I am getting the impression the goats are very stressful to care for

[heatherlynnky]

Ok so who else is getting this impression. Cows I've done, pretty easy. Horses I've done, still pretty easy. Chickens, ducks, geese.....so easy its pathetic. Dogs, cats, and even exotic birds. Easy easy easy. Goats, not easy, not easy at all and it sounds like no one else is finding it so either. My children wanted a lamb for a 4h project and I said no. They are too hard to keep alive. I said goats instead because they are hearty. I had sickly silkies and fall baby wyandotts. Do you know how sickly fall chicks can be and still it was not this stressful. The fact that their cries and moans are baby like does not help the situation.

 

[Goatherd]

Keeping and enjoying your goats is only as stressful as you choose to make it. The glass is half empty. The glass is half full. Your choice.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

Heather, its your fault you made the situation stressful (im gonna be blunt). Lamb, easy. Goats, easy. Everything else you said, EASY! (well, I've had bad luckwith exotic birds...cockatiels are MEAN). You decided to take in an orphan kid. NOT EASY. I would bet $100 that if you got a weaned kid, it would be easy. Same for a lamb. You decided to dive in the deep end, and get an orphan. I've had great luck with my babies, their bouncing balls! If your orphan lives past weaning age, you will see how easy it is to take care of them.

 

[crazyland]

Only as stressful as any other animal when you are new to raising them.

 

[Roll farms]

Newborns can be easy if given a good start. It's not the fact that you got a bottle baby making it hard, it's b/c her *ahem* breeder was a.....unprintable word...and she didn't get the care she needed and got off to a bad start.

Combine that w/ your intense desire to want to do right, getting told too much by too many different people, and her confusing symptoms and....yeah, it's stressful this time.

My goats are my greatest joy and I promise you, the only 'stress' they give me is who to breed to who, when, and WILL THIS GOAT EVER JUST KID ALREADY?!?!?!?

You could have gotten a weanling who then came down w/ coccidiosis or severe external parasites or soremouth and STILL had stress, the age of the goat has nothing to do w/ it.

You just jumped into a bad situation, and didn't know what to do (and who of us DOES know what to do as newbies???) but PLEASE don't give up on them.

Goats are wonderful IF the conditions are right. I swear it.

I've had the same bottle of Pen G and the same bottles of dewormer for 2 yrs. Rarely need / use either. We trim hooves, feed 'em, love em, and count the days until kidding season.

 

[SDBoerGoats]

I gotta agree with you here Rolls, I absolutely love my goats! Only goat we ever had was when my kids were little, a neighbor guy down the road gave them a goat hooked to a tire. He jumped on the hood of my car, my pickup, tangled up the rope in everything. Of course, as soon as he hit the hood of my car, I told them to take him back. HAHA! But I fell in love with my goats within 30 minutes after unloading them out of the trailer.
Oh yeah, I have had to learn a few things, a LOT of things. I read read read, looked up forums and got to be buddies real fast with the vet tech at my vets clinic, as she has raised Boer goats and LaManchas for years.

I lost my best doe this year to toxemia, didn't even know what was wrong with her, and had someone else tell me she was just being a drama Queen, because she was pregnant. Seriously? But I have a fullblood son out of her that is better bred than his mama and daddy because of the combined pedigrees. I had a young doe get pneumonia and I lost her, didn't jump on it fast enough. I have since learned to JUMP! And I have a whole stash of meds on hand and many home made remedies.
I have this place to come to where I get better advice than ANY where else around, with complete instructions on what to give and how often. I really have been lucky because I haven't had much trouble, but the few things that did happen were serious and taught me some lessons real fast.

I can't imagine not having my goats, they make me laugh every day, watching the babies romp and play is the biggest kick ever. I just do the basics in trying to keep them healthy, good feed, good minerals and deworm when needed. Vaccinations and trim their feet. And keep on soaking in more knowledge. But I can't imagine ever not having goats again. I know that Spicey, my first goat, will be here with me until she gets old.
I also agree with Rolls, you got a bum rap, and ended up getting someone else's problems who was willing to just let the baby die. And yep, it is a lot of stress. Hope your baby pulls out of this, but if not, it's not your fault, and I bet if you get another HEALTHY baby to raise, you'll have a blast with it.

 

[heatherlynnky]

She didn't pull out this. Apparently no amount of stubborn, lack of sleep, commitment could help her. She died very quickly and very quietly. So my Minka doesn't need me stressing about her anymore. I have a lonely doeling now and my husband already told me I need to either find her a home or get her a buddy. She was rejected by her mom at 4 weeks and she is another problem someone else didn't want. She is doing great though and took the bottle and is eating hay and is playing so at least one of my girls did well. Tonight I am a bit defeated but tomorrow I guess I crawl back on and keep at it.

 

[drdoolittle]

I'm really sorry you are having such a discouraging experience your first time with goats. I would have advised against you even getting this little doe simply because bottle-feeding any animal is difficult at best and this doe had a bad start----the fault of the breeder. I can't believe she just decided this doe was the runt and just quit feeding her. What kind of sense does that make?

Anyway, I had 3 kids I had to bottle-raise, and I don't think I would do it again by choice. I had one end up with bloat 2 times----if they have that, they don't want to walk, you MAKE them walk and walk and walk until the gas starts releasing----in between throwing them over your shoulder and trying to burp them like a baby!

My formula for bottle-feeding is this: UniMilk mixed according to package combined half and half with Vitamin D milk from the grocery and add 1 TBSP corn syrup to eahc gallon of this combination. Then after warming the bottles, I would add 1 tsp. of probiotic to each bottle. My babies did really great on this. We kept all 3 in a huge dog crate in our bedroom until they were about 3 months old and they were weaned by 4 months old.

This year, my kids are being raised by their mommas, and it's so very easy! The most difficult thing for me at this time is trying to decide which clippers to buy to give my goats a haircut.

I hope your little girl survives and caring for her becomes enjoyable for you.

 

[SDBoerGoats]

Aww Heather, you tried so hard to help her! You really did. So sorry she didn't make it. And I know the feeling of defeat, been there, done that. But you really did everything you could and it just wasn't meant to be. Not your fault, but the breeder's fault. Sounds like your other doeling is doing good though. That's a plus. Yes, she needs a buddy. But make sure this time you don't take something someone wants to get rid of cause it's sick or something. You'll enjoy them so much more, and have fun raising them.

 

[Mossy Stone Farm]

I am sorry, this mess you were caught up in was not your fault..... Please know that these things happen to every one once in a while, this little one had a bad start.... which again was not your fault, bless your heart for trying so hard to help her..... You should find a buddy and keep moving on, goats are wonderful creatures to have, they are funny and loving, and the does produce wonderful milk and cute little ones to love on!!!..... They are worth having .... I could not live with out my little herd..... I love each one of them , and i have lost a few, thru the yrs, and it breaks my heart, but i move along..... So should you, you will not regret having these funny little animals in your life!!!!!