# Doe stopped feeding kid



## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

I have a doe that is not feeding her buckling very well. Her doeling is doing just fine and is out playing with the other kids all the time. The last couple of days though I have noticed the buckling just tagging after his mama trying to take nips every time she stops. She just moves off, she's not mean to him just won't stand for him. I think the side that he usually nurses may have something wrong. I held her for him twice today and he nursed both sides before sis came in and pushed him off "her" teat. The poor little guy is looking a little worse for the wear, I am thinking about supplementing him with a bottle. What do you all think? Will a month old even take the bottle without removing him completely from his mama? I need to check the does udder tomorrow in the daylight, but I don't know what to look for other than the obvious signs of mastitis. It has always been a little uneven, but otherwise looks fine.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

I lost a doe last year a month out from kidding that was feeding twins. It took a couple of days before one kid really got the bottle thing down. The other kid was so stubborn about it. When she got REALLY hungry she would take a few sips but would otherwise refuse. After several days of trying the bottles, I started getting another doe with milk up on the stand twice a day to let the kids nurse their fill just out of desperation. When the stubborn kid ran up to the udder I cupped my hand over the does teat and had the bottle and nipple right where her teat would be! It worked.Just a few more tries of that and she was on the bottle. I tell you this story to say that it really depends on the kid, and if he is REALLY hungry. I've found most hungry kids will take the bottle with a bit of patience. It sounds like you may be on to something about the udder though. If it is uneven, it may be that his side is just not making enough milk from previous damage, or it may well be infected or even injured. An infected side will feverish to the touch. Try to milk a little from his side and see if the teat is working properly and then see what the milk looks like. Tinted pink or blood in the milk could mean mastitis, as well as just clumps in the milk. Does the milk look the same as from the other teat? Is she more uncomfortable with you messing with his side over the does side as to indicate injury? Does the kid look sunk in? Is his belly full feeling or just squishy?That can tell you a lot about how much he is eating. Personally, I would hold a doe twice each day for him to nurse his fill rather than bottle him to supplement what he is getting, Just so you'll be assured he is getting plenty.


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## MollieGoat (Jul 7, 2012)

I had the exact same thing happen to me last year. The doe decided that she didn't like the buckling, but the doeling was just fine. There wasn't anything wrong with her udder because the doeling nursed on both sides without any problems. I couldn't get the buckling to take the bottle so I had to hold the doe twice a day for the little guy to eat. The part that was the most puzzling to me was that mom was fine with twins until a month after birth, then she decided not claim the buckling. Anyways, good luck! I look forward to reading what others have to say about this topic! Great thread


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Janie had trips this year. 1 doeling looked like she wasn't growing as fast as the others. I offered her a bottle and now she is a bottle baby. She is now bigger then her "dam fed" sister. So, I offered sister a bottle, they are both taking them now. Funny, Janie milked last spring and was giving me 4-5lbs of milk so I know she milks enough. Nothing wrong with her. Her last owner pulled her kids, sometimes she looks at them like "oh no, not you again". They are all with her because she is not mean to them. After a few weeks they are eating well and taking less milk.

So, now I've answered my questions about the growth rate of bottle babies, very similar to dam raised, if not bigger. And, I was worried about the doe being "heart broken" if I pull kids, nope at least with this doe.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First, I would check over mom's udder and make sure there aren't any problems. Second, I would start supplementing the boy.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Our Doe with triplets had this happen. I am able to observe more than most as our animals are in view from our house. I encourage you to check udder. For our Doe.. she had some aggressive bucklings that created a little soar on her teat. She then was not about to let any of her kids nurse that out for the pain of it and was in danger of getting mastitis. I went out to check it and then held her down and had her nurse that side with her little doeling. It took about two whole days of working thru this and holding her to nurse her doeling but .. for me it is way easier to do this than to bottle feed and to have to treat mastitis. Things cleared up in two days with no mastitis and all her babies had plenty of food .. chubby and round little bellies. You do have to catch it right away as it will progress to even ruin her future nursing issues if it goes into mastitis. A mamma doe will then not let any of her babies nurse on one side. They have to be trained. It was very painful for the mamma doe to have her baby nurse on that side and some can not get thru it. This doe discovered that she did feel better having that side emptied so .. yeah for us.. no bottle babies! You may have to bottle supplement your doe if you can not get the mamma to nurse that side on her own.. and if you do.. you have to certainly watch out for mastitis.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

For us.. I am not going to let a doe reject a baby.. even a triplet. I just cant have that here. I go to great lengths to encourage all the mothers to be good at their mothering skills because then.. they will pass this on to their daughters .. I also believe that if a Doe gets away with it here on our place once.. then she is learning that when mothering gets hard.. the humans will take over and they are more than willing if we let them. Not here.. a Doe had better mother up and do her job as we don't have time for bottle babies. I will even lock a mamma up with her babies - hold her down and make her nurse. Now for the following generations here.. they will have learned to be good mammas. Still I am certain that eventually.. there will be a bottle baby here unavoidable as this does happen at times.. We know that is just how it has to be sometimes with circumstances.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Well put Packhills!
An FF rejected her first doeling. Next year she tried to reject another one.
"Oh no you don't you do your job!" I worked with her almost a week. It got so when she saw me coming she'd let that kid nurse, all with this look in her eye.
"See? Im taking care of her."
The 3rd year someone picked out a week old doeling & wanted her disbudded & knew what would happen. But she figured out real quick I was having none of that.


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

Well, her udder appears to be fine. No marks no heat. I didn't try to milk her seeing as she was eating the pockets off my jeans as it was. I held her again for the buckling this morning and she was fighting it less, tonight she let him nurse while I watched. Maybe it will all work itself out.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Glad to hear they are both ok.


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## drdolittle (Jul 9, 2014)

ksalvagno said:


> First, I would check over mom's udder and make sure there aren't any problems. Second, I would start supplementing the boy.


Karen, I hate to bother you again but I have another issue with this dam with the bad udder. She delivered 2 bucklings 5 1/2 weeks ago and now she is rejecting one. They had both been nursing from the one good side and now she has just decided she does not want to feed one. She is not mean and does not butt him but she won't stand. He is lagging behind feeling boney with a big fat belly though. He grazes and browses all day and eats sweet feed 'til he's full but feels boney in the back bone and hip while his twin is plump and taller and bouncy. I tried a bottle twice but he is really not interested. The nipple runs and he just lets it run down his throat and swallows. I am using whole milk with a pinch of added vitamin A electrolyte and power punch and karo and was going to get calf manna to add and top dress his grain. She also does not look for him in the field. He got separated behind a gate and was calling and she was a pasture away with no interest. He just toddles along but I feel bad for him. He does bed with his twin and lay in the barn with all of them at night but he looks so lonely. Do I need to be worried and is there anything I can do for her to accept him. Will rubbing her scent on him help, like with dogs and cats?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would work on getting him on the bottle. Just plain milk.


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