# Best bottle feeding recipe



## Jessaba

I don't like bottle feeding unless its necessary, but I want to know what is the best recipe if you can't get goat's milk of course. I like to be prepared as we have kids on the way. I have read use whole cow's milk from store. If that is it do I need to mix anything with it or just use that??


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## Jessica84

yes you do. I have a book 'raising meat goats' and in it it says that there are 2 good formulas you can use
1- four parts milk to one part half and half
2-one gallon milk mixed with one 12oz can of evaporated milk (not condensed milk) and one cup buttermilk. Remove enough milk from the gallon of whole milk to add the evaporated milk and buttermilk. Mix well, then add back as much of the remaining whole milk as you can to make a full gallon.

And I would not recomend using the powered calf milk. Some people say they had no problems but when I tryed it I lost one baby and almost lost another. Was just luck I got pepto in the 2nd in time. 
Hope this helps


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## StaceyRosado

Some do and some dont -- it depends on the goat kids really, some kids are from less fat producing breeds then others. Cows milk doesnt have a lot of butterfat in it comparably


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## Devin

I have a doeling that I raised on powedered goat milk (not cow). she did awesome on it, is bigger than her sister who was raised on goat milk and has been 100% healthy, not once has she had one problem!!! I think the biggest problem is people make the mistake of over feeding them . . . . Based on my own limited experience and the outcome I would do it again if needed. However, I do hope to raise future babies on regular goat milk.


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## newmama30+

I personally, use 1 gal of whole milk, take out enough to add in a cup of whipping cream, and a cup of butter milk, then add back what I can of the whole milk. I got the recipe from a friend that has milk goats.


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## RMADairyGoats

We bottle feed all our kids and milk the does and give that to the kids and if we don't have enough milk from the does than we buy whole cows milk and mix goat/cow milk together and feed it to them.


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## Jessaba

Like 2 years ago we had a buckling born and the mom had nothing to give him.....so we had to bottle raise him, it didn't matter either way but we were told to use milk replacer which we did...



if I have a goat in milk at the time a bottle baby needs to be bottled I will definitley milk her and give it to baby, but in the case I dont have that available is what I was asking about..

Thanks for the input!!


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## RMADairyGoats

I have heard to NEVER give milk replacer. I have read on many websites that it can kill goat kids. I guess it did not harm your guy but if you don't have a milking doe to feed the kids with I would use whole cow milk over the replacer. JMO


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## Jessaba

Yes I don't like using the milk replacer..especially since I've heard that it can kill...which is why I wanted something else to use! Thanks sooo much


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## StaceyRosado

I believe stating it can kill is a way overstatement! Some replacers are better then others. I like the Land-O-lakes its straight powdered goat milk.


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## keren

I agree stacey. All replacers are not created equal. You want one that is all milk, no soy. And you want the 20-20 rule - 20% protein, 20% fat. Usually the cheap replacers have soy and fillers and that is where people have issues. But then, I think not all goat kids are created equal either. I've always used replacer, a very high quality one, never had any problems, a few years ago I had two little doe kids really not tolerate it at all, chronic bloat which I lost one of them from, even after we'd punctured her rumen twice (although she ultimately passed because the vet punctured her lungs trying to get a tube into her stomach! grrrr! she may have survived if he hadnt done that I dont know), the surviving kid I switched to store bought cows milk and she did fine. At the moment my bottle baby is on goats milk, and when I dont have enough of that I use powdered/instant milk that you get at the supermarket - not replacer, just powdered cows milk for humans to drink


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## RachelDawson

keren said:


> I agree stacey. All replacers are not created equal. You want one that is all milk, no soy. And you want the 20-20 rule - 20% protein, 20% fat. Usually the cheap replacers have soy and fillers and that is where people have issues. But then, I think not all goat kids are created equal either. I've always used replacer, a very high quality one, never had any problems, a few years ago I had two little doe kids really not tolerate it at all, chronic bloat which I lost one of them from, even after we'd punctured her rumen twice (although she ultimately passed because the vet punctured her lungs trying to get a tube into her stomach! grrrr! she may have survived if he hadnt done that I dont know), the surviving kid I switched to store bought cows milk and she did fine. At the moment my bottle baby is on goats milk, and when I dont have enough of that I use powdered/instant milk that you get at the supermarket - not replacer, just powdered cows milk for humans to drink


We've never had issues with the one we use. A few years ago we had one get an upset stomach but we had to change to replacer without any slow change as the mom got mastitis and wouldn't feed her twins. That cleared of on its own in a day or two and he's happily living on our farm since


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## goathiker

Wow this thread is over 8 years old


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## RachelDawson

goathiker said:


> Wow this thread is over 8 years old


Oh geez I posted on the wrong thread‍♀ Sorry.


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## toth boer goats

Yep, been a while.


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## Madgoat

I used Meyenberg Whole Powdered Goat milk for 2 of my goats and they thrived wonderfully on it.


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