# Stubborn goat won't pan feed?



## Nessa98 (Feb 6, 2017)

I have a darling bottle baby named Buddy who is about 6 and a half weeks old, and is recently getting pretty good with eating solids, but still hasn't touched his water. He's obviously thirsty, and will down a bottle or two of water happily, but he won't drink it out of the bucket. I've tried taking the bottle away, I've tried sticking his nose in it, I've tried putting a nipple in it... Nothing. 
So here I am thinking that maybe if I get him drinking his milk from a pan he'll get the idea, but he has fought me every step of the way. He dips his nose but then pulls it away and snorts, and won't even lick. I've tried putting a nipple in the milk and he butts it and spills everything. I've tried leaving him with the bowl for an hour or two and he ignores it. I've tried putting my finger in it and he'll suck on that, but the second I try to remove my hand he stops drinking. I've tried pulling my hand out slowly but he fights to latch on so hard he can break the skin. I'm like 100% out of ideas, but I've been stubborn for the last 3 days and haven't given in to a bottle. He's starving and angry, because a lot of the milk ends up on himself or me at each feeding, and just today he started bracing against my hand with his back legs and lifting his front legs off the ground, so it's impossible for me to lower his face to the milk. 
And the worst part is that he eats his grain out of the exact same bowl... Like he knows that it's food but he's just too stubborn to try.
Please, any advice would be amazing, I'm kind of going crazy over here.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Please never give water from a bottle. You will kill him. He will get water intoxication. If you have a bucket with clean water, they will eventually drink it. The milk should be enough liquid for him. How much milk are you giving him daily? How big is he?

There is a special groove in his esophagus that direct the milk from his mouth to his true stomach, bypassing the rumen. Milk in the rumen just rots.

Some people do pan feed milk to babies, but the majority bottle feed in order to get the correct angle so the milk will not get into the rumen. Since he started on a bottle, he probably won't transition to a pan.

If he has gone 3 days without liquid, he is in real danger of dying.


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## margaret (Aug 30, 2013)

I've switched several week old bottle babies to pan feeding before, usually I just keep dipping their muzzles in(make sure the milk is WARM!) and within 24 hours they get hungry enough that they'll drink.
I've never had one hold out that long. I agree, I would be worried if he hasn't had any liquid in 3 days. I might just keep bottle feeding.
If he's getting milk, and has access to clean water, I wouldn't worry. he'll drink eventually


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Goats Rock said:


> Please never give water from a bottle. You will kill him. He will get water intoxication. If you have a bucket with clean water, they will eventually drink it. The milk should be enough liquid for him. How much milk are you giving him daily? How big is he?
> 
> There is a special groove in his esophagus that direct the milk from his mouth to his true stomach, bypassing the rumen. Milk in the rumen just rots.
> 
> ...


 I agree.

Do the skin test, gently pull outward his skin, release, if it snaps back quickly he is OK. If it snaps back slowly, he is dehydrated. 
If dehydrated, drench some electrolytes. 
If he is OK, he is getting enough.


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## Nessa98 (Feb 6, 2017)

Hi all, 
I should definitely clarify. He has been eating, even with it in the pan I get the majority of the milk in him, it just takes 30 minutes instead of his usual 5 and is very frustrating. I would never keep him off food for 3 days, probably not even for 1, I would feel way too bad.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I would not do water in a bottle.

I would not do milk in a pan.

As long as he is taking the milk from the bottle and nibbling on hay and solids I wouldn't fight him on the water.

Just have it clean fresh and available at all times. He'll check it out when he gets curious.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Yes definitely no water in a bottle! And pan feeding isn't good cause the milk can get in his rumen and start to rotten which will kill him. Bottle feeding is best and he's already on it. Why are you wanting him to drink milk from a pan? Leave water with him 24/7 in a pan to drink freely eventually he will drink.


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## Nessa98 (Feb 6, 2017)

Haha okay, seems like I have no idea what I'm doing. Thanks all, I'll go back to the bottle.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Nessa98 said:


> Haha okay, seems like I have no idea what I'm doing. Thanks all, I'll go back to the bottle.


It alright everyone has been in your shoes before!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice everyone.


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