Bottles/nipples, what do you use?
 

I have been using the red and yellow pritchard nipples and while they are great for small kids, I have had trouble in the past with them actually breaking the nipple off once the kids get older. Are they any nipples that last longer than others?

We use the black lamb nipples that slip over soda bottles. With active sucking they last about 2 months maybe a little longer. We start out with the little soda bottles and go up to the 20 oz size.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...es-250x250.jpg

I love these nipples.

I use the pritchard nipples & increase the hole as they get bigger. Sam is 17 weeks old & still using the same one that he used at 2 weeks old. At this point it has a hole that looks like a coin slot :p

Fine & dandy if you have one bottle baby....but with 3 its a pain trying to feed 3 bottles at once (one in each hand, one propped against the fence with my hip...it's a sight!)

So.....next year I'm getting a lambar bucket & will look into other nipples.... I ding like the black nipples.... I have a huge battle getting them securely over the bottles so I gave up on those...

We use a lambar system to feed and use the nipples like Kazahleenah posted. Also use these on newborns that we feed on the bottle for a few days before we switch them to a lambar. These nipples will pop right on a plastic soda bottle. We have used them for two or three years without having to replace. I have only had to use a pritchard nipple on one kid. If you start your kids on these they transition to the lambar very well.

Lambar nipples are AWESOME. They even fit onto pop bottles if you only have one or two to feed, like when they're little or once you have all of the kids sold but one or two keepers and you don't want to mess with the bucket anymore.

I've had the same nipples in heavy use every season for 3 years now. No wear, they're awesome.

Thanks for that tip Cosco. Are those gray ones easier to get on a bottle than the black lamb ones?

I dunno if I'm just challenged, but I had to really, really fight to get those black ones on a soda bottle, it was such a hassle so I gave up & went back to the screw on pritchard nipples.

Going to look around for a lambar for next year... I know you can make them, but I already have enough "gotta make at home" projects, so I just want to buy one..... Whenever I figure out where I'm buying from, I'll order extra nipples too :)

Do you like the lambars with the straws that go from the nipples to the bottom of the bucket?

OP- Sorry to hijack your thread :ashamed:

So what is the difference between the black and they grey nipples? I have never tried these but I know the black nipples that come from TSC and I just about rip my fingers off trying to get them on a bottle. :hair

The black ones drive me nuts going over -
I use clear, soft ones, but on the lambar they don't work because they are so soft, milk comes out - over pop bottles they are great. . .
I should have gotten the grey ones for my lambbar - I bought the red ones, and only the Nigis will
take those. . .

We use these non vac lamb bottles and they work GREAT for us! I don't buy them from this place but here's a pic of one

http://www.jamescountrysupplies.co.u.../prod_197.html

Lone Str chic, Yep, those lambar nipples are a lot easier then the black pull ons. They just pop right on. I have had many a fits trying to pull those black ones on a bottle. Especially when they are new. You really don't need to buy a lambar. If you have a bucket with a lid on it just drill some holes(5/8th drill bit) in the bucket three or four inches down. Then you just pop those nipples right in. Then buy you some silicone tubing that fits in the back of that nipple, just take the nipple with you to the hardware store. Cut them long enough to reach the bottom of your bucket and your good. Takes about 10 minutes to make.

DO NOT GET THIS ONE!

http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xca...cat=197&page=2

Prairie Mama, where do you get them in the U.S.?

Leaks?

A pain in the patookis to put together, and every nipple has MULTIPLE rubber washers to trap milk and then have to be individually cleaned. Sanitation nightmare. I never even put milk in it!

I can't remember the name of where we got ours, but I'll keep looking for it. They sell them here too
http://midstateswoolgrowers.com/stor...e=0&featured=Y

or here:

http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/prod...ith-nipple.htm

:)

Ha, I have that one and love it, because it takes the pritchchards and I use it for super small kids and lambs. It is a pain though.

I have that one with different nipples and really like it - lol
http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xca...cat=197&page=1

How often do you take it apart to clean it?

I take it apart and run the pieces through the dishwasher in one of those closed baskets they sell for baby nipples and such usually in the AM. I just rinse it out between uses during the day.

I like regular human baby bottles just because they fit my hand better. I have used pet bottles, the little puppy ones, for pygmy babies for the first few days. And I have used the lamb nipples for tiny ones too (prichard's teats or sheep teats). I'm a smaller framed person, so I just perfer the size of human baby bottles the best for my hand width. The larger goat bottles and nipples are too big to be comfortable to fit in my hands well.

once a day - I rinse it in the morning with water and clean it at night

I do like those non-vac bottles, and I get mine here:

http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/p...cat=196&page=1

I've used mine for several years, and really do like them.

Does anyone have any feedback / input on this particular multi feeder?

http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/p...cat=197&page=1

oh! The non-vac bottles are cheaper here!

http://midstateswoolgrowers.com/stor...e=0&featured=Y

From what I've seen and heard, any of these kind of buckets are a pain to clean and maintain. Just get a regular lambar, they're awesome and so easy to clean. The nipples can't be beat, and I've tried my fair share of different kinds of nipple. Durable, pop bottle or bucket, super easy to clean, perfect for full size kids of all ages. For nigies/pygmies, I always start them on human baby bottles. Almost everything else is too big at first, except maybe pritchards... though I've never liked them. :)

Baby bottles with baby nipples here too! I have had way more success with getting a kid started on those than the lamb nipples. The lamb nipples are just too hard and stiff in my opinion to be anything like natural for them. :)

I used regular human baby bottles and nipples, just cut an "x" in the top for easier feeds and they worked great. I did use the pritchard nipples and soda bottles in the very beginning though but that only lasted for a short while, the kids were getting frustrated that the milk wasn't coming out fast enough so I used their cue to switch up. That being said, I only had two kids to bottle feed at a time so this method was easy for me, if I had more it might take too much time cause the bottles only hold like 9-10 oz.

Be very careful not to use old nipples that may break off. Kathy at DGI just lost a nice doeling from a nipple breaking off, getting swallowed, and getting stuck in the stomach. I'd be wary of thinner nipples with older more aggressive kids.

I had a hair sheep lamb once that was very pushy. I went out to feed the kids, and he ran up and grabbed the bottle, and just inhaled the nipple end. He started coughing that day and continued for the 4 days. We ended up taking him to the sale barn where he sold for $50 for slaughter. I really think he must have gotten it into his lungs.

is the tubing not a pain to clean in the lambar? I really love the idea of the rack and no vac bottles - but ouch - that is expensive

For the kids who aren't on the lambar, I use Pritchards for young babies and the nonvac type that go on pop bottles for the older kids. With either of these types, please be careful and check them for signs of wear regularly. The nipples can tear and be swallowed by kids when they are nursing. Yesterday, I lost a beautiful two month old doeling. She had swallowed part of a nonvac nipple last week. I performed a necropsy and found the nipple in her rumen and no food or stool in her intestines. The tip of the nipple had filled with food from her rumen and caused a blockage.

Our very own Alice made a homemade bottle holder. If we ask her very nicely, she may post her pictures for you.

Goatkid, I'm so sorry for your loss. How devastating to lose a valuable kid over a small piece of rubber!