# Bottle feed or not to bottle feed



## Nubiansrus (Nov 15, 2008)

I am a bit torn this year if i wanna bottle feed. For the last few years we have had a few kids a year and we have bottle feed them. We dont have registered stock, but weve always taken pride in having really friendly bottle feed kids. The moms wouldnt take care of them, the two does we got kids from just werent very good moms, one this year didnt have enough milk. So we bottle feed her doe to. Well right now we have five kids and they all have the greatest moms that are taking really good care of them. The plan was to bottle feed for friendlier kids once again. They sell better and we love how friendly it makes the kids. But... I feel a bit guilty taking the kids, not to mention bottle feeding 5 kids 4 times a day is gonna be insane. So Im debating just leaving them with moms and playing with them lots. Ill continue to bottle feed them if the moms arent great moms. What is your all opinions on bottle feeding kids or not?


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Unless there is a medical reason not to I would let the mamas raise their babies and play with them a lot to make them friendly. I have 2 bottle babies right now and 2 does due. I really hope they raise their own.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I prefer to let the mothers raise them. I feel that it benefits the mother and baby by dam raising the kids. When the mothers get attached to the babies and you take them away, I do feel that it kinda weakens the mothering instinct and the doe's spirit. They go through that long time, carrying the kids and I feel it's unfair to take the kids away when they are taking care of them. 

If you just play with them a lot and are there messing with them, they should be almost as friendly as a bottle baby. One thing about bottle babies is that they can be very mouthy and annoying and with a dam raised kid they tend to know what boundaries to not cross. So anywho, i'd go with dam raised, but play with the kids a lot so that they'll trust you. They should find out soon that back scratches are very nice. :wink:


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Dam raised kids all the way here!

Can't stand bottle babies attitudes. Way too pushy and don't know how to be a goat.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

same here - no bottle babies if I can help it!!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

There is no need to bottle feed... if the only reason is ...to have friendly kids....
please leave them on their moms...unless they aren't getting enough milk... it sounds as if they are....so...........I myself spend time with the kids...sit in a chair or on the ground and you will see the kids come to you in curiosity ....let them smell you...talk to them in a soft voice....and eventually you can scratch them between the horns..ect....they love it...keep working with them and you will have friendly goat kids to sell.....


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Bottle babies are a lot of work. Let mama do at least half of that by feeding them and teaching them to be a goat. 

I have a yearling doe and she was dam raised in a pasture. When I got her she was wild as a march hare. She had never had human contact for anything other than someone going out and throwing her some hay. I trained her to a collar and leash so I could work with her. I sat in the grass with treats in hand, pet and scratched her. She is now so friendly you would think she was a bottle baby, most think she was. She can be really obnoxious and in your face when your trying to do something. She climbs all over me and sits in my lap. You don't have to have bottle babies to have friendly goats.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Time.....Love .... attention...and treats work well ...doesn't it.....  :greengrin:


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Sure does


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Same here. I just work with them every day and they are friendly as can be. 

My girl Spice was dam raised, but she still sleeps in my lap if I let her.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:thumbup: you both ..... said it right.... :greengrin: :hi5:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a bottle raised and a dam raised who are aprox the same age. Both are very friendly but the bottle raised is obnoxious. THey are cute when little and want your attention and people are attracted to that yes, but in the end they can be such a pain. Now I have bottle fed goats that werent really friendly and I have bottle fed goats that turned out really nice too - so isnt totaly across the board. As to dam raised - I have had wild ones and very tame ones. Spending time with them for those first few days is SO important. Everyone says "let mom and babies bond" well you need to be there too to help them to bond with you otherwise you are an intruder to be warey of.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yes, you should definately be there right after they're born, like within 6 hours, sometimes longer. I like to dry off noses and desensitize(rubbing all over, holding, etc.) them the first day so it will imprint them and they won't feel skiddish when you try and pet them the next day.

The bottle kids seem to have little respect for personal space and will jump on you and chew on hair, jackets, etc. and it can get REALLY annoying! Especially when they jump on your pants when it's muddy out. :roll: I just had a yearling bottle fed doe chew up my ear phones to my ipod when I bent over to pick up some garbage.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Kylee, I have a 2 1/2 year old Togg that will do that and she was dam raised. Shes not even really friendly right now. Shes got the pregnancy grumpy's. She loves to search your pockets, your hair, shoes, she unties shoe strings. She knows I usually have treats in my pockets and goes looking for them.


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

KW, my dam raised yearlings do that ALL the time. And since it's always muddy these days... just grrrr. Honestly, I think thier personalities are going to be what they are going to be. I love my bottle kids, and I wouldnt trade them for the world. It's special to know you mean so much to those little guys. Dam raised kids dont have to be any different, just ask anyone who visits here, my kids are ALL friendly. You would be able to tell which was a bottle kid ond which was on mom. Mine are pretty half and half, most of the big dairy breaders pull thier kids, so any animals I've bought are bottle kids. If they are born here, unless there was an issue, I let the kids stay on mom. I think it would be in thier best intrest to leave them be now since they are already used to the udder and have bonded with thier mothers. I feel like that would be more trouble than it's worth when you could just spend a little TLC with the babies.


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## Haviris (Oct 7, 2007)

If the moms have bonded w/ them I would not take them now. If I'm going to take one to bottle raise I take it right away. 

I have friendly dam raised and non annoying bottle babies. You can come spend some time w/ my goats and you'd never know which were dam raised and which were bottle raised. My two most annoying were not raised by me, one was definately dam raised the other I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing bottle raised. I think the annoying bottle goats is all about how they are raised.


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## xxLavenderxDreamsxx (Apr 28, 2012)

I've never noticed a difference between my dam-raised and bottle-fed, but I'll tell you what dam-raising is a heck of a lot easier!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Our kids are dam raised and they couldn't be any friendlier if they tried! We spend a lot of time with them and have guests over, so they all know humans as friends.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We bottle feed. All our dam raised kids are crazy wild, they will not even let you get within 8 feet of them! All the bottle kids come running over to you were ever you are, and just have wonderful personalities  All of ours are taken the moment they're born, the does never see them, and mom doesn't really seem to care at all. JMO


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

for those people saying bottle.babies dont respect boundaries and are obnoxious ... you can have bottle babies who are respectful.&know how to be a goat. just as there are dam raised goats who are friendly or those who are wild. it all depends on how you raise and train them regardless of how they get their milk. 

i will be pulling kids at birth this year as my does are show dairy goats. and theres a number of reasons. to know accurately what mum is capable of producing, to protect mums udder from injury, so that they dont fret in the show ring, so that i can have milk right from the start, but also because i work full time an commute i dont have a lot of time to spend woth dam raised babies to gebtle them. so bottle feeding is an easier way for me to have friendly kids. personally i preferthe temperament of a milker who was bottle fed. ive had a few dam raised milkers and they dont like to come to the parlour in the morning, are less accepting of unknown stimuli, seem to kick more and hold back milk. but this is a generalisation im sure there are dam raised goats who are angellic.milkers. it really all comes down to personal preference. all my goats are are bottle babies and only.one things she is human. the owner freely admits she spoiled her and wishes she hadnt. my other obnoxious one is a little buck who came off his dam at three weeks onto a bottle. 

now my bottle calf ... he is the very definition of obnoxious lol. though slightly better now he is weaned


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## LuvmyGoaties (Mar 9, 2010)

What I plan on doing (my 2 does are due in 2 weeks) is too have the does raise the babies but I will give 1 bottle a day. The main reason I want to do this is so that my 2 human children (ages 2.5 and 5) can help.


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