Sometimes a mother goat rejects a kid, gets sick or dies, in these cases it will be necessary to bottle feed the orphan kid(s).
If the kid was orphaned before it was 24 hours old
you would need to feed it colostrum, if the mother rejected the kid, it is best to milk the doe and feed the baby from a bottle, but if the doe is sick or died you will need to purchase colostrum from the store. If the kid is older than 24 hours, you can just feed it goats' milk (it is not recommended you feed goats cows 'milk since cows can be carriers of Johne's disease) or you can feed formula made for goat kids.
Here is how to bottle feed a kid:
stand the kid on the ground or hold it in your lap.
cover its eyes with your hand.
open the kids' mouth by gently squeezing on either side of its mouth with your hand.
put the bottle in the kids' mouth.
tip the bottle up so the baby needs to tip its head back. It's important they tip their heads back so that they don't get milk in the wrong stomach which would result in a potbelly.
some kids may need you to hold your hand under their mouth to keep the bottle from slipping and to get them comfortable.
Amounts of Milk or Formula to Feed the Orphan Kid
Time Frame | Amount | Frequency |
First two days | 2 ounces colostrum | Every 6 hours |
Days 3 through 7 | 4 ounces | Every 6 hours |
Second through forth weeks | 5 ounces | Every 12 hours |
Fifth through eighth weeks | 6 ounces | Every 12 hours |
Ninth through tenth weeks | 3 ounces | Every 12 hours |
These amounts are for Nigerian goats (the kind we have) if your goat is a full-size goat you will need to feed double the amounts given.
Tips
Some baby goats will suck on the bottle as soon as you cover their eyes, others will need you to put the bottle in their mouths before they realize that there is milk in the bottle.
The sooner you start bottle feeding a kid the faster they will learn to drink although, often you cannot control when to start bottle feeding as sometimes the death of a mother is the cause.
Kids like to be under a dark place, covering their eyes makes them think they are under their mother.
If you must switch from milk to formula or from one brand to another do so gradually, baby goats are very sensitive to sudden changes in diet.
Often a bottle baby will need to be taken away from its mother and the rest of the herd (except its siblings if they are also being bottle fed) and live with you at least until it no longer needs to be fed at night.
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