Switching from Save a Kid to cows milk?

[KatrinaKilo88]

I recently rescued three newborn goats. I have goats already, but have never had newborns or babies that needed to be bottle fed.

I started out with Save a Kid since someone recommended this to me when I first got the goats.

But then I started doing some research and noticed that a lot of people feed regular cows milk from the store. Ive also read save a kid can kill baby goats??? I HAVE been having an issue with constipation the last few days.

Is it safe for me to switch now? They are about 4 days old and have been fed this since they were born. How do I safely switch from the replacer to regular cows milk?

ALSO... does anyone have recommendations for what kind of grain to start offering them? I used to feed my older goats sweet feed...until my vet said to stop because they are overweight lol.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Welcome our 1st doeling came to us being bottle fed whole milk from the store along with medicated goat pellets being offered so we continued with that type of milk until weaned at 8 weeks of age. She is almost 5 months and still gets the pellets and free choice hay.

For the babies, I would think you could slowly add the whole milk in with what they are eating now until you have decreased/replaced the milk replacer to where they are just getting the whole milk.

Maybe others will post with more information- @Southern by choice @OneFineAcre @Sweetened to name a few

 

[OneFineAcre]

I've never bottle fed with any type of replacer, but Hens and Roos is correct. Any transition should be slow.
Combine a small amount of milk to the replacer and with each feeding increase the ratio more towards the milk.

 

[babsbag]

As @Hens and Roos said, switch them over gradually adding more milk each time. Never make the switch "cold turkey". Did they get colostrum from mom?

Here is a great article from another BYH member on raising bottle babies.
So you bought a baby goat...now what?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

All good advice. Make the switch over the course of several days. Say the first day, do 25% milk and 75% formula. Day 2, do half milk and half formula, and so on.

 

[Sweetened]

While i agree slow transitions are best, in the case of milk replacer with complications, if it were me i would just switch. Add in a probiotic to the milk, like cultured buttermilk or yogurt because thats what goes sideways with sudden switches is gut flora. Thats just me though.

 

[Southern by choice]

I agree slowly is best however there are times as Sweetened mentioned that just switching over completely is necessary.

If we need to take a kid from goats milk to cows milk we do the day 1 25%, day 2 50% if any issues we hold it there for a few days then try to increase to 75% until completely switched.

 

[jodief100]

All good advise. As for feed, see if you can find a non-sweet feed for goats. If not, a standard stock feed with 12% protein is good. Make sure the calcium is at least twice the phosphorus. I use a standard 18% protein stock pellet mixed 2 parts with 1 part whole corn and 1 part alfalfa pellets. Make sure they have plenty of roughage. Offer the kids whatever you feed the adults. It will take them a few days but they will start eating it.

 

[Sweetened]

Unless you have an idiot like my nubian buckling who will watch the 2 week old bottle triplets devour hay, chaff, and raisins but will sit and hollar, not eating, for 12 hours until his night time bottle even thoigh hes 6 weeks old monday and getting cut with tough love down to one bottle. *breath* hope you dont have a numbnut like me!

 

[awi]

I have 2 kids just born this morning and mom will not have anything to do with them. It's cold outside and drizzling so we brought them in the house to warm them up and try to feed them. One is pretty weak and the other has gotten up and walked around a little and is taking a bottle pretty well. My local feed store here only had doe's match kid replacer. Is this okay? I am seeing that some are using straight whole cows milk from the store...would this be better? Also I had a small bag of kid colostrum supplement by manna pro. It's a powder which has turned to a solid chunk! Should I also use it and if so how? Does it get mixed in with the doe's match or fed by itself?