Bottle babies and preparation-What to know

[samssimonsays]

Hey y'all! We are hopefully adding in 1 or 2 Nubian bottle babies in the next month or 2 and am curious what all I will need to be prepared with!

1. What is the best food source for a newborn Nubian goat (type of milk/replacer when we do not have access to milking goats yet)? All opinions welcome as I am looking for the best option available to us.

2. We live in Northern Minnesota (cooooold, cooooold, cooooold sums that up), what temperature will they need to be kept in order to stay warm. We will hopefully have the rabbits mostly cleared out so can make a heat barrel for them easily if needed.

3. When do they start to be transitioned onto other foods, I know give free choice of hay to nibble on.

4. How often to kids need to be bottle fed? We both work full time, would I need someone to come give a bottle mid day or would they be ok all day with water and hay?

5. How do I know how much to feed? Is it per weight or just a matter of how much they want?

6. What is the best way to ensure they will not aspirate?

*We are not given a choice on bottle or dam raised babies, this breeder pulls kids at birth and bottle raises them herself (if she is keeping them) or sells as bottle babies only due to the cold temps and what works best for her to ensure the kids are healthy and happy with no frostbite or other climate caused problems.* ​

7. What is the best way to introduce new babies into an "established" herd? We will have 4 yearlings at that time who are bigger than them.

8. what do you recommend for when to give the shots and wormer/ how often for new babies? I don't want to overload their little systems.

Facts about our set up:

My barn is insulated, sorta, but not heated. We are still new to the entire goat thing as we have only bought weaned kids and have only owned goats since May. If absolutely necessary, I am sure we could possibly pen them in the basement bathroom where we have it puppy proofed currently but that may be a deal breaker for the husband. I have successfully bottle raised Guinea pigs, rabbits and kittens as well as raised several baby birds to adulthood so I know how to be careful while feeding but they are not goats.

I am sure I will have more questions but I think this is it for now... I have composed this over quite some time now trying to make sure I cover every base. ​

Any and all tips or tricks are welcome as well! I want to ensure this girl/girls have the best start possible.​

 

[GLENMAR]

I'm not sure about milk replacer. I've heard that some are not good for goats. I'll get my feeding schedule from home and post it tomorrow. I usually feed mine at 8am or 9, 2pm and 9pm. I work too, but I have help on the farm. Hay is given at 7 days, I think and grain and mineral at 2 weeks. Kids are bottle fed for 8-12 weeks. I'll find the schedule tomorrow. Good luck.

 

[GLENMAR]

got it Heres what I do:


Bottle babies:
Newborn 3 mos

FEEDING:

Any kid under 2 mos of age still needs milk.*
*If the kids is younger, but already weaned, and is eating kid starter feed and hay well, you do not need to put them back on milk if they dont want to take a bottle. Just be sure to feed adequate amounts so they grow to their full potential. Sudden dietary changes can make a goat very sick, very fast.remember to make any changes / additions gradually.

Kids should be trained to a bottle before being sold, but sometimes the mom dies suddenly or other things prevent that. Training a dam-raised kid to bottle can be a challenge. Try sitting above the kid so it is under you and reaching up for the nipple, like it would if it were still on mom.

Bottle feeding:

Feed them 3x a day, with at least 6 hours between feedings.
Whole milk is best (vitamin D from the grocery) unless you have a supply of fresh goat milk.
Some milk replacers work fine, but generally multi species replacers will cause scours and you dont want to risk that with young kids. If the kid is already on replacer and doing fine, use the same replacer throughout the feeding process. If the kid begins to scour, consider switching to whole milk. If replacer is the culprit, the whole milk should straighten them out in a day or so.

Warm the milk as you would for a human baby. A warm water bath or short zap in the microwave will sufficeShake well if you use the microwave, it can cause hot spots.

If you bought them / are buying them from a breeder, ask them for a written-out schedule, how much milk theyre drinking, and what style nipple they are using.
Nipples can be purchased at farm supply stores like TSC, Rural King, etc.
Human baby bottles can be used for mini kids.
Standard kids prefer a bigger nipple, especially as they grow.

A 1 week old kid wont take as much milk as a 2 mo. old kid, obviouslyyou gradually increase the amount given until they peak at around 20oz for standard kids, 12 oz. for mini kids, 3 times per day.

Newborns Newborns NEED colostrums for the 1st 24 hours. If you dont have any, farm stores carry colostrums REPLACER. It needs to say REPLACER, not supplement. Standards take 4-8 oz every 6 hours for at least 3 feedings. 4 is even better.

Suggested feeding schedule for standards (use a little more than half for minis and adjust accordingly. Not every standard kid will eat this much, and some minis may want more). Make adjustments slowly.

Days 2-7

Bottles at 8am - 2pm 9pm 6-8 oz.

Days 7-14

Introduce them to hay. They will probably only play with it at first, but put a little in front of them. Change it daily if its soiled / stepped on.

Bottles at 8am - 2pm 9pm 10-12 oz.

Days 14-60

Introduce them to pelleted feed a good 16% goat ration.
Offer only a handful at first, and change it out daily. They wont eat old feed.
You can research what is a good feed in your area, not all feeds are available in all places and there are many additives you may (or may not) want to consider, such as ammonium chloride to help prevent Urinary Calculi or Deccox / Rumensin to help prevent Coccidiosis.

A good, loose mineral should be offered as well. Be sure it has adequate copper levels and is formulated for goats. Refresh the mineral often, goats will ignore old mineral.

Bottles at 8am - 2pm 9pm 16-20 oz.

2 mos. -

Assuming they are doing well at eating their grain / hay, cut them back to 2 bottles a day and adjust the amount of feed you put out. They will quickly figure out that that empty feeling in their tummy is helped by eating the pellets. 1/8-1/4 cup of feed offered 2x a day.

8am 2pm 20 oz.

2.5 mos.

One bottle, 1x a day, and adjust feed amounts accordingly to roughly 1/4-1/2 cup 2x a day. Meat breeds will need more than dairy, minis less than standards, etc.

3 mos.

No more bottles Youre a big kid now!

Never feed a cold kid. If their mouth feels cold and they are lethargic, warm them before feeding. A cold kid cant digest well and could get very sick if the milk goes sour in the stomach.

If a trained-to-the-bottle kid refuses 1 bottle, but is otherwise acting fine.its probably ok. It may have gotten too full at the last feeding or filled up on hay or pellets. If it refuses two feedings, there may be a problem. Baby goats LOVE to eat.

If the kid feels sloshy, weak / floppy, and seems offput tsp of baking soda in just enough water to dissolve it and give it to the kid w/ a syringe. Wait 2-4 hours (or until theyre no longer sloshy) before attempting to feed it again.

If the kid feels / acts constipated, give an enema using a luer slip syringe and warm soapy water. Try 6cc (for standards, 3cc for minis) and repeat until they poop. Be careful, it can be messy.

Normal newborn poop is tarry and black. After a couple times, it should turn mustard colored and firm up. Continued runny poop or scours can indicate a problem.

If a kid hasnt had any dietary changes and begins to scour, keeping them hydrated is essential. Replace their milk with gatoraide, pedialyte or a gelling electrolyte (available from farm stores). Do not try to stop the scours with pepto or kaolin unless / until you know the cause. Scouring is the bodys way of getting rid of bad stuff and you need to cure the problem behind the scours.

If you are new to goats it is always best to enlist the help of a knowledgeable vet or goat mentor with diagnosing illnesses.

There is usually not much time to wait to get help with a sick kid. If they get sick on a Friday night and the vet is closedchances are waiting until Monday will be too late.

A kid under 3 wks that scours could have a bacterial infection, like salmonella or e coli. It will take antibiotics to cure them.

A kid over 3 wks that scours could have coccidiosis and / or a bacterial infection. A fecal test and vet exam can help diagnose their illness, and the vet can suggest a treatment.

Weanlings (over 2-3 mos)

Continue with goat feed / hay / fresh browse and monitor their growth / condition. Increase feed amounts gradually. Meat breed kids usually need more feed than dairy kids to reach their full potential, and the end purpose of the animal must be kept in mind, too. A pet wether will do fine on good browse and / or hay and very little, if any, feed once theyre past the fast-growing kid stage. Pygmy goats can become fat very easy and its better for their health to not be overfed. The best thing you can do is put your hands on the kid often the feel the condition. You should not feel the ribs or backbone through the skin, there should be layer of meat over the bones.

If you buy a kid and youre not sure if its been vaccinated with CD-T, its usually better to go ahead and do it. The vaccine is available at farm supply stores or online, or a veterinarian can give the shots for you.

Any time a kid has had antibiotics administered, is stressed, or has scoured, administering a probiotic(available in paste and powdered form) can help repopulate the rumen with the good bugs goats need.

Learn all you can about parasites they can and will kill a young goat quickly. Coccidiosis is the worst, but worms (especially Barberpole) can kill quickly, too.

There are several ways to treat / prevent coccidiosis.
Using medicated feed alone will not be enough to prevent it in small kids, they cannot eat enough to get the medication up to therapeutic levels. If a fecal shows coccidiosis, using DiMethox, Corid, or SMZ-TMP is usually recommended, and talking to your vet or mentor and having a plan before you need it is best.
Knowing which dewormers to use, and at what strength, will help tremendously to help reduce the huge problem of dewormer resistance.
There are several university studies available online that go into great detail on both traditional and alternative ways to treat / manage parasites.

 

[GLENMAR]

I give the first CDT vaccine at 8 weeks around weaning time.

 

[samssimonsays]

Thank you SO much! This is super helpful! We have no one around who can come by to give bottles during the day, could I give the 3rd bottle at night instead? So where you have it set for 8am, 2pm, 9pm I would do something like 5pm, 11pm, 5am? or even 6am? So long as there are 3 in a day and a minimum of 6 hours a part?

 

[animalmom]

@GLENMAR, thanks for condensing the directions for a successful bottle baby. I've copied that for my files; good, concise info.

 

[kccjer]

We use milk replacer for our bottle brats when there is no fresh goat milk available. Buy a species specific replacer....kid replacer or kid and lamb replacer....and NO SOY. Mix it EXACTLY according to directions. Any left over can be refrigerated for next use. I usually mix up a gallon at a time and keep it in the fridge. I also add a tsp of baking soda to a gallon of replacer. If they start to scour, then try dropping the amount you are feeding vs. changing their diet. Buying milk from the store is just not an option for me. I don't have the space to store it and the cost becomes prohibitive if I have to drive to town 3 or 4 days a week for more milk.

You can figure how much to feed at the start by using this equation:
Weight in ounces (take pounds X 16) X 10% or 12% = amount to feed in a day / number of feedings = ounces of milk per feeding
6 lb X 16 = 96 X 11% = 10.56 ounces a day 11/2 = 5.5 ounces per feeding
Adjust as necessary. Any sign of scouring, drop the amount of milk.
I also know people who say let them suck and the 2nd time they quit sucking, they are done.

I do know people that take the babies to 2x a day feedings as quickly as possible (2 days even!) because of their work schedules. I have a bottle brat now at 4 weeks that has weaned himself to 3 bottles a day. He quit drinking his full amount at each feeding so I dropped him to 3 a day feedings. I think he might be stealing off another doe too.

We usually have hay and grain and water out full time for babies. They will start nibbling at a few days of age. Ours stay in the barn with warming barrels and we are in western kansas where it is cold and windy (my barn is absolutely not draft proof and no insulation). If we have a cold baby, they stay in the house until warmed and active and then they move back to the barn. Be careful with waters. Make sure they are not deep buckets because babies can fall into them and drown (yep, been there )

We keep the bottle babies in with the herd as much as possible. That kind of eliminates having to re-introduce them to the herd later. Also teaches them how to be goats. As long as the babies have someplace to get away from the bigger goats....such as a warming barrel....they will be fine.

 

[kccjer]

Oh. You will have several options for nipples. We like the "pop toppers" that screw onto a regular soda bottle (like in my avatar). You can also get lamb nipples that slip over a glass pop bottle (I hate those as they are hard to get on and if you get one that sucks hard, they can suck them off!). There are also pritchard nipples that also screw onto a pop bottle you can buy at the feed store. These are great to get them started, but we transition to the pop toppers after a few days. You might have to cut the nipples open a little more.

 

[samssimonsays]

Wow! Thank you all so much! This is all extremely helpful! I am taking diligent notes and hope to be applying them sometime this month!!! EEEK!

 

[Mason&lily]

I have two bottle babies right now , my list for there supplies are puppy pads, diapers, a powdered probiotic supplement, goat nutria-drench, soda bottles, and Prichard nipples. I feed mine whole cows milk from the store and every gallon I add 1 cup of buttermilk. This is what works best for me and them. It also really handy