New baby Goats

[noskiveez]

I'm new to goats, and more particularly baby goats. I have a 7 month old doe (Nigerian dwarf). Ive had her a month. Yesterday I got 2 baby goats (Nigerian dwarf) and they said they are a week old, born on the 30th. I'll buy that for one, but the other is younger. The guy gave us the one I think is younger free. It has a bad case of the runs, a runny nose (both do) and they gave us some milk replacer that they use and verbal instructions on mixing it. I mixed some at home and its extremely watery (just shy of see thru). The powder/water ratio has to be wrong. The only thing I can think is that maybe they use less powder to pinch pennies?? I've been doing some reading on milk replacers vs other milk replaced recipes. I've found a recipe that will cost us a bit more to make for them. I'm feeding them several times a day. The smaller one seems to need more feeding which I can accommodate him with. I am slowly transferring them from the formula (i added more powder) to the recipe I've made I started them on Oxytetracycline yesterday (not with the milk tho).

Is there something I can give them to help with the runs?

Also, how long should they be separate from my doe for a quarentine period? I don't want to pass anything respiratory to her if they are sick.

Is there anything I should also be doing?

 

[jodief100]

Roll Farms bottle feeds lots of kids so she can give you more details.

I would switch them to whole, Vit D cows milk from the grocery store. I have heard of replacers causing problems. Get them on a treatment for coccidosis immediately. Scours can be deadly quickly in a baby goat.
This thread will give you info on the treatment: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7114

Get them vaccinated for CD & T. Keep them separated until they have seemed healthy for 30 days. No runs, coughs or other issues.

Get some electrolytes in them until the runs clear up. I give a dose of pepto and if they dont clear up in 24 hours I use Scour Halt. It is labeled for baby pigs.

Roll, am I missing anything or screw something up?

Hopefully someone else will chime in here with amounts you should be feeding them. I have big goats so I am not sure how much the little ones need.

 

[()relics]

Possibly the milk replacer is causing the scouring...I agree with switching them to Vitamin D whole milk, I have 4 bottle kids right now doing fine with it. 8-10 oz 3x a day to start then increase the amounts until they are around 16-20 oz 3x per day. Do not feed them any more than 3x as undigested milk left in their stomach will lead to BAD things.
Scour halt is OK but I think I would try the whole milk and see if the scouring clears up. Did you say if the scour looks really dark red/black? or is it just brownish and runny? I think I would wait to give any vacinations until you have the scouring problem cleared up or at least until they are 10 or so days old.

 

[lilhill]

Possibly the milk replacer is causing the scouring...I agree with switching them to Vitamin D whole milk, I have 4 bottle kids right now doing fine with it. 8-10 oz 3x a day to start then increase the amounts until they are around 16-20 oz 3x per day. Do not feed them any more than 3x as undigested milk left in their stomach will lead to BAD things.
Scour halt is OK but I think I would try the whole milk and see if the scouring clears up. Did you say if the scour looks really dark red/black? or is it just brownish and runny? I think I would wait to give any vacinations until you have the scouring problem cleared up or at least until they are 10 or so days old.

Good luck on your new babies. I might add, at that age, they do need to be kept warm! Being cold might be the cause of the runny noses.

 

[noskiveez]

The poo is brown. No blood. I have them in a confined area with heat lamps. They had them in an igloo with a heat lamp but they seemed to be on wet hay. I have not bathed them yet. I didn't want to let them get chilled.

Is Sulmet Liquid safe to give orally? How much? I have Sulmet on hand. Anything else (other than penicillin),would need to be ordered. The feed stores don't carry much in the medication department.

To me, they look better today than yesterday. The milk recipe I'm using is whole cows milk. I'm making the change slow so I don't upset the babies bellies. I read 4 days is good.

The goat that I think is older is stubborn about drinking the milk. It will only take about 5 oz at a time. I have to forcefully encourage him to drink, but once he gets the bottle in his mouth he will drink until he looses the bottle, then he needs to be "encouraged" again to get more to eat.

The younger one is very eager to nurse (and this is the one I was most concerned about).

 

[Roll farms]

I always just use plain whole milk (when I don't have enough goat milk to go around), 3 x a day...spread out at least 6 hrs apart, but I shoot for 7-8 hrs. between feedings....at that age / size I'd be thrilled w/ 6-8 oz per feeding.

Being Nigis, they may not hit the 20# mark, the pygmies we bottled before topped out around 15-16 oz. ea. feeding. Not real experienced w/ itty bitty kids though.

Before 3 wks of age, I doubt the scours are coccidia...more likely due to dietary upset. The sooner they're on a consistent diet (no more changeovers, although you're right to do it gradually) the sooner they'll clear up, BUT, I would get them vaccinated as soon as they're pooping solid and then start a cocci prevention regimen by 4 wks.

What kind of oxytet are you giving them (injection, oral, etc.)?

Are they running a high, low, or normal temp?

Hopefully the UR issues will clear up as the diet / tummy straightens out and they're kept warm and dry for a few days.

I know some don't agree w/ giving probiotics to kids so young, but I've had good luck giving just a dab of the paste to them.

For future reference, I LOVE this stuff for a severely scouring kid, one who's very sick but still willing to eat....you withold all milk and feed them this:

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/revitilyte-gelling-3%2E5-oz-pouch/camid/LIV/cp/VP-R3/

 

[helmstead]

I never give my Nigi babies more than 10 oz at a time...FYI

 

[noskiveez]

I always just use plain whole milk (when I don't have enough goat milk to go around), 3 x a day...spread out at least 6 hrs apart, but I shoot for 7-8 hrs. between feedings....at that age / size I'd be thrilled w/ 6-8 oz per feeding.

Being Nigis, they may not hit the 20# mark, the pygmies we bottled before topped out around 15-16 oz. ea. feeding. Not real experienced w/ itty bitty kids though.

Before 3 wks of age, I doubt the scours are coccidia...more likely due to dietary upset. The sooner they're on a consistent diet (no more changeovers, although you're right to do it gradually) the sooner they'll clear up, BUT, I would get them vaccinated as soon as they're pooping solid and then start a cocci prevention regimen by 4 wks.

What kind of oxytet are you giving them (injection, oral, etc.)?

Are they running a high, low, or normal temp?

Hopefully the UR issues will clear up as the diet / tummy straightens out and they're kept warm and dry for a few days.

I know some don't agree w/ giving probiotics to kids so young, but I've had good luck giving just a dab of the paste to them.

For future reference, I LOVE this stuff for a severely scouring kid, one who's very sick but still willing to eat....you withold all milk and feed them this:

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/revitilyte-gelling-3%2E5-oz-pouch/camid/LIV/cp/VP-R3/

What type of cocci regime is needed? It can't be prevented from clean living conditions and clean water? I'm very new to goats and this is the biggest issue I've experienced so far (hopefully the only big issue).

Can you also provide me with links for the vaccines I should use. They have none, nor does my older doe. Id hate to loose goats to something preventable.

 

[Roll farms]

For cocci prevention, I use dimethox, given for 5 days, every 21 days starting around 1 mo. of age....also feed medicated (deccox) feed to help control it...but they can't eat enough when they're just starting out to do much good.

Clean living conditions and water are very important for cocci control...but hard to manage with an animal that will 'taste' nearly everything it sees...and poops as its walking along.

AND...there are as many ways to prevent cocci, as there are goats....I'd really recommend you google it and read up and decide what will work for you.

Some folks don't treat at all, some do it like I do, some do 2 or 3 things combined.

As for vaccines, I use Essential 3+T bought from Jeffer's supply.

You can probably buy a small vial of a CD&T at a local farm store...it may not have the same name but as long as it has CD&T it should cover the basics.

Again, there are a bunch of different vaccines and reasons for using them. You should decide for yourself what you need to vaccinate for based on your area / known pathogens.

My best advice would be google / learn all you can AND find a local vet who's willing to treat goats if you need them to.
Some vets don't 'know' goat, some don't want to learn...but GOOD goat vets are out there and worth their weight in gold.

There are just too many conflicting opinions out there to take ONE as gospel. What I try to do is look for things that A) make sense and B) show up several times from different sources.
Then I try things out and adjust accordingly based on how it works in my herd.

Things like location, parasite strains, disease pathogens in the soil, etc. ALL effect how you raise your goats...what works in one area may not in another.

Welcome to goats.