I am getting a 7 day old Nigerian Dwarf bottle baby tomorrow(whos never been on a bottle yet..UGH!), and i have a concern. Whenever i bottle fed my other goats (only 2 of them) i used save-a-kid replacer...and everything seemed to go well...but lately on here i have been reading to not use this and to use whole cows milk? please help! what do i do? i have to figure this out before tomorrow morning...
thanks! i was just going to buy it at the grocery store?? thats all we have around here..is that the same?
Whole cow's milk. Much more like momma. Plus you don't want floppy kid syndrome. My two doelings are doing great on it. Be sure to add some probios!
The sheep farm i worked at just used the powdered milk replacer and their lambs did fine. As long as he got the mother's colostrum at the beginning, that is very important (you can buy colostrum too). I wouldn't fuss about whether cow's milk is better, even if other say it is. However, try to get the more expensive replacer that is made from whey or milk, not the soy-based kind. It is higher quality and has less problems.
You are going to get mixed responses on this one. I'll break it down the way I figured it out. First of all, a good kid replacer, top of the line, like Land-O-Lakes, has antibiotics and such. It's like feeding medicated feed to your chicks at first. Just gives them a little extra boost. With cows milk, people have a lot of success with it, but you may have to supplement with some antibiotics. Think of it as getting a new puppy check ups. Or taking your kids to get booster shots. I just weaned a baby goat and had to weigh out the cost as well as schedule for doing it both ways. The simplicity of the replacer won out for me. Since you have raised others, I would stick with what you are comfortable with and what you know. Start giving regular goat feed and hay right away. It helps with weaning if they have already been introduced to it. Be careful of bloat. Goats have four stomachs and it will have to adjust to whatever you decide. Just be patient and walk it around, massage it's stomach to relieve it. Good Luck with your decision.
Is Sav-A-Kid a good replacer? i think its all they have in my area...although, i have not checked tractor supply for that yet...does anyone know what they carry for replacer...UGH! this is a tough choice...i did have some slight scours with my first bottle baby..but, none with my other one...
Quote:really?, i am going to CT to get mine! heehe,,maybe right by ya! they are blue eyed also! want the ladies #? i wanted a doe to get milk from eventually... i'll be waiting a while..LOL..
I would love to find a milk goat or two. Not that easy to come by here though. As far as feeding your baby, go with what is comfortable for you. I had read that there is a certain way to mix up the cows milk. Would have to google the recipe if that is the way you choose to go.