# Bottle feeding/dam raising



## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

We bottle raise as the kids are very friendly and seem to sell better. Plus you don't have to deal with the weaning struggle. It is so much fun for all of us! :thumb:


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

We dam raise unless bottle raising is needed. We just don't have the time. All our kids are friendly and sell fine as we do spend countless hours playing and handling them. They act just like bottle babies, except soon after you leave they quit hollaring  Never really had a problem with weaning....

only bottle raise when necessary...our first bottle baby we lost after 2 months and it broke my heart. I still miss him today.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

IMO...Mama does it best! My kids have always been friendly and loveable, they just don't see me as their food source.


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## goatsnmore (Feb 22, 2011)

This last year, we raised half on dam and the other half, of kids, were bottled. At weaning time, the dam raised kids were larger. For us, we decided, it's not cost effective to bottle feed.


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## potentialfarm (Apr 11, 2011)

goatsnmore said:


> This last year, we raised half on dam and the other half, of kids, were bottled. At weaning time, the dam raised kids were larger. For us, we decided, it's not cost effective to bottle feed.


We have also found that the kids grow better when on mom ~ there's no real substitute for nature! A goat's proper digestion is so important! When bottle-fed, people make (or try to) them drink X amount, X# times a day, whereas, kids w/mom would be having smaller portions, spread throughout the day. I suspect that bottle-feeding helps to create bad eating habits. 
This is just my opinion, based on what I've observed, so no one get mad at me here! :wink: 

The real difference that I've noticed between bottle fed/dam raised & friendliness, is that the ones that I didn't bottle-feed, don't think that the garage or house is the "in place" to be. With your first goat, that can be somewhat cute. After that, not so much...


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Dam raising is our method of choice. I feel it's easier on the doe and have seen better growth in the babies. I also just don't have time to bottle feed and don't really enjoy it all that well.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I have dam raised ... I have to admit, I'm just too lazy to bottle feed!


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

This is my first year with kids and I let mom raise them. Weaning may prove to be a bit harder, but I do not feel like bottle feeding..only if I had to. Mine are growing great and I still get milk for me!


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## Randi (Apr 22, 2011)

> Mama does it best! My kids have always been friendly and loveable, they just don't see me as their food source.


I agree, Mama does it best. For the most part the goats are naturally raised and they seem stronger and healthier than when I fuss too much. I do play with the babies and have many other humans, dogs, cats, horses, chickens that play with them as well. It is generally their sweet, loving personalities that does the selling later.


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2011)

We only bottle feed when necessary. We dam raise, but spend tons of time playing with the little buggers and who ever said playing with babies was work? Love it!


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I'd like to know how you feed so many kids on a bottle? I guess you use those buckets with multiple nipples? Do they still see you as MaMa if you aren't actually holding the bottle? Do the dams "get over" not having their kids with them? 

I have so far dam raised except when necessary. Lizzy had litters so I usually had to bottle feed one or more of those, and later I decided I would bottle her daughters, she was an unfriendly goat and she was raising unfriendly doelings, the bucklings were always friendly. Then Taylor (her unfriendly daughter) was doing the same, until I milked her, now she's a cupcake. So, I may try her again. :shrug: 

I'm thinking when the Alpines kid, I may bottle feed their kids, they are bottle babies, so they may just go with it.


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## JessaLynn (Aug 30, 2009)

We dam raise as it's what nature intended unless we have a very weak kid or a kid is reserved (payed in full) and buyer wants them sooner then 8 weeks then bottle feed.We handle kids alot and they are very friendly.Bottle babies to me are annoying and jump all over you


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Dam raise. Nature is always best IMO. 
Our kids are friendly and the ones we have that are a pain are the bottle babies someone else raised that are all in your pocket and think it is ok to climb all over us! They are finally learning but it has been annoying.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

Dam raise. I am not breeding to sell so that isn't a concern. Most babies go to the freezer, and bottle raising is just more work than i want to put into an animal that is just going to be meat. especially since they seem to grow better on mom.

Weaning was not an issue for me last time. I started by pulling the moms away from the babies for 2 hours a day to milk them. The first day the babies fussed a bit but nothing dramatic, by the time they got upset mom was coming back. Over a few weeks i extended the time they were apart to 12 hours. They did this for a few months and never made a big deal about it. Then one day I just didn't bring moms back. They didn't seem to notice.


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## goatsnmore (Feb 22, 2011)

Di said:


> I'd like to know how you feed so many kids on a bottle? I guess you use those buckets with multiple nipples? Do they still see you as MaMa if you aren't actually holding the bottle? Do the dams "get over" not having their kids with them?


Yes, using a bucket it the easiest way to go. And yes, the kids still see you as MaMa even though you aren't holding the bottle. I'd walk through the gate, with the bucket, and I'd get mauled. In our experience, when we've started bottle feeding, the dams didn't seem to care, when we removed one to bottle. However, we have never taken all babies from a mother. In the past, we've generally only taken a 3rd or 4th baby, leaving the mother with at least 1, preferably more. Once bottle feeding started, the dam generally will not accept the baby back anyway. The baby continues to live with the herd, to learn how to be a goat.


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

I haven't had any kids yet but when I do they will be dam raised unless it's necessary to bottle raise them.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> who ever said playing with babies was work?


Couldn't have said it better! :thumbup: I'd rather play with them than spend all that work bottle raising and then a lot _more_ work teaching them not to be pushy.
Besides what other people have said, I couldn't bear to separate a new kid from its mama. It is so sweet to see them together.
I have strong opinions about this. I have never bottle raised but I realize there might be good reasons for it, so nobody throw goat berries!


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

milkmaid said:


> I have strong opinions about this. I have never bottle raised but I realize there might be good reasons for it, so nobody throw goat berries!


 :slapfloor: lol



Di said:


> I'd like to know how you feed so many kids on a bottle? I guess you use those buckets with multiple nipples? Do they still see you as MaMa if you aren't actually holding the bottle? Do the dams "get over" not having their kids with them?


We hand feed them and have never used a bucket. Most likey when we have lots of kids we will use one but so far we have never had more than 12 kids at a time. Moms will cry and cry for their kids but get over it in a day or so. :thumb: Bottle feeding is so much fun and the kids follow you everywere you go!!! :greengrin:


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

LOL @ goat berry comment!!

I have plenty to throw


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Jessaba said:


> LOL @ goat berry comment!!
> 
> I have plenty to throw


haha!!! Me too! :wink:


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