# Bottle raising how do you all do it?



## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Ok, so hubby, kids, and I visited the Nubian breeder and have decided they are the breed we are going with  Milk production is #1 priority for us and I want to ensure we have enough for our entire family. The breeder I'm working with right now won't have any kids until March or April and or may be willing to sell me a mature doe with a doeling. (She hasn't decided yet) Now, if we decide to purchase from her we can put a deposit on the babies and she will raise them until they are weaned or we can raise them ourselves. What does that entail? Will they bond more closely with us? Will it be like having two screaming infants in the house again?:GAAH:My boys are 4 and 7 and I'm sure they would love the help feed and care for them so I'm thinking it might be good for the family. On the other side of that coin I'm wondering if I shouldn't keep looking around for someone who has mature does available...I would like to have milk asap...but I love babies lol! Any one with bottle baby experience?


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Having 2 bottle babies in the house is like having a whole nursery screaming at you. Its a labor of love and a lot of hard work.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

2 of my bottle babies I raised a couple years ago.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

So cute! So, do they just stay in there except when you're outside watching them? How often do they need fed? When do you start weaning them? Sorry for a million questions.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

No they didn't stay in there all the time. I fed them NurseAll replacer 4x a day for the first week and then they went outside with the rest of the goats where they were fed 3x daily and learned to be goats. In that picture they were only a few days old and we had an ice storm. The other goats seemed to know they were babies and didn't hurt them. They learned that a green mountain dew bottle meant food and they screamed everytime they saw one. We lost Lovey (the small one ) at 5 months to some unknown ailment, she didn't receive colostrum at birth. And Dancer went to her forever home last year at 2. Raising bottle babies is a rewarding experience.


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## RabidGoat (Jan 18, 2013)

Crocee, are those bottle babies in the house? Is it possible to house train a goat? I am getting really attached to my miracle baby and if I could house train him, and be able to keep him in here it would be wonderful. If this is possible please give detailed instructions.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Wow I'm sorry for the loss of the little one. So, I could keep them outside as long as they had proper fencing, shelter, etc. and go out (or bring in) and feed 4-5x daily? They start eating hay and grain pretty quickly like foals do then? We can't wean the foals until at least 4 months. When do you take the bottle away from the goats completely?


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I always bring mine in for the first week or two. Most likely the breeder should of already started the baby on a bottle and she will give you the schedule she has her on. A good breeder if selling a bottle baby always sends a care sheet, if not i would honestly reconsider buying from her.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

RabidGoat said:


> Crocee, are those bottle babies in the house? Is it possible to house train a goat? I am getting really attached to my miracle baby and if I could house train him, and be able to keep him in here it would be wonderful. If this is possible please give detailed instructions.


Yes the babies were in the house due to the weather and no they weren't house trained. They wore a diaper when running loose inside. You have to watch them closer than a 2 year old because they will investigate everything and most of it is dangerous. They try to chew anything that isn't nailed down. You have to remember that a goat baby is nothing like a puppy. They need to be outside in the sun and fresh air and learn to be goats. I used the older goats to teach these 2 how to be goats.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Esther88 said:


> Wow I'm sorry for the loss of the little one. So, I could keep them outside as long as they had proper fencing, shelter, etc. and go out (or bring in) and feed 4-5x daily? They start eating hay and grain pretty quickly like foals do then? We can't wean the foals until at least 4 months. When do you take the bottle away from the goats completely?


I wean from the bottle at either 3 or 4 months when they are eating more like goats. When they are down to one bottle a day I start decreasing the milk amount till its mostly water. When its mostly water I just cut it out. Baby goats start mouthing hay at a couple weeks when they see the other goats doing it, they learn by example. If you don't have another goat you will be the one teaching that baby to eat hay and other yummy stuff. To this day I still don't like the taste of hay and hickory/oak leaves:ROFL:


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I have only had to bottle feed twice. One time she was in the house and she went to work with me or went to school with my daughter to get her bottles. She was so spoiled, and se still is. She was born dead but I was able to bring her back, so she is VERY spoiled.

 The other two I was able to keep with mom and I just had to supplement them. I still have to feed three times a day but mom was able to help me out. 

 I tell you, all you folks that bottle feed, I so wish I could do it. I LOVE the interaction you have with them but I jus don't have the time.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

That is the one thing about bottle feeding baby goats that there is never enough of, TIME.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

JaLyn said:


> I always bring mine in for the first week or two. Most likely the breeder should of already started the baby on a bottle and she will give you the schedule she has her on. A good breeder if selling a bottle baby always sends a care sheet, if not i would honestly reconsider buying from her.


She said she would start them on the bottle and I could continue on her schedule. She is also a leader for our local dairy goat 4-H and has her herd tested for CAE. I'm trying to be careful to buy only from reputable breeders with good milking lines as I want the be able to sell the babies, have plenty of milk, and good goats for my boys to show  So with your own does you don't leave them with mom? I'm trying to decide also when I have my own does bred whether to leave them with mom for a while or bottle raise them. I don't want to run my does dry by milking them while they're nursing.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

crocee said:


> I wean from the bottle at either 3 or 4 months when they are eating more like goats. When they are down to one bottle a day I start decreasing the milk amount till its mostly water. When its mostly water I just cut it out. Baby goats start mouthing hay at a couple weeks when they see the other goats doing it, they learn by example. If you don't have another goat you will be the one teaching that baby to eat hay and other yummy stuff. To this day I still don't like the taste of hay and hickory/oak leaves:ROFL:


BAHAHA! My neighbors are going to think I'm very interesting if I start doing that! Hmmm maybe if they see the horses doing it they will try? lol!


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

They will imitate the horses however horses and baby goats do not mix well. I would keep the separate to keep the babies safe.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

My babies stay outside unless it is super cold when they are born and they need to be dried off. I use a heat lamp for a week or so at night and then quit unless it gets really cold. They stay in a small area for a week and then go out in a larger pen so they can run and play and be in the sun. I don't like to bring them in because they seem to have a harder time adjusting to the temperatures when they do go outside, plus it is much healthier for them to be out in the sun where they can nibble at grass and start tasting water right away.

I feed 4 12 oz bottles a day for the first two weeks and then get them on 3 20 oz bottles a day until they are about 3 months old. After that they are dropped to 2 20 oz bottles for a couple weeks then down to one bottle a day for a couple weeks and then I quit completely. By then the kids are eating plenty of hay and grain to sustain themselves without the milk. I offer hay and grain when they are a week old so that they start investigating food right away. At about 3 weeks I will put some cocci preventative in the milk for 5 days at a time, usually every couple weeks. I quit with the preventative in the milk when they are eating enough of the medicated goat feed for that to work as a preventative instead.

To get them eating hay, I will take a little bit in my hand and when they come up to try to suck on me, I slip it into their mouth. They usually spit it out, but it gives them a taste of what food is. I do the same with grain. If you have any older goats that are not mean to them, it will help a lot if they are living with them. They will see them eating hay and will do the same thing.

Good luck with your new babies.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

crocee said:


> They will imitate the horses however horses and baby goats do not mix well. I would keep the separate to keep the babies safe.


Oh for sure I just have their pens next to each other. I wouldn't want to chance an accident.


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

ptgoats45 said:


> My babies stay outside unless it is super cold when they are born and they need to be dried off. I use a heat lamp for a week or so at night and then quit unless it gets really cold. They stay in a small area for a week and then go out in a larger pen so they can run and play and be in the sun. I don't like to bring them in because they seem to have a harder time adjusting to the temperatures when they do go outside, plus it is much healthier for them to be out in the sun where they can nibble at grass and start tasting water right away.
> 
> I feed 4 12 oz bottles a day for the first two weeks and then get them on 3 20 oz bottles a day until they are about 3 months old. After that they are dropped to 2 20 oz bottles for a couple weeks then down to one bottle a day for a couple weeks and then I quit completely. By then the kids are eating plenty of hay and grain to sustain themselves without the milk. I offer hay and grain when they are a week old so that they start investigating food right away. At about 3 weeks I will put some cocci preventative in the milk for 5 days at a time, usually every couple weeks. I quit with the preventative in the milk when they are eating enough of the medicated goat feed for that to work as a preventative instead.
> 
> ...


Thank you this was very helpful! Do the moms have a hard time when the babies are taken from them? I only have an acre so they could see each other all the time, I would think that would make it harder on them.


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

because I show my Toggenburgs they need to be very quiet to handle or the judge will  get a bit cranky because the goat isnt standing properly.Anyway I take kids off Mum at 2 to 3 days old and they are placed in a kid pen/yard they are then disbudded(horns burnt off.They are given milk straight from Mums milking which will contain collostrum.So kids bond to me so I can train to stand and lead for future showing.I use a kid bar to feed milk and will wean 4 to 6 months of age and at that age they are down to one bottle a day anything from 600ml to 1 ltr.I start feeding grain and lucerne chaff from 4 weeks as well as hay,Teejae


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## goat_gurl101 (Jan 18, 2013)

When my dad raised goats as a child, they kept them in a crate on the kitchen floor. They would use a baby milk bottle with a 'X' cut into the nipple to allow more milk out. The first 2-3 days they would live with the momma for the colostrum, then they would come in the house and be treated like people. Then they would be docile for their entire life.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

The moms don't like it too much when I take the kids away. I let them lick them off, the kids seem to be so much cleaner and get dry faster that way. They will bawl for a few days, some does will look for them for up to a week or two, but after that they move on and seem to forget about their babies. They know I take them too, they will usually look right at me and go "MAAAAA!!" like they are demanding I give the kids back.

They are much easier to handle and you can make sure the kids are getting the right amount of milk when you bottle feed. I pull right away and milk the mom for the colostrum. All kids receive at least 1 oz of colostrum per lb of body weight with a goal of 20 oz per kid in the first 24 hrs. Some don't take that much if they are smaller, but most will take more than 20 oz of colostrum in the first 24 hrs. The does usually takes to being milked better when you are the first and only thing to ever milk them.


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## neubunny (Nov 7, 2012)

Talk with your breeder and consider 'splitting the difference' -- what I mean is, get the babies when they are old enough to have just two bottles a day. That's what we did with our first ones (and will again with the mini-alpine we are getting soon). That works well to get your children involved and also helps put you in the framework for eventual milking (on a 2x per day schedule). By that age they also will have 'learned to be goats' from mom and be more content with having just each other for company most of the time.


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## Macyllehub (Jan 6, 2013)

question: If you bottle feed the kids, after a week or two is it possible to re-introduce them to sharing a "goat area" of your property with their mother without them nursing? Or do they have to stay in separate areas the whole time they bottle feed? 

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my kids when they arrive in March and would like to bottle feed them. I feel prepared for the time commitment but uncertain where to keep the kids at the moment!


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

You can put them in the main stream goat area but be prepared for some screaming and fence bolting. The first time I put the bottle babies in the pasture they were fine as long as I was out there. As soon as I left the area they bolted through the holes in the woven wire fence. I could have sworn they were too fat to get through but they surprised me and came right through. The other goats looked at them like they were aliens but didn't bother them in any harmful way.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Esther88 said:


> Do the moms have a hard time when the babies are taken from them? I only have an acre so they could see each other all the time, I would think that would make it harder on them.


Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Some of my girls will scream for two straight weeks, and others are fine the next day. I would recommend not letting the does see the babies at all for the first few weeks. If they're introduced back to eachother too early the does will try to nurse their kids, and if the babies are real young, with encouragement from mom, they'll start to nurse and forget the bottle.


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## Macyllehub (Jan 6, 2013)

Lost Prairie said:


> Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Some of my girls will scream for two straight weeks, and others are fine the next day. I would recommed not letting the does see the babies at all for the first few weeks. If they're introduced back to eachother too early the does will try to nurse their kids, and if the babies are real young, with encouragement from mom, they'll start to nurse and forget the bottle.


How long would you recommend keeping them separated?


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Atleast three weeks  I think we first introduced ours at 6 weeks, but I don't think we had to wait that long. The does had NO idea those were their babies. It was quite nice!


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## Esther88 (Nov 11, 2012)

Great info everyone! Thanks!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

This is a great thread. I do plan to pull any doe kids I have to bottle feed. My main reason is because our pen is small and I don't have anywhere to separate out the young does for weaning if they are nursing. How long will we have to separate them from their respective dams to bottle feed and keep them from nursing? 1 week? 2? Our initial plan is to keep them in a mini pen in our basement until we can put them back out with their dams. (I only have 2 does right now - both pregnant with a small pen and small barn.)


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

If you separate immediately after birth, basically before the doe even sees them, much less cleans them up, she won't realize they're hers.


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