# Weaning Advice



## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

So the boys are 9 weeks old now, so it's time to start to consider how to wean them. I know it shouldn't really be that hard but I'd like to hear some tips and tricks any of you have to make the process easier on both me and the babies. 

They currently get 450mLs twice a day, one at about 6am, and one as late as possible at night (8-9pm) because otherwise they wake up too early LOL.

They eat hay and browse and grass like crazy, they aren't very keen on their pellets but I manage to get some in to them by mixing it with other things they like. 

Anyway my main question is how do I go about it? Do I slowly decrease the bottles until they're at maybe 200mL and then start cutting them altogether? Or should I cut them out alternating days? 

I know for sure I'm going to have issues cutting out the morning bottle...nothing satisfies them, THEY WANT BOTTLES! lol.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.


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## angora1972 (Jun 1, 2013)

I'm in the same boat! We are down to a morning bottle and a half bottle at night....but it is torture! I would appreciate some advice as well!!! They love their grain burt aren't keen on the hay.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would cut down to 1 bottle a day. Then maybe start cutting down the amount.

You just have to put up with the screaming because for them it is also about the bottle being a comfort.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Which bottle do you think is easiest to cut out? 

It's going to be really hard.  they don't stick to a routine regarding what time they wake up and cry. They actually kill my life a little bit because I can't plan around it when I'm not sure if they'll be up at 4:30 or 6:30!

And what do I do about cutting out? Should I replace it with lots of other food to keep them occupied?


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## goatiegirl (Jan 7, 2013)

When I weaned mine I cut the morning feed and replaced it with a half cup of grain. They seemed happy with that and didn't yell when I left the barn.
The last bottle I cut out was the night one. I did the same grain thing and they did great.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I might have to find a grain that they actually really like before I can start weaning. :c


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Have you tried just some alfalfa pellets?


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I haven't  my options seem fairly limited here. I bought them a general purpose stock pellet that the guy from the feed store said would be fine but they don't like them *rolls eyes*
So I'll probably end up buying a pony mix that has chaff and stuff in it.

ETA: I'm just a bit nervous about buying feeds because I don't know a lot and I don't know what's best for them


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Yep sound advice all around. Here we have extra milk so we just keep on feeding em till they pretty much start cutting themselves back which is between the 3rd and 4th months. Once they start to do that I take the morning feeding away as well. I do it cause they play all day long and a good drink of milk after a hard days play is nice  I also stop warming it up when it gets hot out. Now the big difference is I feed from lamb bars but you can apply it to bottles as well. But in the end if you really wanted to, you can just stop feeding em milk and transition to grain. Id make sure to they know what the grain is first. Some babies dont like it the first few times you offer it to em. So to have em all happy to get rain before cutting the milk helps with they crying... a bit  Good luck!

On a side note, most goats LOVE LOVE LOVE wet cob. Its like candy to em


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I would love the keep feeding them until they self-wean, but I have things coming in the next few months that don't really allow for it. 
They eat other things very willingly, like cereal  

Another thing I forgot to ask was over what time period do you do it? How long does it take for them to be weaned and settled?


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

that is totally up to you. You can do it right now or over the course of days or weeks. They are not going to like ie either way and are going to cry. If it wasnt for the fact that we always have extra milk, id simply just stop one day. Granted I would hear em cry and end up giving em milk... cause I am an ol softy


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I just wanted to come back and update and say this is more annoying and harder than I thought >_>
I bought them a new feed because I wanted to wean them and they seemed to really like it! They were slow but they'd eat all of it. 
Now they're not really interested. And I very well can't stop giving them bottles if I have nothing else to offer :hammer:
They don't seem to realise that they are GOATS, not noble lords.


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## goatiegirl (Jan 7, 2013)

I can't remember for sure but I thought some on here have said that you can put a little molasses on their grain to get them to eat it at first....??? I am a newbie though to don't quote me on that. :shrug:
Mine really liked the sweetfeed for goats. I have been mixing it with alfalfa pellets and BOSS now until its gone and I get something better. They sure love it though.....


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

If they are eating the hay and grass, they will be fine. They stop crying pretty fast, anyway mine did. We pretty much just stopped, we had a mineral imbalance and I needed to slow the growth down. That meant no more milk, they did great, we still give grain once a day.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I feel bad for not giving them a bottle.  and I know that they'll be up at all hours of the night crying
Maybe I should postpone it until I don't really need sleep LOL


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

PiccoloGoat said:


> They don't seem to realise that they are GOATS, not noble lords.


Perhaps you should consider reminding them? Have you given any thought to the possibility that as long as they are getting their little tummies full of milk a couple of times a day they have no real reason to eat their pellets? Just a suggestion.  :laugh:


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

LOL. Well they get much less now but they still think they're little babies. 
And they ignore most other food when they want bottles haha


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Wanted to come back to update and say it was a lot easier than I thought. :scratch:

The other night I just gave them their grain-stuff and some pats earlyish in the evening and they didn't wake up asking for their bottles at all later that night.
They got up the next morning early as usual, I just threw them some greens and hay whenever they cried and they got over it. They seem to have completely forgotten about them and i didn't even try hard? :shrug:
They barely even cry!!


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