There are several reasons why you might need or want to put baby goats on a bottle. Your doe has a disease that could be passed onto the offspring via her milk. The kid has been rejected. Or for reasons like we do, bottle feeding makes for more people friendly goats.
But sometimes getting a baby to accept the bottle can prove challenging. It really comes down to forcing the nipple in the goats mouth and waiting for them to be hungry enough to suckle. But there are some things you can do to help the process along. Here are some tips and tricks to getting your baby goats to adjust to a bottle.
Tip #1: Three Chances
When you first try to bottle feed. The baby will resist, some scream in protest, and they will not be happy in general about you shoving a nipple into their mouth. So in the interest of not stressing the baby goat out and making it a negative experience, I make 3 attempts to get the bottle in their mouth. If they don’t drink, then I try again the next feeding. A healthy baby goat will not resist forever and will eventually give in and drink.
Tip #2: Cover Eyes
Gently pressing the babies head to your chest and cupping your hand over their eyes can help simulate the baby nursing from mom and encourage them to drink. I’ve had this work for some, and not so much with others.
Tip #3: Move Nipple Around
Likely when you first get the nipple into the kids mouth, if they don’t spit it out, they will freeze and not move with the nipple just sitting in their mouth. Sometimes gently moving the nipple in and out (without taking it out completely) can remind them something is in their mouth and can get them to start suckling.
Q & A
How Long Does It Take For Them To Accept The Bottle? This will vary per kid. The younger the kids are the quicker they will catch on. I’ve had it take almost 24 hours for a 2 day old for that first feed, or 2-3 days for an older kid. It can take an additional week or two before they start accepting the nipple on their own without you having to the guide the nipple in.
What Milk To Feed? The best milk will always be fresh goats milk. But if you’ve just purchased a bottle baby I’d say the next best thing is organic whole cows milk from the grocery store. The cheapest and least attractive option would be to buy milk replacer from your local farm store. I’m not too crazy about the ingredients in goat milk replacer, but it should work just fine.
What If They Don’t Eat? A healthy baby will eat eventually. If you suspect there is an issue with the kids health, then you can either just do what you can at home like giving the baby kick start gel for a health boost, or contact your veterinarian.
How Long To Bottle Feed? Baby goats need to be on the bottle for at least 2 months minimum but can benefit from being on milk for longer.
How Much Too Feed? Many sites list what to feed in ounces per the kids age but ultimately, you just feed them as much as they will drink each feeding. Just get a feel for what is normal for that kid so you know if somethings wrong if their intake decreases.
Moving baby goats onto the bottle can be a stressful thing as you want them to understand and get it right away. It just takes time, persistence, and patience. Hopefully these tips and tricks works for you!
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