# Forcing Mom to feed baby



## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

I am having to hold a doe still and up against the stall wall so she will let her 10 day old baby nurse...the baby is nibbling on hay and feed...not really consuming much. How long does the baby need does milk...what is the youngest baby can be weaned?? 3weeks...6 weeks?? I have no idea.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I just replied to your other post about the bucky behavior

how is the doe now? is she allowing the kid to nurse? You will know by morning if her udder is still full and tight or if its deflated. 

I dont wean kids till they are 8-12 weeks of age. I tried to wean at 6 week old, it didnt go so well, almost lost the kid.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Same here...8 to 12 weeks.... 8 being the very soonest.

Agree with what Stacey said...check her udder in the morning, if it's tight then she isn't feeding her kid and you'll need to hold her at least 2 times daily until the kid is full and stops drinking. If you can do it 3x daily that would be best. Mom might catch on after a bit or she may even be feeding her...sometimes it's hard to tell.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Just because the doe won't let the kid nurse while you are there, doesn't mean she isn't letting the kid nurse. As others have said, her udder will get very tight and full if she truly isn't feeding the kid. Also, you can feel the kid's tummy to see if it feel's full. Kids eat frequent, small meals. My does get irritated after awhile and tell their babies no. They side step and fidget and refuse to let their kid's milk unless she feels like it. They all get plenty to eat and I have seen my does allowing them to eat just fine at other times. Sometimes they are a little sore, the kids have had enough, or they just need a break from being nursed on. Now if the dam has a very tight udder I would be concerned about the doe not letting them have milk at all. If the doe is distracted by your presence, feed, etc. she may fidget around and not allow the kid to nurse as well. Mine don't like to let theirs nurse when they are waiting for their grain because they are little vultures and are too concerned about how fast I am going to give it to them.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you have a scale that weighs in tenths of pounds? You could weigh your little guy once a day for a few days and see if he is gaining weight. He should be gaining at least a little bit on a daily basis.


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

was out last nite for about an hour in barn...doe isnt letting her nurse...will flip baby up in the air if baby tries. I have supplement for bottle feeding or would milk from grocery store be better?? I will keep trying to hold her but she is hard to catch also...she fights me the whole time.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

hold mom to let baby nurse or if you dont feel up to that then milk mom and bottle feed it to the kid.


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

I have been holding her and letting the baby nurse...but the doe fights me the whole time!!! Driving me CRAZY!! Trying to milk her would probably me more of a fight than holding her to let the baby nurse. I will give her another day or so then will probably just bottle feed the baby...


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

was she a good mom up till you let her out? Is this her first time kidding?

If you cant hold her then milk her and feed baby her milk -- mom's milk is best and you might as well get the milk she is producing


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Yes she was fine until I let her out...tried putting her and baby back up in pen and she still would not nurse and was throwing the baby around. She has other kids...I have one she had last year and she was fine with nursing her...I don't know...just baffles me??!!


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## Lexibot (Jul 27, 2010)

I heard sometime does just refuse some babies....


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree with Stacey...if she's rejected the kid, tie her up and milk her 2 x a day every day and feed it to the kid...taking whats already available is much more economical and it was meant for the kid, changing it over now could cause other issues.


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

I don't generally milk my goats...they are just pets. I'm pretty sure she will act just as wildly if I held her to milk her. I will just continue to hold her and let the baby eat.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

when my parents had a dairy herd there was one doe who always kidded healthy, strong kids but she always rejected them. if it was me i would have a friend (or a few) to help hold the doe while you milk her out. she will need to be milked anyway or it could be painful for her to hold all the milk. and baby really needs that milk. and since momma's got it why buy something that isn't gonna be up to par anyway? 
just my opinion...


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Went out and held doe tonight while the baby nursed...tried to look at her udder but I was holding her by myself and trying to do that and keep her from stomping on the kid is just about a handful!!! Anyways...she doesn't have a very big bag from what I could see. She is a pygmy and pretty hairy right now so I couldn't see very well...I will try to turn her over and get a better look tomorrow during the day. If she has dried up...what would cause that?? She did have a bag right before she delivered the baby and afterwards??


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

If you tie her head up tight to the fence (make sure she won't choke)...and then grab one leg and pull it up tight to the side of her body and let the baby nurse that way. She won't be able to kick and move away from her kid. I've had to do it several times this way and it is MUCH easier done this way and less stressful on everyone.


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

KW Farms said:


> If you tie her head up tight to the fence (make sure she won't choke)...and then grab one leg and pull it up tight to the side of her body and let the baby nurse that way. She won't be able to kick and move away from her kid. I've had to do it several times this way and it is MUCH easier done this way and less stressful on everyone.


Tie her by the horns or around the neck?? Also could I leave her tied up for a couple of feedings?? I spend more time trying to catch her than anything...I wouldnt leave her long...maybe an hour or so and let the baby nurse a couple times then let her go and repeat?? I am gonna check her bag first before i do this...i can see the baby is getting milk because she has it on her mouth when she's done...just not sure how much baby is getting. I will let her go the rest of the night to fill and check her in the morning to see how big her udder is. I'm about to get worn out...mom doe may be just a pygmy but they are fiesty strong little buggers...my whole body is sore!!!! :hair: Thanks for all the input...it is really appreciated!!!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Around the neck. It would be best to take a thick dog collar and butt it up right next to the fence so she can't swing around and whatnot...while she's tied, pull up on back leg. I would only do this per feeding, don't leave her there.

You might want to put her in a smaller pen so you can get to her easier. Do you have a couple t-posts and corner off a little pen for her?

Were you planning on keeping the kid? If not, then i'd try and sell her...you might be surprised and the amount of people interested in bottle kids. They are a lot of work...i've had several does who refused their babies and i'd have to go out there and hold the doe for her kids...so frustrating...I feel your pain.


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Yes I'm gonna keep the baby. I will put them in the small pen and tie her as per your suggestion...I am going to look tomorrow at her udder...it didnt look very big...coldnt see very well because i was more concerned on getting the baby fed and the doe is a pygmy so its kida hard to see an udder when ur having to wrestle her to keep her still...not much clearance underneath her to see and my old body doesn't bend that far anymore!!! I am gonna look at her before i let the baby nurse tomorrow...she will have several hours to fill if she has much milk production. If shes not producing anymore milk...then what??


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

You can leave a goat tied for awhile as long as you tie them with a good collar and you tie them short enough they can't get tangled. It is the same concept as tying a horse. I tie my horses and leave them for a couple of hours. They have to put up with it at horse shows and events. I simply don't leave them completely unattended so I can check on them every once in awhile to make sure they haven't managed to kill themselves.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If you haven't checked her udder at all...could be ...she has an issue there...she may be to tight, has mastitis....hot to the touch...or even a sore around her teat...that in itself... will cause a Doe ....not to allow her kid to nurse...you have to check for that.... there has to be a reason why all of a sudden she is doing this behavior....

Now... if she doesn't have good milk production....It is best... to milk her more often ...and feed her more grain and quality hay....but do it gradually....to prevent scours... bump and massage her....

If I get the stubborn Does...I tie her up.... with a collar/rope ...snug their neck up to a post or something strong.....then... I take their back leg ...the side I am working from....and tie a rope around the ankle area.... and pull her leg up.. semi high..and tight... to where... she cannot kick the kid..... that way... you have your hands free... from holding the Doe and can focus on... the kid or milking her out to feed the kid.... if she acts up.... I also will open hand ...smack her belly and tell her to quit......good luck... ray: :hug:


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Turned her over and looked at her udder...not very full at all and this was after 8-10 hours of not holding her for the baby to nurse...putting her and baby in a small pen together and will increase her grain a little. She is producing milk because I got some to come out of the teat but her bag wasn't full. I would think after several hours it would've had more in it??


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Is she drinking plenty of water... that also helps with milk production.... if she likes warm molasses water... I'd see if ...she will drink that.... give her as much as she wants.... yes....... 8 hours she should have more......

How did the milk look...that you got out of her ?


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Yes she has water available at all times...the milk i got out of her looked fine...like regular goat milk. If she's not producing (for whatever reason) what should I do for the baby? I have a powdered formula or is there a concoction that would work better. The baby nibbles on hay, grain and grass but not enough...most of it falls back out of her mouth.


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## minibarn (Jul 20, 2010)

i haven't had a bottle baby yet so i don't have advice for what to feed if mom doesn't have milk. i just wanted to say i just had a baby die at christmas who's mother had quit nursing her at about 4 weeks old and i hadn't caught on. baby died at 8 wks old and it could probably have been prevented if i had forced the mom to let baby nurse or had supplemented with a bottle. hope you can get your doe to nurse again and if the demand is there, her udder should produce. good luck!


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## KFOWLER (Oct 5, 2010)

Just a quick update---still having to hold Doe for the baby to eat...baby is very persistent in chasing the Mom around and trying to nurse and the doe is still pushing her away. The doe isn't producing much milk...some but not much. I am supplementing the baby with a bottle which she doesn't really like...but I let her nurse first. The doe is settling down somewhat...sometimes I can just hold her by the horns and she will let the baby nurse and sometimes NOT!!! Thanks for all the info from everybody!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If there is improvement ....with you just holding her horns ....that is a real plus....even if it is sometimes....I wouldn't give up .....keep up the good work.....


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