2 week old goat question

[Chatychick]

If by chance she was getting milk she dont like replacer. I bottle feed and if I dont have goats milk I use whole cows milk. They like it really warm. Also you sometimes have to try many different nipples to get the right 1. I use the Pritchard nipples also and have used the Playtex nurser. Some babys that have been on milk wont take replacer. It upsets their tummies. Have you seen her poop yet? Is she peeing also? Is she standing like maybe her tummy is hurting. When I feed mine I add a pinch of Baking soda to the bottle each time as this helps. Try feeding her real milk and not replacer and see if she likes it. With regular baby nipples I use the fast flow type. Call the people that you got her from and see what they were using. This will help alot.

 

[calgal98]

Quote:
I routinely wean my bucklings at 6-8 weeks as long as they are eating well. It is nice to feed them longer, but as long as they are eating well there is no *absolute* need to do so. A baby goat can be weaned with no ill effects at 2 months. Of course the baby goat would LOVE to continue getting milk. I have some 2yo that will still try to find a teat to suckle. They like the milk, they like the familiarity and comfort, but it isn't a necessity.

 

[Sunshine Chick 1]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I don't have the people's number so I can't call them. I know that would have helped. I did get her to take 2 oz of the replacer at lunch time. I put some hay in with her to see if she would try and eat some of it also. She does drink water from a bowl.

Another question. I do bring her over to the fence to our 1.5 year old momma and her kid who he is 6-7 months. Just so they can get to know each other. This little girl is too little to put her in there to run with them. We tried and she made it right threw the fence. But my question is what age should she be put out with the other two goats we have? Thank you everyone for all the help. I am going to stop in the morning and pick up some different nipples also.

Happy Mother's day to all the mom's out there.

 

[CountryPantry]

Pritchard nipples work great, but so do baby nipples if you get the fast flow or #3's. We never had any luck with straight replacer, so Have always used 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 replacer.

Our goats loved us so much that they often gave us triplets and would only raise two of them, the other was for me....LOL!! I had african pigmys and love everyone of them. Big (little) babies....all of them!

 

[Haviris]

It could be that she isn't getting enough from the baby bottle nipple, if they are having to much trouble they will give up, it's possible that is what's happening. I would cut the opening bigger and feed her more often, this is especially important if she was just pulled from her mom (I will not sell a kid off it's mom after a week old, it's way to stressful for kid and mom (it's going to be stressful for mom anyway))(actually I won't sell an unweaned kid that isn't already nursing well on the bottle). It can be hard to tell if there is enough milk coming out of the nipple, even though you can squirt it out does not mean she's getting it out. Pritchard nipples are good, I'd get one of those!

I wean sell kids off at 10-12 weeks old, but keepers I keep on longer. Yes a kid will survive being weaned earlier, but that doesn't mean it's good for them. The absolute earliest a kid should be weaned is 8 weeks, and the only time I do that is for a buckling that is staying intact and acting alittle too mature! For keeper doelings and bottle kids they stay on the bottle (or on mom) until they are 3-4 months old, it depends on the kid, I wait til they are 'ready' before I start weaning (for the bottle kids, I usually just pull dam raised kids when I'm ready).

You've heard about bratty bottle raised goats? It is my theory that that comes partial from kids being weaned to early, my kids that are weaned at the proper time will NOT take a bottle after a month or so after being weaned. I have one goat that will suck a bottle, to the point that I couldn't give one to her kids w/ her there, I did not raise her but I'm guessing she was a bottle baby weaned to early. I have another one that was not a bottle baby that likes the milk, she won't nurse off the bottle, but she will try to bite the nipple off to get to it.

 

[Haviris]

Right now I would take her with you when you are w/ the other goats, let them meet and get use to each other. Once she's big enough that they aren't going to hurt her and she can't slip through the fence, start leaving her during the day, once she's taking that pretty well, I'd start leaving her over night. That is how I would do it.

Now occationally I've noticed that three's a crowd, it's possible the other two may be so bonded they will leave her out or bully her, if this happens, I'd get another about the same age as the new girl. Now they may be fine w/ all three w/ the boy being younger (he is a wether right?) he may enjoy having a younger more playful kid.

 

[username taken]

Quote:
You sure? If you take 18mths as 1.5 yrs, and taking into account the age of the kids, that means she would have had to have been bred the first time at 3 - 4 mths, kid down the first time at 8-9mths, and re-breed again within a month to kid down at 14 mths old.

I know its possible, but it doesnt happen very often ...

 

[Haviris]

I noticed that to, but desided i might have read it wrong. Like maybe they were saying if they bred her again it would be her second and she'd already have some experience (w/ the first).

 

[username taken]

yeah, I thought so too

 

[Sunshine Chick 1]

We were told by the lady we got her from that she was a 1.5 years and her kid (her boy) that we took with her was her second kidding. Maybe the lady was mixed up. She had a big herd of goats that she was getting rid of.

My goat book said that you should introduce hay at one week. Since this little girl is two weeks old I put some hay in her cage yesterday afternoon. I noticed this morning that she has diarrea. Do you think it is the hay? I have a water bowl in there and she does drink from it also. She did take 2 oz this morning from the bottle for me. I know she is getting milk from the bottle because of bubbles in it while she drinks. If I make the hole in the nipple bigger won't that be too much for her at a time?

Sorry for the questions. My other goats were eating hay and pellets when we got them and they were no trouble just go out and give them attention and love.

Thank you everyone for your help. I am still trying to figure out how to upload a picture of her on here.