Bottle feeding boer goats

[Michelle. LeVrier]

We need help with our 2 week old boer goats. We got them from my uncle at 2 weeks old feeding off their mom. They weigh 12 pounds each, and we gave them 12 ounces the other day, but one of them had diarrhea like she had too much milk. We try to feed them but they don't want to eat. How much should they be eating, and what should we do?

 

[Birdsong 82]

What type of milk are you giving them now? Possibly an adjustment from the different milks? Have you looked into scours as possibility?

 

[Michelle. LeVrier]

We're giving them a milk replacer called kid milk.

 

[Sunny-Side Up]

I used to own goats (no expert by any means though) and the only thing I know about with diarrhea is dehydration. Possibly they're dehydrated?

 

[Michelle. LeVrier]

The same goat, if we feed her some, she makes this sound, I don't know what it is, and the other one spat up milk. We've been trying really hard to make sure they get fed. We did have 1 goat months ago that was 4 weeks instead of 2, and eventually took the bottle, grew up to be about almost a year old, but she hung herself.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Cut back on the amount. If the kids drank milk before, you need to transition them to milk replacer over a few days by mixing with milk to avoid digestive trouble. You also need to mix the replacer correctly, so follow the directions.

It's been a while, but at 2 weeks I think I fed 4-8 ounces 3 times a day. If you see diarrhea cut back on the amount. Too much will kill them faster than not enough. Some people feed them straight whole cows milk because it's easier.

 

[Michelle. LeVrier]

Do you mean mixing their milk replacer with cow milk you buy from the store?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do you mean mixing their milk replacer with cow milk you buy from the store?

Or whatever milk it was getting. That would have been best. If it wasn't getting cows milk than I don't think it would help. I have bought goat kids who were fed milk than switched to milk replacer successfully by me. Just feed smaller amounts than slowly increase them. Avoid diarrhea or bloat by starting smaller.

 

[Michelle. LeVrier]

The mom goat is 300 miles away. My dad researched something about mixing whole milk with butter milk and evaporated milk.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The mom goat is 300 miles away. My dad researched something about mixing whole milk with butter milk and evaporated milk.

I would either just use the milk replacer as directed, or whole cows milk. Less chance of getting the mix off.