1 month old not taking the bottle

[dogginfox]

My new novo buckling is not taking to the bottle well. I have to force his mouth open and hold his head still so he can drink. When he does he only drinks 2-3 oz. He has a sucking reflex and will eat hay and grains but im worried its a bit early for him to not have any milk.

 

[helmstead]

Was he bottlefed before you got him?

 

[rockdoveranch]

Helmstead has asked a great question.

We had some problems getting our April 20th ewe lamb bottle baby to take the bottle. Depending on where I was feeding her I sat on a chair or a square bale. If she was not grasping the nipple well I would position her to where she could not back away or move much . . . tail end to the hay bale; tail end to the chair. She now gulps down 9 1/2 ounces in one breath 3 times a day.

Also make sure the milk replace is not too hot or too cold.

I just checked to tub of Land O Lakes ProNurse milk replacer (a Purrina product) and it says you can top-dress the dry powder on starter feed. 2 ounces per pound of dry starter feed. Continue until weaned.

 

[dogginfox]

He was not bottle fed before I got him. He was with his mom and sister during the day and he and his sister were isolated from their mom at night. Can he be left to eat hay and grains already or do I need to work with him more to get him on the bottle?

 

[helmstead]

:/That was pretty irresponsible of the breeder.

Work with him more...use whole cow's milk and a Pritchard nipple. He NEEDS to be on milk somehow for another 4 weeks minimum. Even if he'll only drink it from a bowl.

Sorry you're in this boat. In the future, NEVER buy a 'bottle baby' unless the breeder has it ON the bottle.

 

[rockdoveranch]

OMG! It was very irresponsible of the breeder to let him go at one month as a bottle baby when his was not on a bottle!

I will NEVER understand people! ARG!

What kind of milk replacer are you giving him?

In 2009 I had this gut feeling one of our Barbado babies needed supplementing. He was not at all happy when I removed him from the herd to give him a bottle, but I did and held him on my lap and against my body and he did drink.

In fact, when I first started giving all our bottle babies bottles I held them on my lap and against my body. I had forgotten that in my first post.

When I had to supplement an unplanned litter of puppies from a stray the puppy milk replacer container said to put the powder on the mom's food and the baby's food as a supplement.

If he won't take a Pritchard nipple try putting the replacer on his grain.

Oh OH! Perhaps he is not able to get good traction on the nipple. Cut an X where the holes are with a razor so that milk can flow more easily. Also start with the cap fairly snug and then loosen it once he starts to suck. Air needs to get into the bottle for the milk to flow well.

I will add that I am 61 and nursed my kids each for 2 years. They only had me for the first 6 months. They did not have cows milk until they were 2. I have nursed other mother's babies while babysitting. I never once used a bottle until we had lambs. I find them frustrating, but I have to use them for our rejected baby lambs, and did the same with the puppies only as a supplement.

Helmstead, I was always told not to give lambs or kids whole cows milk. Do you give it to your bottle babies?

 

[dogginfox]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. I will try a prichard nipple this afternoon. Currently I am using a lamb nipple. Any other tips? I am using vitamin d milk @ room temperature

 

[happydodgefarm6113]

I read a post about a young kid that would not take a bottle but would drink the milk from a bowl. I think the thread was on here yesterday. Maybe try that.

 

[ksalvagno]

I warm my milk up like you would for a human infant. Keep in mind that the milk from mom is pretty warm so that room temperature stuff may not taste good. Also add a little bit of karo syrup into the whole milk. May make it taste better for him. Pepsi product bottles work best with the Pritchard nipple.

 

[rockdoveranch]

This thread is very interesting to me.

I did some googling and there are people who swear by Land O Lakes, Purina, whole milk, 2% milk, goats milk, raw cows milk, and their own recipes.

When we had an emergency late in the evening a very kind person who supplies goats to the FFA and 4-H kids let us drive an hour to her house for colostrum. I had never met her until that night. She sent us home with colostrum and powdered milk replacer.

She uses Manna Pro colostrum and Purina milk replacer, regular baby bottles and cuts the X at the top of the nipple.

Since that night we keep Manna Pro colostrum and milk replacer in the freezer. We also keep baby bottles and nipples, Karo syrup and Molasses and various size syringes on hand.

I have learned a lot from this thread. Things I did not know.