SOS have a hurt baby goat!!!

[kentuckychicks]

Ok we were planning on getting goats in the next year as my daughter has been begging me for some. My mom is a RN one of her elderly patients has a farm. He the last year he has a stroke can still get around somewhat slowly but his speech is really bad and he's kind of forgetful. Anyways he has a breed of dairy goats (he can't seem to remember what kind) one of the does had a kid and stepped on its leg and it wasn't walking. He brought it in a started bottle feeding it but it's too much work for him. The mom no longer wants to take care of it period. He wants me to take this goat so I said ok. I know I've lost my mind!!!! The goat is a sweet little thing a buck And is walking now oh and it's five days old.

The issue is I know squat about goats period. Until we get a goat barn slapped together sigh he will be in a extra large dog kennel on my laundry room. Since a have two kids I'm sure I will have a house goat! Again sigh

He is going to give me bottles and a supply of goat milk for the next couple of weeks. Can I give him cows milk? Pasteurized? As soon As he gets bigger and goes to the barn we are going to get him a friend so he's not alone. I'm kind of freaking!!! I need advice please!!!!

 

[Peaches Lee]

Sorry, I'm no help but bumping this up for you.

 

[kentuckychicks]

Thanks peaches lee! I'm desperate lol

 

[enola]

NO cows milk. I cannot say that strongly enough !

TSC carries goat milk replacer, in a large bag.

 

[enola]

You need a bottle and a lamb nipple. He will need to be fed 2 to 3 times a day. I used to keep dairy goats, I only fed them a bottle 2 times a day. You MUST limit the amount he gets. If you let him eat until he quits, you have a baby with severe diarrhea. Not properly treated, diarrhea becomes a death sentence for goats.

One more piece of advice..........get him castrated SOON.

I am sure someone else will come on here with more advice.

And if you know a goat farmer that will disbud him for you, you will be glad you had it done.....

 

[CristinaB]

Good luck to you!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Give him Goat's milk as long as you can, then switch to Cow's milk

Milk "replacers:" don't give good results

There is lots of info available about how to care for goats, so it won't be hard to figure out
It will just be TIME consuming at first

 

[enola]

All of the following statements are only my opinion, I do not want to be informed that I am misinforming the OP again.

[I have had dairy goats (in the past) for about 12 years. I raised them around small children. We bottle fed approximately 30 kids each year.]

(1) If this goat has being a pet as a future, he needs to be both castrated and disbudded.

2) Male goats are musky, oily, disgusting messes. Castrating him will prevent this problem.

3) A horn in the eye of a child is a disaster any way you look at it. Having the kid disbudded will prevent this.

If he is going to be a pasture ornament, horns and the way he smells won't make any difference!

Oh.......and I forgot mature bucks think it is neat to pee all over themselves and their surroundings. And most of them are not at all very good with their aim.

I for one would not like to be explaining to my grandchildren why the daddy goat is drinking his pee and some of their other "actions" should not even be mentioned on this "family oriented" site.

 

[kentuckychicks]

Ok thanks!! My granddad has cattle and he castrates them so he is going to do it for me actually tomorrow after I go get the stuff that is for castrating goats.

I have a SOS call in to a lady that works with my mother that has goats so fingers crossed she debuds hers I do have small children. As soon as he goes out we are going to get him a doe friend. Until them we will be his herd lol

Do wethers pee on theirselves too or just the bucks? I have heard of the rude behavior bucks have..... Eeeeekkkk

I will post a picture of him tomorrow and actually I will try to get a picture of his mom as well it might be easier to identify a grown goat.

We plan on this goat and the friend we get to be the decider on if we get more goats in the future.

Any advice on fencing? Bedding? And when to offer him grass and or hay?

 

[enola]

Whethers are just as sweet a does. They are so much nicer than bucks. Offer him hay soon, he will know when to start eating it. You will need secure fencing to keep goats out of the flower beds and off the top of your vehicles. We used a type of fencing that is used on horse farms, so they could not put their heads through the fence.
I loved my goats and intend to have goats again.