually will start sucking on their own in a couple minutes. The really stubborn ones we wait for an hour and try again. I have also definitely noticed if we put goat milk in the bottle or even cow milk instead of formula they take to it a lot easier. Then after a day or so we swap to formula if we dont have goat milk.


----------



## Starlight4Leah (Apr 27, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> I dont know we have used the transparent nipples you stick on a pop bottle from TSC and a regular baby bottle without really noticing a difference. i will say i know some people who swear by the pritchard nipples ony and also Hubby has way better luck getting them started then me lol.
> 
> Best trick i have found is to hold them along my side, with my arm over their withers and my hand under their chin, then open their mouth and stick the nipple inside. The important part here is dont let them get their head off the nipple...then we gently squeeze the bottle so they know there is milk in it and they usually will start sucking on their own in a couple minutes. The really stubborn ones we wait for an hour and try again. I have also definitely noticed if we put goat milk in the bottle or even cow milk instead of formula they take to it a lot easier. Then after a day or so we swap to formula if we dont have goat milk.


Yes, that's how my mom starts them on the bottle. We always buy the goat formula from TSC, and use the screw on red nipples from there as well. We know a friend that used a regular bottle baby and nipple, and it worked excellent for him.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

Starlight4Leah said:


> Yes, that's how my mom starts them on the bottle. We always buy the goat formula from TSC, and use the screw on red nipples from there as well. We know a friend that used a regular bottle baby and nipple, and it worked excellent for him.


The screw on red ones are the pitchard nipples...ive never used them but i know lamb and goat breeders that wont use anything else. We get goat formula from TSC too but you will get them on a bottle way easier with goat milk or just regular full fat cow milk you buy at the store. Ours would almost rather die it seems then drink the formula when they are first starting out.


----------



## Starlight4Leah (Apr 27, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> The screw on red ones are the pitchard nipples...ive never used them but i know lamb and goat breeders that wont use anything else. We get goat formula from TSC too but you will get them on a bottle way easier with goat milk or just regular full fat cow milk you buy at the store. Ours would almost rather die it seems then drink the formula when they are first starting out.


That's how ours would be until they realized its all they would get. I never thought of giving them cows milk, that's a neat idea.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

Starlight4Leah said:


> That's how ours would be until they realized its all they would get. I never thought of giving them cows milk, that's a neat idea.



The old timers used to use cow's milk for orphan goats, a lot of goat breeders actually still use just full fat cows milk for goats the entire time they are bottle raising them and report no ill effects they can tell. We use cows milk straight if we dont have goats milk and then slowly switch over to formula. We do prefer goats milk since it has a higher fat content though. We hate the formula but use it when we have too.


----------



## Fullhousefarm (Apr 27, 2016)

I'd just make sure you get them from a reputable breeder who is willing to mentor you. Start with their schedule- (unless it's just ridiculous somehow, like feeding a week old twice a day)

I don't sell many goats as bottle babies since I normally dam raise, but when I do I usually keep them for the first two weeks to make sure they are taking the bottle, disbudded, and started well. I highly encourage goat milk for at least the first four weeks, then a slow change if switching to cows milk or goat milk replacer. By two weeks they are usually on 3-4 bottles a day and not eating overnight. I only feed in the middle of the night the first 1-3 nights depending on the baby/timing of birth. A normal three day old gets a late bottle at 10/11pm right before I go to bed, and an "early" bottle before chores, usually around 7. I start all bottle babies (1 lb Nigerians or 9# Lamanchas) on Prichard nipples. I switch the larger breed goats to bigger lambar nipples around two weeks most of the time but the Nigerians wean off the Pritchards.

I'd consider a day old bottle baby to a goat experienced home- but as a smaller scale breeder I don't have any "need" to sell babies right away. Usually my bottle babies I sell are 3rd or 4th babies out of triplets and quads.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

Fullhousefarm said:


> I'd just make sure you get them from a reputable breeder who is willing to mentor you. Start with their schedule- (unless it's just ridiculous somehow, like feeding a week old twice a day)
> 
> I don't sell many goats as bottle babies since I normally dam raise, but when I do I usually keep them for the first two weeks to make sure they are taking the bottle, disbudded, and started well. I highly encourage goat milk for at least the first four weeks, then a slow change if switching to cows milk or goat milk replacer. By two weeks they are usually on 3-4 bottles a day and not eating overnight. I only feed in the middle of the night the first 1-3 nights depending on the baby/timing of birth. A normal three day old gets a late bottle at 10/11pm right before I go to bed, and an "early" bottle before chores, usually around 7. I start all bottle babies (1 lb Nigerians or 9# Lamanchas) on Prichard nipples. I switch the larger breed goats to bigger lambar nipples around two weeks most of the time but the Nigerians wean off the Pritchards.
> 
> I'd consider a day old bottle baby to a goat experienced home- but as a smaller scale breeder I don't have any "need" to sell babies right away. Usually my bottle babies I sell are 3rd or 4th babies out of triplets and quads.



Pretty much the same thing for us. We dont really sell anything kids under 6 weeks old because we dont have too, there is plenty of room. As i mentioned we always prefer goat milk but it isnt always available.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 27, 2016)

Thanks again all, definitely lots of good reading. No idea if we'll have a bottle baby but hopefully we find out soon - breeder said his dam? is expected to kid this week. He's keeping all the does, so far 4 babies and all does. I'm getting anxious so fingers crossed for a buck this time!


----------



## babsbag (Apr 27, 2016)

I have pulled the kids and put on bottles at 2-3 weeks and it can be a challenge but the newborns are usually quite eager to take a bottle. The newborns get colostrum, fresh or frozen, and the older ones get goat milk or cow's milk; always warmed. I have never used replacer.  I stand the kid, facing forward, between my legs and pry the mouth open and stick the nipple in. I always use the pritchard nipple for the first week and then transition them to Caprine nipple and then to the lambar bucket. 

Most of the time I pull kids just to make them friendlier. Dam raised kids can be brats forever. This year I have pulled ones I am keeping, a few I have shared custody....I feed them and they spend time with mom too. I will separate them entirely until they are taking the bottle, the dam is in a pen right next to them so they can see them and talk to them. As soon as they learn to take a bottle and don't run from me I will put them back with the dam and then pull them once a day to feed them and let the dam do it the rest of the time. The kids are friendly but not really "in my pocket" the way 100% bottle raised kid will be.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 27, 2016)

WingAcres said:


> Thanks again all, definitely lots of good reading. No idea if we'll have a bottle baby but hopefully we find out soon - breeder said his dam? is expected to kid this week. He's keeping all the does, so far 4 babies and all does. I'm getting anxious so fingers crossed for a buck this time!


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Apr 27, 2016)

WingAcres said:


> I guess this is the newbie in me and I can't say I've read about it before but what would be the reason to remove the kids from the doe immediately vs them nursing and weaning later? Think I've only read about removing the kid sooner when mom rejects it.


Its a matter of personal preference really. We don't do it for CAE prevention- we have a 100% negative herd. 

Some thinks its terribly cruel to pull a kid and bottle feed right away. I don't feel that way anymore, but at one point I hated the thought of "ripping" a kid away from its dam- unless absolutely necessary. Anthropomorphism at its best I'll tell ya! 

I don't let the doe see, smell, or lick the kid. As soon as the umbilical cord breaks and the nose cleared the kid is taken into the house and placed into a playpen right away. 

It was actually a request of a client that got us started in bottle feeding. We were considering pulling after we had purchased several bottle fed goats, we absolutely loved their personality of theses goats. Now I prefer, although not totally necessary that goats I buy be bottle fed. 

This was a post from a great member on the subject of bottle feeding. Sadly she isn't online anymore 


Roll farms said:


> I hate, hate, HATE chasing goats.  Hate it.  It ticks me off.  I.hate.chasing.goats.
> 
> Did I mention that I dislike having to run down a goat?
> 
> ...



I don't sell BB's right away, I prefer to keep them until weaning before I send them off.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 27, 2016)

Thanks for your input @Goat Whisperer and thanks for sharing roll farm's post; they were both very insightful.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 28, 2016)

Goat Whisperer said:


> Its a matter of personal preference really. We don't do it for CAE prevention- we have a 100% negative herd.
> 
> Some thinks its terribly cruel to pull a kid and bottle feed right away. I don't feel that way anymore, but at one point I hated the thought of "ripping" a kid away from its dam- unless absolutely necessary. Anthropomorphism at its best I'll tell ya!
> 
> ...



I dont think i could ever do that i would feel so bad for the does. I'm not saying it is wrong in any way i just dont think its for me. We have a Alpine buck and an Alpine doe who were both bottle babies inside the people house and all was good. The doe is still alright but neither have any respect for person space. The Buck is starting to turn into a jerk frankly i think thats more age then anything but jerk plus no respect for person space i am not liking to much.

I actually prefer the Dam raised kids. We take them after they are weaned and put them in a pen and visit them daily to friendly them up and give treats sometimes. We had gotten a Boer/nubian doe who was wild, she was running on a 2 acre pasture with her mom one other doe and her dad and none of them wanted anything to do with people. So i actually ended up tying her out by our house with a dog house and every day i made her stand and get pets or treats. Now she is one of the first ones to greet me when i go in the barn. Way more work and time then bottle feeding to make them friendly i think but i prefer the "hey you wanna pet me?...no? alright im gonna stand over here and eat hay" attitude more then the in your pocket type.

All that being said we still have a really small herd and my opinion could and probly will change as it grows.


----------



## babsbag (Apr 28, 2016)

I just chased a doe last night trying to catch her to milk her and I told her that she just got chased into a new home. I am just too old for this game so this year I am only keeping the few kids that I am bottle raising. We will see how this goes. 

I did have a bottle baby buck and it had is pros and cons but I could say that I was never afraid of him. Yes he could be obnoxious but never dangerous.


----------



## Fullhousefarm (Apr 28, 2016)

I have some bottle baby goats I love and some, well, that are annoying. I also have some dam raised goats I love and some that are frustrating. We normally dam raise ours, but I pulled two of quads and one of triplets to bottle feed and sell earlier, plus my daughter bought a bottle baby Saanen and my son got a bottle baby Lamancha this year. That said, we have a small herd so the dam raised babies are handled a lot. I find that there is a magic time around 6 weeks when my "run away" dam raised babies start realizing I have food and people are great if they ever doubted it. Some are in my pocket from day one. Personality difference I guess since I've had twins and one loved people like a bottle baby and the other didn't until 6ish weeks.


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Apr 28, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> I dont think i could ever do that i would feel so bad for the does. I'm not saying it is wrong in any way i just dont think its for me. We have a Alpine buck and an Alpine doe who were both bottle babies inside the people house and all was good. The doe is still alright but neither have any respect for person space. The Buck is starting to turn into a jerk frankly i think thats more age then anything but jerk plus no respect for person space i am not liking to much.
> 
> I actually prefer the Dam raised kids. We take them after they are weaned and put them in a pen and visit them daily to friendly them up and give treats sometimes. We had gotten a Boer/nubian doe who was wild, she was running on a 2 acre pasture with her mom one other doe and her dad and none of them wanted anything to do with people. So i actually ended up tying her out by our house with a dog house and every day i made her stand and get pets or treats. Now she is one of the first ones to greet me when i go in the barn. Way more work and time then bottle feeding to make them friendly i think but i prefer the "hey you wanna pet me?...no? alright im gonna stand over here and eat hay" attitude more then the in your pocket type.
> 
> All that being said we still have a really small herd and my opinion could and probly will change as it grows.


Pulling is definitely not for everyone. It's a lot of work for the first week or so. 

I sometimes have to fight the emotional aspect of pulling kids too, but honestly weaning the kids at 8-16 weeks is MUCH worse. There is no pacing, screaming, production drop, parasite bloom, goats tangled in fences etc. I have less bullying in the herd, and none of the adults are pushy, other then the alpine anyway.  She is just crazy by nature LOL. 

You are right about the issues with the bucks. We teach the boys manners from day one. We don't tolerate any buck-like behavior towards people and NO rubbing their heads on people! All of the bucks I have raised have never had an issue with being pushy or bossy towards people- another reason why I like to hold onto them until weaning. 

I only have one mean buck, he was a BB but I didn't raise him and I got him when he was 2. I knew the lady and had seen this buck as a yearling. Anyway, he was "very sweet and a big baby". Once I got him I started to see that he was trying to 'mark' people by roughly rubbing his head on people. He didn't like correction and would act like an I'll behaved child who had never been disciplined. In rut he was very dangerous and nobody will ever go on the same pen with him. 

I know another person who got a buck from the same lady, a little younger than my buck, but had behavior issues too. He was dam raised. I really think most of it has to do with HOW they are disciplined. 

I do somethimes miss watching the does dam raise, we still let a doe or 2 raise her kids every year  

I am also worried about an adult killing or injuring a kid… I know someone who found a kid with a snapped spine, one of the goats butted the kid hard 

We used to dam raise, and have friendly dam raised goats here. But I still love bottle babies!


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 28, 2016)

Thanks again all! I love reading about why people prefer/do this over that vice versa. Keeps my mind open to new experiences and ways to enjoy life to the fullest. 

And our babies are born...I said babies!!!! Twin bucks born last night, figuring out the logistics now regarding pickup. Breeder has them dam raised for a bit.


----------



## WingAcres (Apr 28, 2016)




----------



## Hens and Roos (Apr 28, 2016)

They are cute!!


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Apr 28, 2016)

Congratulations! 

If you are going to be bottle feeding them, make sure that the breeder has alreay acclimated them to a bottle.


----------



## babsbag (Apr 28, 2016)

Aren't they just the cutest things ever   So happy for you that she had two.


----------



## misfitmorgan (Apr 29, 2016)

Goat Whisperer said:


> Pulling is definitely not for everyone. It's a lot of work for the first week or so.
> 
> I sometimes have to fight the emotional aspect of pulling kids too, but honestly weaning the kids at 8-16 weeks is MUCH worse. There is no pacing, screaming, production drop, parasite bloom, goats tangled in fences etc. I have less bullying in the herd, and none of the adults are pushy, other then the alpine anyway.  She is just crazy by nature LOL.
> 
> ...



I think your pretty spot on there. We got our buck when he was over a year old and the people thought head rubbing and "playing" headbutt with the human butts was so adorable....let me tell you a 200+ lbs alpine with full horns doing that behavior is not cute at all. I think he may have one more season left then he will be put out to retire in his own pen with a whether for company. I have noticed him being more and more aggressive with the younger goats and even my one adult alpine doe...so we have started keeping moms and kids separate from the herd for the first few weeks on the standard kids and the first month or so on the mini's. We have stall doors with wide slats so they can still...mingle with the herd. It is kind of funny to see the does visiting thru the "prison" doors lol.



WingAcres said:


> View attachment 17314 View attachment 17315


So cute!! Congrats


----------



## MrsKuhn (May 5, 2016)

congrats! beautiful kids


----------

