Need help introducing a bottle baby to food....

[Oakknollfarms]

Cut a bottle. Can you pen him with his siblings of the night? He definitely needs herd socialized. He may pick up on what they do.

I am currently under stay at home orders where I live, and his siblings live at a different farm. He is also recovering from pneumonia, so taking him over there for the night isn’t an option right now, but I might try that soon as he is healed up and we’re allowed togo out for non-essential things.

I am cutting his midnight bottle as of tonight though, and am going to transition him over to eating from a bottle to a bowl or bucket starting tomorrow like what was suggested above as wel. Thank you!!!

 

[AlleysChicks]

These are my kids from this year. There are 6 days difference in age. 1 is the bottle baby. She's been penned with them since I got her. She's more dog than goat and it really hurts her herd status.

 

[Oakknollfarms]

How can he be taking more during his feedings unless you are giving him more? You are increasing his amount of milk if he is taking more during his feedings, so he will never start to try more solid food. Decrease the total amount he is getting a day. Split it in however many bottles you want but do not keep allowing him to be "taking more during his feedings"

The feeding chart that I was given said 4 bottles per day until 4 weeks, then down to three a day, the number of ounces to be fed was listed by weight, with more ounces per day as he gained weight, no more than 20% of his body weight to be fed to avoid over feeding? And to start introducing the other types of food during this time?

 

[AlleysChicks]

I am currently under stay at home orders where I live, and his siblings live at a different farm. He is also recovering from pneumonia, so taking him over there for the night isn’t an option right now, but I might try that soon as he is healed up and we’re allowed togo out for non-essential things.

I am cutting his midnight bottle as of tonight though, and am going to transition him over to eating from a bottle to a bowl or bucket starting tomorrow like what was suggested above as wel. Thank you!!!

I have the stay at home order too. But what's really essential and non essential?
Oh I thought maybe you just took him home to bottle feed and your farm was somewhere different than your house. Good luck with the bucket. Mine would drink water from a bucket but not milk.

 

[AlleysChicks]

The feeding chart that I was given said 4 bottles per day until 4 weeks, then down to three a day, the number of ounces to be fed was listed by weight, with more ounces per day as he gained weight, no more than 20% of his body weight to be fed to avoid over feeding? And to start introducing the other types of food during this time?

The one I went by said no more than 18oz in a day. It split the oz up unevenly so through the day they got less for chance of grazing solids. Breakfast and dinner were the larger oz.

 

[Oakknollfarms]

The one I went by said no more than 18oz in a day. It split the oz up unevenly so through the day they got less for chance of grazing solids. Breakfast and dinner were the larger oz.

Oh I didn’t think of that! Thanks!!!

 

[Oakknollfarms]

Ok, he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???

 

[Oakknollfarms]

Why not switch him from a bottle to a bucket, then transitioning from there to soaking a little feed in his bucket of milk, then progress from there to a thicker gruel and onward? Babies usually learn what to eat from watching Mom, so it could take him a little longer to catch on.

Ok..... he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???

 

[Beekissed]

Ok..... he is flat refusing any milk from the bucket. Drinks water from the bucket no problem. I even dipped the very edge of his lips in the bucket (so as not to aspirate anything) and he is having none of it. Any tips???

Some folks dip fingers and let them suckle the milk off fingers, then lower those fingers closer and closer to the milk each time until fingers are down in the milk and they are sucking it off fingers and also out of the milk of the bucket. Probably works best on a very hungry little one, so let him get hungry.

Another option is to remove the water bucket and leave a milk bucket instead....gotta drink some time.

 

[Oakknollfarms]

Some folks dip fingers and let them suckle the milk off fingers, then lower those fingers closer and closer to the milk each time until fingers are down in the milk and they are sucking it off fingers and also out of the milk of the bucket. Probably works best on a very hungry little one, so let him get hungry.

Another option is to remove the water bucket and leave a milk bucket instead....gotta drink some time.

I will try that! Thank you!