Question about a Nanny goat...advice please!!!

[M@M@2four]

So I got a nanny goat at an auction yesterday and she just seems really young to me--tiny, lets me hold her like a baby on her back, nuzzles under my neck and just very sweet. She's showing no signs of being interested in her food or water. I'm just worried. Should I try bottle feeding her and see if she takes and what type of supplement do you feed a baby goat? Thanks so much!
God bless,
Tracey

 

[tiffanyh]

I would.....

No interested in food or water better to be safe!

Good luck with her. Someone with more young goat experience will chime in soon!

Good luck!

 

[Florida chick]

1st make sure she isn't loaded with lics and parasites.
GOATS always like food!
How little, young is she? Walmart should have UNimilk milk replacer powder in the animal care area. Hopefully you have a feedstore with bottles/ She will need Gatorade as well if she has not drunk in a day or 2. You need to get something into her quickly. do you have a pic and we can try to help you age her?

 

[sara]

You should be able to get milk replacer for kids at your local feed store. She may have a little shipping fever, you could try penicillin. That's what I used to give my sheep if they got a little sick from hauling them to shows. That's the problem with sales, some people are out to make a quick buck, and don't treat the animals very good.

 

[Chirpy]

It would help enourmously if you can find out how old she is?

If she's under eight weeks then she's most likely not been weaned yet and will need milk replacer. Many goat people believe that cows milk is actually better to use.

If she's older than eight weeks (give or take a few days) then she should be weaned and should be wanting some good alfalfa or alfalfa/grass mix hay. AND, she should certainly be drinking water.

I highly suggest you get on a good goat forum (I would suggest "thegoatspot.net") and get advice from experienced goat people.

It would help if you could post a picture of her - that might give us an idea of how old she is.

Best of luck with her.

 

[tabsmonsters]

Check out this message board for goats. They are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about goats.

http://goatbeat.net/index.php

 

[helmstead]

On what little we have here, this is what I might do:

With a syringe, force feed her cow's milk. Generally, one ounce per pound. I place the luer tip in the corner of the mouth and drizzle the milk one drop at a time in the mouth. Don't go too fast as the baby might aspriate and that would be bad news.

Once you have a couple oz in her, offer her a human baby bottle with the nipple slightly enlarged. See what happens...you'll have to play with it and be VERY patient to get her on a bottle. Warning - you will get covered with milk and so will she, so have plenty of wet wipes or washcloths ready.

If you're afraid she's getting weak, you can add a tbsp of molasses or corn syrup to her milk to help her blood sugar come up.

Keep fresh hay and water in front of her at all times.

Also, dose her with ProBios as often as every day. The gel tubes for horses - 5 units per dose.

Don't forget loose goat minerals.

I would bet this is a very young doeling. Most kids near weaning age abhor being on their backs.

 

[Chatychick]

Its not good to let them be upside down on their backs as it will cause them to bloat and thats not good. I would try what Helmstead said with the cows milk and bottle. I have raise numerous babies on just cows milk rom the store. Lost a few with replacer...not very good stuff in my opinion some have good luck with it. If she is tiny she might be a Nigerian dwarf or Pygmy. could be a baby boer goat and its a doe not a nannie...lol...What color is she and you might want to get a temp on her to see if she is ata normal temp between 102 and 103 is normal. lower than that she isnt good and higher she has a fever. If they are sick they dont want to eat. Good luck and keep us posted ..

 

[Silkies4life]

I've raised goats all my life. She should be interrested in food. Open her mouth and see if she had small teeth in the front. She should have about 4 showing on top and 4 on the bottom. Go to the feed store and get the Purina goat pellets. They look like rabbit food. They should be medicated also to get rid of any intestinal parasites she may have. Also to tell her age, can you feel hornes coming up on top of her head. Do they feel like little knots? Are her hooves still soft or are they hard. Let me know and I can help you with this situation the best I can.

 

[Silkies4life]

Also If you are going to try to bottle feed don't spend a lot of money on milk replacement. Go to the refrigerated section of your grocery store and buy cold goat's milk (NOT the canned kind). This stuff workes great and doesn't need to be diluted or anything. It also doesn't expire for a long time. Just warm in up and you can use a regular baby bottle with a bigger hole put in the nipple. Please buy the goats milk not the cows milk. It has way too much fat in it and will cause digestion upset. One more thing, when you got her what did her feces look like? If it was dark and well shaped round balls that means she was probably eating food when you got her. If it was balls that were all stuck together and maybe a orangish color, she probably had milk. Hope this helps, if you have any questions just hollar!