Need some help with Nigerian Dwarf bottle babies

[LocoYokel]

I think you should really, REALLY look into a goat milk replacer from the feed store. Baby goats need goat milk and nothing else. Cow's milk is for baby cows only. Other types of babies are not born with the proper enzymes to break it down.
The lady probably left those two on the mom so they could get the colostrum, which is in the first few days of milk supply. Colostrum carries the needed enzymes to help their gut start working, along with a bunch of antibodies to help the babies fend off illness until they can start making their own.
Baby goats may be different, and I may be all wet on what they can eat and how soon, but you might want to research that some more.

insert my edit here:
(Yep I'm all wet when it comes to cow's milk for baby goats, you got me curious so I looked it up. Sorry )

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I think you should really, REALLY look into a goat milk replacer from the feed store. Baby goats need goat milk and nothing else. Cow's milk is for baby cows only. Other types of babies are not born with the proper enzymes to break it down.
The lady probably left those two on the mom so they could get the colostrum, which is in the first few days of milk supply. Colostrum carries the needed enzymes to help their gut start working, along with a bunch of antibodies to help the babies fend off illness until they can start making their own.
Baby goats may be different, and I may be all wet on what they can eat and how soon, but you might want to research that some more.

I have to respectfully disagree. I've seen many time where milk replacer work well for lambs, goats not so much!

I raise 20-30 bottle babies a year. Most are raised on goats milk. The ones that aren't (like if I bought a kid during the dry season) are raised on cows milk.

I've raised a few on milk replacer with terrible results. Mind you, I fed the best replacer on the market, spent BIG $ on it.
They were never as thrifty and had terrible growth. After dealing with this for some time, I switched to cows milk and the kids really started turning around! Just better all around and started gaining well. Once I had does in milk I put them on goats milk and they flourished. I've raised big healthy kids off of just cows milk. That is also what I recommend to others and they have grown kids very well with it. I know many others who have also raised kids on whole cow milk without a problem. Only time there is an issue is when it is an abrupt change.

Kids can also get colostrum without being dam raised. I pull my kids at birth. As soon as the dam is finished and has recuperated, she gets milked out and the colostrum is fed to her kids.

 

[LocoYokel]

I have to respectfully disagree. I've seen many time where milk replacer work well for lambs, goats not so much!

I raise 20-30 bottle babies a year. Most are raised on goats milk. The ones that aren't (like if I bought a kid during the dry season) are raised on cows milk.

I've raised a few on milk replacer with terrible results. Mind you, I fed the best replacer on the market, spent BIG $ on it.
They were never as thrifty and had terrible growth. After dealing with this for some time, I switched to cows milk and the kids really started turning around! Just better all around and started gaining well. Once I had does in milk I put them on goats milk and they flourished. I've raised big healthy kids off of just cows milk. That is also what I recommend to others and they have grown kids very well with it. I know many others who have also raised kids on whole cow milk without a problem. Only time there is an issue is when it is an abrupt change.

Kids can also get colostrum without being dam raised. I pull my kids at birth. As soon as the dam is finished and has recuperated, she gets milked out and the colostrum is fed to her kids.

As I edited in... I am all wet when it comes to goats! I should have checked Before I posted.
It is nice when you have a dam to milk for the colostrum but in most of my bottle experiences the reason we had to bottle raise was because of losing the mother. I see that they make a colostrum replacement. Have you ever used that @Goat Whisperer? Inquiring minds.... and for future reference!

 

[Green Acres Farm]

As I edited in... I am all wet when it comes to goats! I should have checked Before I posted.
It is nice when you have a dam to milk for the colostrum but in most of my bottle experiences the reason we had to bottle raise was because of losing the mother. I see that they make a colostrum replacement. Have you ever used that @Goat Whisperer? Inquiring minds.... and for future reference!

Now I might be making this up, but I think does pass specific antibodies that they have developed because of their specific environment to their kids that are not in milk replacers. I have heard of a lot of stories of kids getting enterotoxemia from milk replacer because even though it is formulated for goats, it ISN'T goat's milk.

 

[Southern by choice]

As I edited in... I am all wet when it comes to goats! I should have checked Before I posted.
It is nice when you have a dam to milk for the colostrum but in most of my bottle experiences the reason we had to bottle raise was because of losing the mother. I see that they make a colostrum replacement. Have you ever used that @Goat Whisperer? Inquiring minds.... and for future reference!

They do make it however most breeders will freeze colostrum by putting it in ice cube trays then putting it in a bag in he freezer. They label who it is from and the date so that when somethig tragic happens they have it for anothers kid. We had to give colostrum to a friend last year whose goat had a large litter and wasn't making colostrum yet and was a ightmare on the stand... she had a traumatic birth as well. Getting colostrum from someone can be risky so making sure the herd test are for all goats across the board and are negative for CAE, CL, and Johnes, (TB/Brucellosis too). This is most ideal.

Of course when someone doesn't have that option you can only do what you can do.

@m700 the milk should NOT smell sour - the milk may be bad.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

That she said

And no need to apologize! All good

 

[purplequeenvt]

I have to respectfully disagree. I've seen many time where milk replacer work well for lambs, goats not so much!

I raise 20-30 bottle babies a year. Most are raised on goats milk. The ones that aren't (like if I bought a kid during the dry season) are raised on cows milk.

I've raised a few on milk replacer with terrible results. Mind you, I fed the best replacer on the market, spent BIG $ on it.
They were never as thrifty and had terrible growth. After dealing with this for some time, I switched to cows milk and the kids really started turning around! Just better all around and started gaining well. Once I had does in milk I put them on goats milk and they flourished. I've raised big healthy kids off of just cows milk. That is also what I recommend to others and they have grown kids very well with it. I know many others who have also raised kids on whole cow milk without a problem. Only time there is an issue is when it is an abrupt change.

Kids can also get colostrum without being dam raised. I pull my kids at birth. As soon as the dam is finished and has recuperated, she gets milked out and the colostrum is fed to her kids.

X2. I have a Jersey milk cow and whenever we are feeding bottle babies (and she's in milk), they are fed her milk. They do so much better than on replacer.

 

[m700]

Update:
I went to TSC last night and picked up the Jumpstart gel and the Goat drench, we tried the Jumpstart gel last night, and they perked up a bit and were ready to eat, we got two feedings in after this.

The buckling seemed to be back to normal, the doeling however, was still laying off. The fact that they were getting something in them was a huge relief. I woke up this morning at 7 am to feed again, the buckling greeted me at his pen excited and had no issues eating. The doeling gave me trouble again

Guys, ever since I brought her home she has acted very odd to me. I watch her brother willingly walk up to a bottle, eat no problem, hop around, do little flips, get random bursts of energy and start jumping and going off the walls.. But her, she has never done this. I kept telling the breeder that I was concerned about her but she didn't seem to be. I just assumed maybe she had a different personality, but I feel it's pretty clear now that something isn't right.

She NEVER wants to eat, every feeding we have done the past 9 days since we've had her has been forced. I understand that her being with her mom for 2 days, and then being taken away and immediately expected to transition to a bottle is hard on them and can take a while .. but she doesn't even show the littlest bit of interest in eating.

We will get the nipple in her mouth and she will scream then settle down and allow it to sit in her mouth while she chews on it or tries to push it out. Sometimes if I get her in the right position she will suck a little bit and then all the sudden she completely stops and almost freezes. Sometimes it freaks me out because it almost looks like she's not alive! She will just pause completely and leave the bottle in her mouth. I remove the bottle give her a break, and try again.. still the same situation the next try. I'm barely getting anything into this poor girl and it's driving my family and I nuts.

Today we were about to feed them and we noticed she was slightly hunched over kind of straining. Finally, she pooped but after pooping my mom said she still looked like she was uncomfortable. We took her to the tub and did an enema. Some more came out and after that we let her relax, then they had some play time outside. She did not move at all her, while her brother was running around the yard having the time of his life. I offered her a bottle and managed to get an ounce in or so, when she did decide to suck for the minute or less. Since then she has been very sleepy and hasn't cared to do anything, all she ever does sleep, stand up and just stare off blankly or fall asleep standing up. She does nibble on everything but appears weak, this is probably due to her not wanting to eat, but WHY doesn't she want to eat?

She has been grinding her teeth since we brought her home. I know that that can be a sign of discomfort.

She's a 9 day old Nigerian Dwarf
Her mouth isn't cold
Her temperature is normal
She has been pooping and peeing normally.
When she does intake food she is on goats milk with a tiny tiny bit of whole cows milk to help aid in transitioning.
I'm feeding 4 times a day every 3-4 hours.
The only nipple she really is ok with in her mouth is the clear one from TSC.

I don't know what to do at this point. I'm going to research some vets in the area and hopefully have her seen ASAP. Not sure what could be wrong? I don't think it's bloat or constipation, dehydration is possible since she is always refusing food but I don't know how else to get her to take the bottle. I tried feeding her from a very small bowl with a tiny bit of milk in it and she drank that but I wasn't sure if this was ok for her to keep doing at such a young age.

Sorry for the long posts, just a really concerned first time baby goat bottle feeder lol.

 

[NH homesteader]

I think she should see a vet, for sure. Doesn't sound right. Have you taken her temperature?

 

[NH homesteader]

Oops sorry, apparently I can't read. Regardless I think a vet would be a good plan