Help!!! Bottle feeding baby goat with PROBLEMS!

[SilkieCRZYness]

I'm not sure if anyone can help me here, and I know I can take her to a vet tommorrow so I'm hoping to get more answers other than " take her to the vet". I aquired this 4 day old boer kid from a nieghbor who was bottle feeding it as it's mom neglected it as a baby. Did she get colustrum? I'm not sure. I heard that replacer is bad for her so I switched to whole milk, but didn't donor gradually as I did not know I needed to. She's 7 days old and is very active and looks good and drinks 7-8oz per feeding about 5-6 a day. My problem is there is blood coming from her private. Not sure which hole it is but she peed then about 5 minutes later I noticed it. She also was jumping around placing and falling and was shaking her back legs, I'm not sure If she hurt herself or if this is related to the replacer milk or the quick switch over. Any suggestions will help. I read to give electrolytes with Waterford 24 hrs then gradually switch back to milk as this will clean out her system and hopefully fix her but I need answers please if anyone has had this problem or symptoms from switching from replacement milk to whole milk. Thank you

 

[Crazyland]

I know that other infant female animals can have genital bleeding. It is apart of the leftover hormones from Mom.

congrats on your new baby.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Make sure you are feeding raw milk. Especially if it may have missed its colustrom.
Also, ask around for anyone that has a doe freshening any day, and get a little bit of colustrom for the baby if you can.
Its not to late.

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

Okay how late it to late to give colostrum? Also, when you say raw milk, I heard whole
milk is the best if you dint have access to fresh goat milk. That soy milk and replacer will kill. Is this true?

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Yes, replacer and especially soy replacer is bad stuff.
Certainly the mother is fresh? Can't you get milk from her?

The problem with pasturized milk, is its "dead". It has nothing living in it, that is life sustaining.
The calcium and enzymes are smashed from the processing.
It would not be to late to feed colustrom to the baby. It may not have the exact effect as it would have on day one, but colustrom is full of really good stuff.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Congratulations on the new baby.

I can't offer any solutions on the bleeding part, but I can help you with the milk replacer.
If you want to give her anything besides goat milk, you will need to add a few things.

This is what I use if I don't have any goat milk available.
If using calf milk replacer, To 1 gallon of prepared milk replacer, I add 1 raw egg and 1 cup of buttermilk. I also cut the recommended dose of the powder in half.

If using whole milk, I remove 3 cups from a gallon of milk. To the remaining part of the gallon, I then add 1 raw egg, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 cup of buttermilk, and add water to make a full gallon. (Sometimes I take out more than 3 cups)

If using goat milk replacer, cut the recommended dose in half. (I prefer Uni-Milk) I usually add an egg to each gallon I mix.

I only bottle feed a maximum of 3 times a day. I start with 8 - 12 ounces per feeding depending on the size of the kid. I don't recommend you feed her until she is full, only until you can see her belly rounded out some. You will have to adjust the amount by watching her. If she quits nursing before she drinks the entire bottle, next time feed her less. I gradually increase as they grow to 16 ounces.
You can easily over feed a baby and they can bloat.

It is hard to explain this in writing, but you want to leave her wanting more. I don't mean to deprive her of milk, just don't fill her up. She needs to be active after drinking, not ready for a nap. Her system is not made to be full, if she was nursing from her mother, she would only be allowed to nurse for a very short time before Mom walks off.

Watch for diarrhea, if she has really loose bowel movements, you could either be giving her too much, or the mixture is too rich.
Her bowel movements should be kind of sticky, but not hard pellets at her age. More like a young puppy.
You may need to adjust the mixture until you find the right one for her.

Have hay and fresh water available for her.

As far as her shaking her back legs, I'm not sure exactly what you mean.
Does she do this all the time, or just after a bottle? Does it seem like she is in pain, or is it more like she is shivering?

Baby goats fall down a lot, when they are being frisky. They just aren't the most graceful things while they are "finding their feet".

I hope I have helped you some. I wish I knew what is happening to your baby.

Jean

 

[SilkieCRZYness]

You have helped grately. I meant she was shaking her legs after trying to jump up on steps and fell about two feet n collapsed. She is super clumbsy but getting better at jumping and landing on her feet. I will make the whole Milk 1 gallon recipe for her and use that. I totally understand the leaving wanting more deal and not over feeding and feeling her belly deal. I get all that and do it all. But what I need tk knownos it's okay only feed her three times a day at 1 week old? Seems so little. But definitely easier on me but I want to do whas best. She doesn't want the hay or water, how long until she starts on that stuff? Thanks alot

 

[nzpouter]

3 weeks before they start nibbling on greens, we're cuttting down their milk as soon as they start to eat/ swallow their green....

 

[luvzmybabz]

I purchased a buckling on Saturday asked on a number of boards about changing over slowly from replacer to vita D milk only. Most said that noe gradual switch is needed maybe just a1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the bottles to help with possible tummy ache. Switched him over and he is doing SOOOOOO much better his poo is not runny like it was and he has sooo much more energy then before.

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
That's not true.. I've raised quite a few on pasteurized whole cow's milk from the store without any issues whatsoever.

And, so far as colostrum goes...feeding colostrum from just any ol' doe without knowing her health or history is dangerous advice.. Bad things get passed along in colostrum, too.. If the doe has CAE, for instance, feeding her colostrum will give the kid CAE as well..