# Syringe Feeding Newborn Colostrum - How Much Do You Do?



## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

My doe just had quadruplets, and the runt is a bit weak. I have been syringe feeding her colostrum once every hour or so as she stands, walks and swallows fine (wants to find mom's teat to but gets tired fast.) I plan to keep her in overnight and keep feeding her mom's colostrum with a syringe. How much at a time do you recommend if I am feeding once an hour? (ML/CC) I've just been eyeballing it and thought maybe an exact amount would be better. I have no idea what she weighs, probably a pound or less.


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Bumping this up for you...

I've only fed via syringe (not tubing) just after they were born... kinda to get them started off w/a bang... only gave about 1-2cc's 'cause they found mom shortly after that.

Is this baby having ANY kind of sucking reflex? My experience is that if there is any sucking reflex, USE IT. It's much healthier overall if the baby voluntarily 'sucks/nurses'... too many issues w/stuff going the wrong way, syringe feeding or tube feeding. Also, if they have a weak sucking reflex, a tiny dab of Selenium/Vit. E Gel on their tongue works WONDERS!! Even when the doe had a pre-kidding shot...especially when you're talking about a large bunch of kids, like yours. Some Nutri-Drench or Power Punch works great too. Try giving those, and then trying to get a sucking reflex going about 5mins later...it's worked great so far when I've had to use it. Even with babies as tiny as 1lb. They've all started taking a bottle by end of day 1.

If you've already tried all this... well, maybe some others can jump on here & add their experience/advice... :wink: Good luck w/the new baby :hug: .


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

She has had Nutridrench and Selenium/Vit E gel. She has a suck reflex, but gets tired really quickly trying to suckle on mom. I keep taking her out there. She has gotten latched a couple of times and seemed to get some in her belly. I'm trying to feed her out of a bottle instead of the syringe so I don't end up with it in her lungs. She is just a little brat and mom is tired of the other three sucking on her and wants to run off when I try and put this little girl on her. Tomorrow morning I am going to spend some good time with her and her momma teaching her how to suckle better.


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

With my friends tiniest baby (1lb) we gave her a little tiny touch of Selenium Gel and a tiny squirt of NutriDrench/Power Punch, then waited till we saw it kick in (about 3-5 mins I think??) then we'd give her the bottle with as much as she wanted (it was a tiny amount at first)... then we'd let her rest for an hour & re-do our little mix again. But like I said earlier, we only did this thru the day, & by night time she was really getting the hang of it on her own.

How is her head/nech strength? Does she ever flop her head at all or flop her head back sorta behind her? To me, this is a sign that they need some additional BoSe type supplement or NutriDrench stuff. 

I'm thinking w/so many kids, well... let's just say I see a super cute, well loved bottle baby in your near future :wink: . It's probably just too much for momma goat, and I find that the momma's under stress will be extra tough on the babies that don't 'keep up'... like they know those babies wouldn't make it on their own, so she ignores it. Definitely NO FAULT of the momma... they are all different, but they've all got a limit too. And that's a lot of kids!
I'd probably just stick w/trying the bottle as often as possible for awhile... the more she gets, the stronger she'll get.

*Oh and make sure she stays warm... I have found that the tiny babies can't seem to hold their temp's up very well at all ..


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Well, I took her back out again and she latched on by herself several times although I had to position her right next to the teat. Drank quite a bit. I left her out with everyone. They are under a heat lamp and the temperature is probably in the upper 40s and all the kids are piling up on each other under the lamp. I plan on checking on her every hour or so through the night and bring her back in if she seems to be getting chilled. Her head/neck strength is great. She is just a little wobbly on her feet. Mom tended to her really well when I just took her out. Licked her bottom and squatted for her to eat then started licking all the other three laying in front of her. So far she wants to care for them all. I think the thing I worry about most is just that she will not have enough milk for them all, even with her big udder. I don't want to do cow's milk anymore after the fiasco with my last bottle kid, so I'll run and get some goat milk replacer from Big R tomorrow to supplement them.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Well she just dropped dead. Really bizarre. I was checking on her out there every 15 minutes. Was plenty warm. She was still wobbly. Started breathing really fast all of a sudden. I took her inside and she went from standing to really floppy within seconds and from that to her head snapped back against her back and dead within less than a minute. I think there was something wrong with her lungs. I'm sure I didn't get any in there with the syringe as I just gave her super tiny amounts in the front of her mouth a little at a time and let her swallow on her own or spit it out. Last year this doe had a kid born who couldn't breath at all from the moment it came out no matter what we tried and it passed. I wonder if she has something congenital lung-wise? All the other kids are really healthy and normal (knock on wood.)


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## 4kids (Jul 21, 2009)

I am sooo sorry. It is so hard to lose a kid!


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Oh, I'm so so sorry.... those little tiny one's are so unstable... I'm told the lungs are usually the issue w/small babies or premie babies. I've been told to keep a VERY close eye on any kids born under about 2lbs. until they are about 3-4 months old, because the internal issues could still affect them even when you think they are 'out in the clear'.... 
I am sure that you did everything you could... these things just happen sometimes... <HUG> :hug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I am so sorry for your loss...  sometimes something internal ..whether it be the lungs or some other major organ...can be wrong in there....can have devastating results quickly...... it isn't easy to watch a new baby die....I agree ...you did a great job in trying to save the baby....don't blame yourself..... :hug: Again.. I am so sorry...


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