Goat treats for babies

[pigeongirl]

Hi I am getting my first 2 goat tomorrow and they will be 2 weeks old. Is there any treats they can eat this young?

 

[babsbag]

They will nibble on hay but not really any treats for them until they are about 4 weeks. I find that my little ones like animal crackers, fruit loops, and peanuts. Of course everything in moderation.

 

[pigeongirl]

Thank you

 

[babsbag]

And welcome to BYH from CA. Tell us about your farm and your goats and of course we LOVE pictures.

 

[Devonviolet]

@pigeongirl. From the big beautiful state of Texas. You've come to the right place to get help with your new little goats. We have lots of knowledgeable goat people here at BYH.

CONGRATULATIONS on getting your new kid goats. You must be beside yourself with excitement!

I'm not one of the experts, as we bought two pregnant LaMancha does, back in February, who have now had their kids. The first one had a single buckling back in March. He is now 5 weeks old, and starting to eat small amounts of hay, and nibble at his mother's goat ration, at meal time. Earlier this week, we realized that he loves to nibble on oak leaves, when we give his mother browse.

The other doe had twins (a buckling & a doeling) 2 weeks ago. They are pretty much following the pattern, of the first kid. They nibble on a strand of hay, once in a while, and when their mom eats her goat ration, they might nibble on that. But not seriously.

It's interesting you should ask a question about getting some new kid goats. Earlier yesterday, I read an article, here on BYH, about getting a new kid goat and how to bottle feed goats. It's called So, you bought a baby goat . . . So, now what? You might just find it very interesting!

https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/so-you-bought-a-baby-goat-now-what.59/

Once again, Don't hesitate to ask questions. There is no dumb question, and people here love to help others succeed. I wish you the best with your two new little kid goats!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH from another in NE Texas. Congrats on your new goats! Be careful... I know they will LOOK like "only two" but I'm telling you, they multiply like over night! Please browse around as there's a lot of great info and experience shared in the various threads. In addition, you'll get to "meet" many of our awesome goat folks!

If you're going to stay with us (hope you choose to ) please consider putting (at the least) your general location in your profile. When you come to ask more critical questions, many answers will be determined by your location. What works here in TX might not in the Dakotas. Without that info, most are going to ask for it before they can answer any questions you ask.

Make yourself at home and consider sharing some pics of the kids when you get them. We're all pretty much pic addicts here.

 

[pigeongirl]

@pigeongirl. From the big beautiful state of Texas. You've come to the right place to get help with your new little goats. We have lots of knowledgeable goat people here at BYH.

CONGRATULATIONS on getting your new kid goats. You must be beside yourself with excitement!

I'm not one of the experts, as we bought two pregnant LaMancha does, back in February, who have now had their kids. The first one had a single buckling back in March. He is now 5 weeks old, and starting to eat small amounts of hay, and nibble at his mother's goat ration, at meal time. Earlier this week, we realized that he loves to nibble on oak leaves, when we give his mother browse.

The other doe had twins (a buckling & a doeling) 2 weeks ago. They are pretty much following the pattern, of the first kid. They nibble on a strand of hay, once in a while, and when their mom eats her goat ration, they might nibble on that. But not seriously.

It's interesting you should ask a question about getting some new kid goats. Earlier yesterday, I read an article, here on BYH, about getting a new kid goat and how to bottle feed goats. It's called So, you bought a baby goat . . . So, now what? You might just find it very interesting!

https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/so-you-bought-a-baby-goat-now-what.59/

Once again, Don't hesitate to ask questions. There is no dumb question, and people here love to help others succeed. I wish you the best with your two new little kid goats!

Thank you!! I am very excited to get them!!!!!!!!

 

[Devonviolet]

Good morning @pigeongirl ! I was just looking at all the animals that you have. You list one dog. Is that a livestock guardian dog (LGD)???

Once you get a chance to read info on some,of the members, especially goat owners, you will notice that most of us have LGDs, to protect our livestock. Many livestock owners have learned the hard way, about the importance of having at least one, but better two LGDs.

Not knowing what area you live in, I can't really tell what kind of predator load you might have. Here, in Texas, we have lots of coyotes. But we also have raccoons, snakes, Hawks and night time owls. New, baby kids are especially vulnerable to coyotes and Hawks, so we protect ours with our awesome LGDs.


We got our LGDs about the same time we got our first goats - 4 eight month old wethered Nigerian Dwarf goats. So, the goats and dogs learned together. And now are a great team. We also started building our poultry flock, at the same time. Many chicken owners, who don't own LGDs, lose birds to Hawks and owls. In the time we have been here, on our five acres, we have not lost one bird to predators. So, I hope you are planning to include LGDs in your farm plan.

Enjoy your sweet, little goats! . Please be sure to post photos! We crave photos, here on BYH!

 

[pigeongirl]

Thank you everybody we got them on friday and one had diarrhea and he passed away tonight But the other one is doing great. Should I be worried about the other one??

 

[babsbag]

Wow. I am so sorry you lost a baby, that is no way to start out with goats. Did the seller give you any help with them, advice, etc. I wouldn't worry about it being contagious but I would be worried about cocci. Is he on a bottle? What are you feeding? Did you have to change formula? If you can post all the details, age, feed, vaccines, history, etc. we can all help you better if you need it. I would get a fecal done, take it to a vet ASAP. If you can take the goat that is even better but at least get some goat berries and take those in and get the fecal.

He is going to need a buddy, goats always do better with at least two.

Again, sorry you lost a kid.