# Bottle Babies..



## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Hi!

Well I've been considering bottle raising my 2012 kids. How exactly do you make sure they get enough colostrum? Do you pull them once they hit the ground? I have bottle fed babies before but it wasn't exactly 24-7, since they were older. How much do you have to feed them every few hours or so. Any advice would be great!

Natasha


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## pelicanacresMN (Dec 29, 2009)

Which breed--the amounts will depend on breed. My experience has been that it's easiest to pull them when they hit the ground--don't even let them try to drink from mom. Do you plan to milk the dam and keep them on the goat milk?


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks for your quick reply!

Nigerian Dwarf, and yes I do plan to give them the goats milk from their dams since I prefer not to use replacer since it really doesn't seem to have the same nutritional value as the regular goats milk.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

The way I do it is I feed them when they are hungry for the first few days to a week, and then I disperse feedings to every four hours, don't feed at night unless they wake up. With the ND's I give 4oz every 4 hours until they are about 2 weeks old, and then I go to every 4 hours with 6 oz per feeding. It really varies depending on the baby. If the baby doesn't feel full enough, feed more, if they seem to full, feed a little less. It's easy to get a routine going, once you get started.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We bottle feed our Nigerian kids and it is SOOOOO much fun! :clap: If you don't have any frozen goat colostrum, there is also powdered colostrum you can buy. We give it to them for the first 24 hours.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Oh and I think it is better to take them the second they hit the ground. Don't even let mom see them for the first month or they might try to let them nurse. :hi5:


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Alright! I better bookmark this so I don't forget! And where would you buy the colostrum? A local tractor supply or Hoeggers? Now all I have to do is wait two months to breed my girls and another five months, I hate waiting for kids but they are completely worth it!!  :hair:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Is there a reason why you can't take the colostrum and milk from the mothers to feed their babies?

I'm only asking because since it's already available it wouldn't add to the expense of bottles and nipples, just your time to take it ready made.


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Lost Prairie said:


> Oh and I think it is better to take them the second they hit the ground. Don't even let mom see them for the first month or they might try to let them nurse. :hi5:


I know it's been a while since I last replied in this but questions are always buzzing around in my mind. So I shouldn't let her lick the babies or anything? Because I read that licking their babies encourages the babies to breathe. And will she be stressed and upset when I take the kids or will she just not really care because of her exhaustion?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

liz said:


> Is there a reason why you can't take the colostrum and milk from the mothers to feed their babies?


I'm guessing they're wanting to do CAE prevention at the same time. :shrug: However, you can heat the colostrum to leave the essentials, but kill the CAE at the same time. I would think that would be pretty easy and more cost effective. But I also don't do bottle feeding unless necessary so i'm not positive.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

The mom licking does help stimulate the kid to breathe. I personally only dam raise unless there is a reason I have to bottle raise so I am not sure but would imagine the mom would be a bit upset. Just because she kidded she isn't tired enough to forget her kid.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

VincekFarm said:


> I know it's been a while since I last replied in this but questions are always buzzing around in my mind. So I shouldn't let her lick the babies or anything? Because I read that licking their babies encourages the babies to breathe. And will she be stressed and upset when I take the kids or will she just not really care because of her exhaustion?


Sorry, I did not see this post till now. No, don't let her lick the kids. If you do, this will stress her more as she is bonding to them and then her kids are gone. As soon as they come out put them in a box or laundry basket and don't let her look at them. Yes, she will most likey yell for them a little but if you give her some hay and grain she will be okay  The babies will start breathing just fine, if you are worried about it than you could always rub them. It is kinda like a their mother licking them. It is so much fun and in our experience the kids sell better! :hi5:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Milk mom and give each kid at least 2 ounces of colostrum. They need this in the first 24 hours or its not effective.

On my website www.endofthelinefarm.com under goat care basics there is a bottle feeding schedule - I follow it loosely depending on kid and my work schedule.

Unless your does are CAE positive you can just use their milk/colostrum. As you said its healthier to use goats milk so why use a replacer for the most important meal - the colostrum?


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Thanks!! Also, if it's the case I'm not there for the birth what do you reccommend?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

What I do is leave the kids on mom till they are 2 weeks and then I start them on the bottle. I can then sell them as bottle babies if people want. 

What is your reasons for bottle feeding? I can help better if i know that


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

It isn't anything about CAE or other diseases tranferred from mother to kid. It's more about friendliness in the kids and if there is extra milk use it for personal use. Like this year it was a pain because since I didn't have ALOT of time to spend with each individual kid, and some took the examples of their dams since their dams are a bit timid. Andd I think it would be a fun experience, I bottle raised a little doeling this year since the mom pretty much rejected her the second she hit the ground, but it had a bit different circumstances since the mom sometimes would let her nurse.. but most of the time refused... wow I went topic a bit there lol


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## myfainters (Oct 30, 2009)

The only time bottle raising kids for "friendliness" is necessary is if the dam is wild. A wild doe will tell her kids to keep away from humans so even if they are in a small area they will become afraid of humans. However, an easy going friendly mama 95% of the time means easy going friendly kids as long as you spend time in the baby area. No need to stress mom and kid if it's not necessary. Not to mention bottle babies require a lot more training in regard to manners than a dam raised kid will. At least in my experience it has been this way. My dam raised babies are just as friendly if not more so than my bottle babies. And without needing the extra effort/money of bottle feeding!!!!


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

I really don't mind running the extra mile for bottle feeding, I do believe it will be worth it. Also to add another reason why I want to bottlefeed is because I had a doe with a severely lopsided udder, due to nursing a single kid and after that she produced stunning kids with fine udders but she herself wasn't show quality because of that.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

I have also heard that dam raised kids can wreck the udder by the "punching" that they do trying to get the milk down. I saw somewere that they had to to surgery to save the does udder.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Lost prairie - if that caused the demise of the udder it wasn't a properly supported udder  an udder should be able to withstand normal use.

Ok if you just want friendly kids you can try it the way I do which is pull at night and bottle feed in the morning (using milk from mom) 

If thats not for you then just pull from birth or whenever you get there and milk mom twice a day and feed kids on a schedule. 

I wouldn't use anything but moms milk/colostrum.


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Alright.. well thanks guys! Just trying to get everything sorted out before spring even though my does aren't even bred yet. :ROFL:


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