# Bottle Feeding/Nursing Question



## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

If you pull the kids right away and do not let them nurse, can you put them back in with the dam after a while and not have them take up nursing?


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## Bit of Everything (Jan 28, 2011)

I didn't pull my kids because I wanted to they just weren't thriving with mom and about dead because she was being an idiot. But I put them back out in the common goat area after 2 weeks of bottle feeding and they only know me as mommy. They could care less about their real mother. So yeah it's possible but you need to get them started with you real good before you turn them out. And I'm sure some will try to nurse there are always those over-achievers. But mine haven't tried it as far as i have seen.


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Well one of our does had a not so fun kidding.... the runt was weak so we had to give her some colostrum and nutri-drench with a medicine dropper... then mom wouldn't let her nurse after 2 days.. so we bottle fed her and she stayed with her mom and sisters..... she would try and nurse if mom was on the milk stand... but I think she knew she could get away with it.... cuz she did that to my other doe aswel....


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We let one of our does keep her kids for the first week and then took them away. Man was that the biggest pain in the butt :hair: :hair: NEVER DO THAT! I really don't know what would happen if you took them away at birth and never let the doe see them. All of ours kids are pulled the second they are born and are kept in a separate pen for the first 5 months of their life. As long as the doe never cleans/nurses her kids I think it would be okay


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It is possible ...may I ask why you want to take them away and put them back later?



It is OK... if you have a baby... that is sub temp and take it in the house to get the kids temp back up to the right temp....then take it back out to momma...I use a heat lamp as well....out in the barn....

If it isn't to long ...the momma will take back their baby usually... with no problems..... :wink:


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I am trying to decide what my plan will be when my doe kids in the spring (if all goes well) I could let her have them for a few weeks or even months if all her blood tests come back ok (they should) or I can take them away right away. I don't mind bottle feeding, I actually really enjoy it. 

She will be a FF though, and may kid with only one. If she has only one, I don't want the kid to be alone, so I will most likely just have to let her have it. 

She is meant for milking though, that is the whole point, so I don't want to have to battle her about milking because she might only want the kid to nurse. I also don't want to be battling the kid for months on end if I decide to keep it, or can't sell it right away after weaning. Read, I don't want a 9 mo old goat stealing my milk!!!! LOL! So I was wondering if I took it and sperated it for a short time right after birth, could I put it back with her and save myself a lot of headache???

I would want to keep any singles in with her because that would be the only companionship it would have. But also, it is a nice big pen that they can run and play, so even multiples would benefit from being in the doe pen. Any other pen at this time would be a few cattle panels connected together and would not give them the play space that the doe pen has. 

Does ANY of that make sense??? LOL!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> She will be a FF though, and may kid with only one. If she has only one, I don't want the kid to be alone, so I will most likely just have to let her have it.


 Single kids on momma do the best ...grow the most....you just have to watch the udder and milk some out ...of the side the kid ignores for a while..and will have plenty of milk for a while until the kid grows a bit more..... :wink: 
Right away ... teach the kid there are two sides ......as they get bigger the kid will go back and forth.... but until the kid is big enough ...to keep up with momma's milk supply ....watch the udder for tightness and milk her... if she needs it....

If she has a lot of milk...you may be able to do both.... have your milk and have her feed her baby as well....there are some breeders here that do that...hopefully they will chime in soon..... :thumb:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I don't bottlefeed...mama's know whats best for babies. I do however milk does that have singles from day 1 and teach the baby that there are 2 teats, I don't recommend drinking the milk for at least 10 days after delivery as it will still have traces of colostrum and won't taste good at all, you can freeze that milk for a bottle baby or give it to other critters. I do start to separate kids at night at around 3 weeks old, I milk mama out too, babies go in a covered stall where they can still see and hear mama but can't reach her to nurse, in the morning, I put a bit of grain in a pan for babies, get mama's on the stand and milk...I don't totally empty the udder but leave enough that each kid can get breakfast. Kids nurse throughout the day as well as nibble at whatever mama does.
After having a doe have a stillborn and have her cry and search for her baby, I could never take any babies from my girls.... even if it meant I needed milk ASAP, it's not drinkable for at least a week and since I do have good producers, they provide enough for me and still feed their kids, but each breeder has their own practices for a reason and do whatever works for them and their goats.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I would not consider anything but letting my babies nurse from mama.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Devin said:


> I am trying to decide what my plan will be when my doe kids in the spring (if all goes well) I could let her have them for a few weeks or even months if all her blood tests come back ok (they should) or I can take them away right away. I don't mind bottle feeding, I actually really enjoy it.


If you let her keep them for the first few weeks it will cause a lot of stress on both your doe and the kid(s). It is very hard to get the kids to take the bottle after nursing their dam and if you let them nurse and then decide to pull them the doe and kids can't be together for months since they know how to nurse. And believe me, the doe will be much easier to milk if you take her babies away the moment they are born as she will bond to you as her kid  JMO


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I never take a kid off mom until at least 1 week old so they get a good natural start on life. I have not had a problem getting any of the kids to take bottle at that age or even 1 month old. 

I also have milked does that were 6 weeks into lactation with no problem at all. 

Whatever works best for you. I generally leave kids with mom since natural is the the best IMO.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Oh and even with the kids nursing you can still milk them. The milk supply is based on demand so if you are milking also you are demanding more hence she will make more. 

Lots of people separate Pm and milk her out. Leave them separate overnight and milk again in the AM then return her to the kids.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I just don't know what I want to do. there are pros and cons to both sides. My doe I got a 10 days old and bottle fed her. She was pulled at birth, and we have bonded REALLY WELL! I really think that she looks at me like her mom. 

the possible doeling yet to be born in Feb, I will get at 2 weeks old and also bottle feed her. I believe that she will be pulled at birth but I am not sure about that. 

But I also see the need for the doe to have her baby, and visa versa. It might break my heart to have her bawl for her baby LOL!!! I'd probably give in and give it back to her anyway ROFL! 

I also see the benefit of the baby growing up with an adult, that adult can teach it to eat solids and be a goat, My doe took forever to really eat hay and grain LOL! 

So anyway, I am on the fence. Weighing pros and cons and can't decide what to do.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Devin said:


> I also see the benefit of the baby growing up with an adult, that adult can teach it to eat solids and be a goat, My doe took forever to really eat hay and grain LOL!


A bottle kid will act just as much like a goat as dam raised one  As long as you limit the feedings as it gets older they catch on to eating hay/grain just as fast as a dam raised one :thumb:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

If all you are wanting is a baby thats bonded to you as well as some milk for yourself, you can offer baby a bottle with milk from mama...once or twice a day with just an ounce or 2, and as was mentioned, milk supply increases with demand so you can have both. I don't bottlefeed but even though I work 8+ hours a day, I am with babies from the time they come into the world and cuddle and love on them for hours every day and all my babies have been very friendly so the myth that dam raised babies are skittish just depends on the herd size as well as the time the breeder is willing to spend with them.
Dam raised but well loved and handled kids grow better IMO, not only are mine eating grain and hay at 3-4 weeks, they seem to be much hardier because they are exposed to everything the adults are from day one and have the health to build resistance...I had a 4 month old pygmy/nigerian wether here that was with his mom through the day and separated at night, when he was sold with his mom he weighed 40lbs and was a very loveable little lap goat.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Oh, whatever kids we get will be like puppies no matter what I think lol! we spend a lot of time with our goats and even our buck for the most part is a big puppy. I think he was dam raised as well. Now our ND was dam raised and has never been as trusting, he is a lot better now, but the breeder tried to have him disbudded at a month old and I don't think he has ever forgotten that.  He loves to play with you, but doesn't like to be petted as much. 

Honestly, I think for this first year we will let her raise her baby(babies), and see how it goes. I really can't wait! I sure hope she is preggers lol!


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

Lost Prairie said:


> A bottle kid will act just as much like a goat as dam raised one  As long as you limit the feedings as it gets older they catch on to eating hay/grain just as fast as a dam raised one :thumb:


I did, she just didn't get the memo. She was a bit stubburn for that bottle lol! :laugh:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

They catch on to solid food much quicker and easier if with other goats that are already eating solids.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Great advice everyone~! :grouphug: :thumb:


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