what to feed 6 week old kid

[bassfishrman]

I am getting a 6 week old kid from a friend. I was going to leave it with its mother to be weaned, but have decided to go ahead and get it so it can be bottle fed and bond with our family at a younger age.

What do I feed it? How much? How many times a day? Can it be fed regular goat pettets and hay?

Thanks for helping a soon to be new goat owner!

 

[Thunderhill]

I would bottle feed it three times a day...whole cows milk. It is MUCH better than the store bought milk replacers. How much depends on what breed of goat it is. My 6 week old Nubians will drink 16 ounces thricea day at 6 weeks old...my little Nigerians usually get 8-10 ounces three times a day. If it is at all possible to leave it on Mommy for 2 more weeks it would be great.
It can eat regular goat pellets and regular hay. It might just nibble at both for a few days but it will catch on quick.
Congratulations!!

 

[helmstead]

Congrats!

I have never had any luck getting a kid over 3 weeks onto a bottle...so good luck with that. I would personally leave him with mom another 2 weeks. He'll bond just fine with you without the bottle if you spend enough time with him!

Otherwise...Thunderhill has given you great guidelines.

 

[bassfishrman]

Thanks for the help!

So if I left it with the mom for 2 more weeks, does that mean when I get it at age 2 months it will not need a bottle? I thought I had read that weaning took place at 4-6 months???

 

[helmstead]

I wean all of my kids at 8 weeks. Most are weaned by 12 weeks. Sure, if you never took the babies away...mom might not totally cut them off nursing for several months...but there would be no need to bottle feed after 8 weeks.

 

[bassfishrman]

Just to be sure I'm understanding right...

After they turn 8 weeks, they can be fed regular goat pellets, hay, and of course browse on trees, bushes, etc, with no need for milk?

 

[Thunderhill]

Right. We do that too. at 8 weeks they leave Mommy and the milk behind.
Alot of Meat goat breeders leave theirs on Mommy longer...they are looking for size, bulk...meat.

 

[justhatchin]

Yes after 8 weeks there is no great need for the milk as long as they are eating and drinking on their own.

I have taken them at 6 weeks and not fed any milk - they are just not as fat. Probably needed all that good nutrition in the milk to give them a great send off. You can just give it to them in a bucket if you can't get them to take a bottle, by 4 weeks they should be drinking water so all you would have to do is show them the warm milk and they should take right to it. (dip their nose-just the tip- in the bucket of milk, let them smell of it) Give them time to think about it and get hungry.

If you want them to be super tame like bottle babies you need to get it now and either try the bottle or the bucket. Goat pellets, hay and alfalfa. Becareful to not mix the powder milk to strong weaker is better, to strong or to much will give them the runs also changing from mom to the other milk might also.

Hope this helps.

 

[Thunderhill]

The only time I would remove mine from Mommy before 8 weeks would be in an Emergency. Even tho we don't bottle feed, ours are still super friendly because we spend time alot of time with them.
I think they need that extra little body fat while they are learning to survive without mommy.
Kate is right. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get a kid over 2 or 3 weeks old to take to a bottle

 

[Chirpy]

If you want them to be super tame like bottle babies you need to get it now and either try the bottle or the bucket

Maybe that varies by the goats personality and how it's handled before weaning but my goats (ND's, Alpine, Nubian) all act like bottle babies and none of them were. They were just loved on from birth by people so I disagree with that statement.

Now, my two ND's weren't handled a lot but several times a week from birth. It took me about 4 days to win over one of them and about 9 days to win over the other one when I brought them home at 8 weeks old. Now, they maul me when I go out there.. they are so pathetic with their NEED for my attention and lovin!