*critical* Doe kidded isn't doing good mastitis?

[Horsefly]

Thanks everyone, this is the first goat we have lost so it was hard. We have been force feeding baby 3-4 oz 4 times a day. Is this enough for now? I don't know what we will do if he never learns to suck. It takes us at least an hour per feeding, more often an hour and a half. He is definatly getting bigger and strong. You can tell by the way he throws his head to get away from the bottle lol. Any words of encouragement or tips would be wonderful.

 

[cmjust0]

First, make sure the milk's about 100-105 degrees.. If it's too warm or too cool, the kid will reject it.

Something I've found to be really helpful is using an old-school thick glass soda bottle.. If you preheat the bottle (just pour it full of hot tap water and let it stand), it will hold the temperature of the milk much longer than a plastic pop bottle, which gives you more time to fight with the kid.

Also, these nipples -- for us, and several others here -- have worked the best. There's something about them that the kids just seem to feel comfortable with.

Once the kid's on a bottle pretty reliabily, that particular nipple will pop right down over the top of a 20oz soda bottle, too..