# Bottle Baby



## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

I wasn't sure where to post this to show off our new baby so since its pretty much a birth announcement I'll do it here...if i'm wrong let me know and I'll move it. 

We got a call from a neighboring goat farmer about needing someone to raise a baby. Doe had twins and one teat is not producing. He was afraid to lose both or have weak babies..so we took him in. We've fallen in love. He was born Dec. 28th. He's 3/4 boer/1/4 dairy. We named him Hatchet. We're on the look out for a dairy mate for him...Wife wants to start making soap and I want cheese. Our little Nigerians just don't produce enough...I love them though and will always have my little dairies....This is our first large breed in a long time. Hoping we keep him healthy and get to watch him grow


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

So cute! Quite meaty looking too. Looks like you're doing a great job!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What a cutie!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Aww!


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

He sure is a handsome chunk!


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## minibarn (Jul 20, 2010)

He is adorable! Just a word of caution.....as he matures you'll want to be very sure he can't get to your minis and breed them. Kids may be too large for them to safely deliver. Good luck!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

What a cutie! I am sure he is loads of fun. 

Have you ever raised a breeding buck from a bottle baby before? Just a head's up, when they are maturing from 6 months to 3 years old they can really start testing their boundaries with humans! Some folks will not own a breeding buck that is bottle raised. I'm not trying to give you a hard time! Just want you to be aware if you haven't done this. Bottle raised goats don't have a lot of respect for humans and once those hormones come in that can create conflicts and aggression. The only other option is wethering/neutering him to make him a pleasant pet as he ages  

Also, boers have different teat structures from dairy goats so check on his teat structure and if possible find out about his dam & sire. If your goal is milking goats, you don't want to be breeding an animal that doesn't have the traits you need. Not all animals are breeding quality.


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

thanks for all that info...we have never bottle fed a breeding buck...thats good to know...and we may end up wethering him after all and just letting him be a companion for a larger dairy girl. 
another problem we ran into...we had a disbudding appointment with the guy who does all our disbudding...we got all this snow and couldnt leave the holler or get in his...so now i'm sure we're past the time of doing it...we do not want horns. is banding them torture? if we do it this young. his horns are up enough to feel like my knuckle...should i do it now..banding i mean...i could file close to his head and get a band to stay on.....would it be useless to try the iron at this point?
He's 3 weeks old saturday


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

minibarn said:


> He is adorable! Just a word of caution.....as he matures you'll want to be very sure he can't get to your minis and breed them. Kids may be too large for them to safely deliver. Good luck!


he's being housed in a completely different area from them...but now considering wethering after that last post lol


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## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

Congrats, he's a handsome fella! I personally feel that burning the horns at that age is cruel, we made the mistake of waiting once early on and it was torture for all involved. I have never banded them off so hopefully others can help you with that.


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

i dont like burning them period but it has to be done...especially on a large goat, for us. i love the way they look...its just not for us and everyone here


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Very cute...


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## AmyJoe (Jun 10, 2015)

Just an update on Hatchet
We took everyone's advice and had him wethered. The vet that did it put him to sleep and removed his horns by cutting them off...then burned with the iron. Everything has healed great and the skin is starting to grow over now. He had to wear a funny sock and look like a bank robber for a week but it all turned out great. He's off the bottle now. 9 weeks old yesterday. We're still looking for a Nubian doe his age, to be a companion in the barn and on hikes, as the girls he's with now are the youngest of our herd and just needed a little time away from the big girls to get some meat on their bones. He follows us very well and as soon as I can get some kind of halter or harness on him we're gonna start taking him for short walks and hikes


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad he is doing well.


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