Ideas to get stubborn week old kid to bottle pleeeease.

[Wensbrit]

i have different nipples, first time he bottled like a rock star. Downhill from there. Yesterday morning he escaped and found mama's udder. Had a belly full. Today, he is stubborn as can be. Get about 2 ounces at a time in him with much fighting .... Ideas?!?! I have read and tried the "cover the eyes," be the udder", molasses.... FRUSTRATED. He is a 6 day old oberhasli. His sister is a great bottler.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Sometimes they just need to be HUNGRY! How long was he separated from his dam?
Try to use a nipple that is closest to his dams teats.

You could try coating the nipple in a small amount of sugar. This causes them to smack their lips and help simulate sucking.

I have found that bucklings are harder to get on a bottle

 

[Wensbrit]

He was away from her since yesterday am. This morning he fought through about 4 ounces, early afternoon, 2 more, a few hours later 2 more and a little while ago about 3... So hard to tell how much he drools and how much he swallows!!!! He is a stinker. I just don't want to run into him getting very sick fast.... I haven't had one this stubborn before, I think I will give some selenium too, some of our others have needed some before. Good idea?

 

[Goat Whisperer]

It is easy to OD a kid with selenium so I generally don't give it unless the kid is showing several symptoms of being deficient.

 

[babsbag]

I have had them go 3 days before really taking a bottle well. And the fact that he got back to him mom probably set you back by another day. At a week old let him be hungry, won't hurt him at all.

If you are in a selenium deficient area I don't think it would hurt him. Where I live many people give it routinely to new kids. Just be accurate on the dose.

 

[Wensbrit]

Okay!!! Thank you for that!! UGHHHHHH and AGAIN he snuck in with MOM! GRRRRRR.

I have had them go 3 days before really taking a bottle well. And the fact that he got back to him mom probably set you back by another day. At a week old let him be hungry, won't hurt him at all.

If you are in a selenium deficient area I don't think it would hurt him. Where I live many people give it routinely to new kids. Just be accurate on the dose.

 

[Latestarter]

Me thinks you need better fencing... or perhaps a prison cell?

 

[babsbag]

I had one in a pen next to mom as I was just trying to get them on a bottle part time to make them friendlier. The little buckling figured out how "milk" mom through the fence. I use 4 x4 stock panel for the kidding pens but the little brat could slip his head right through the squares.

 

[newbiekat]

I had one that was orphaned this year at 7 days old... She refused to take a bottle for 3 days. I think at that point she was hungry enough that she said FINE. But I think Babsbags is right, every time he sneaks back in with mom, is a setback. If you can definitely keep them apart, once he gets hungry enough, hopefully he will take a bottle. But again, keeping mom away is the key, because he will know where he wants to go for food if he knows how to get to mom.

 

[Jenn27]

I would syringe feed until he gets it. We just lost one days ago because of this same problem. She refused the bottle and even though we thought she was getting enough, she wasn't. Had to go out of town for a few days and came home to her dying. (We had someone here caring for our animals)