Bottle feeding pygmy kids

**mygoat** · #1 05/17/06, 03:25 PM

Well, I'm off to China on July 5th through the 22nd. My pygmy doe Boston, is due to kid for her first time on July 5th. Both her and the other pregnant doe, Daisy (due on August 2nd) are staying with a friend of mine who owns and used to breed fainting goats. We also use the same vet and she is quick to call if something is wrong, so I'm not too worried. The things I'm am majorly worried about are : 1. complications, or a hard birth... 2. Her rejecting her baby.
I've already copied/pasted the replacer formula given by someone on this site to a word document to give to her while I'm gone just in case, but I can't find a feeding schedule for pygmy goats. Mine are larger goats, mother is around 90 lbs (not pregnant) and father is around 80+ lbs, probably closer to 90 now. So not small pygmies, lol. What schedule should be followed?
Also, half of Daisy's udder may have been ruined by mastitis last year, so that's another reason why I need to know how to bottle feed. It may be that her udder will be just fine. If not I may need to take a kid or two off of her depending on how many she has.

Goat Freak · #2 05/19/06, 10:07 AM

I heard that 8 times a day when they are little, then wean off to four times a day. So really it can work around your schedule. Good Luck. BYe.

trixiwick · #3 05/19/06, 10:15 AM

Wow, 8 times a day! Guess our little bottle baby from last year was deprived, since both of us work off-farm, but he turned out OK. We fed him three times a day because that's all we could really manage. It wasn't ideal and I'm sure he was hungry between feedings, but he grew into a happy, healthy little guy just the same. All the dam-raised kids were jealous that he got a special "treat" they didn't get!

GR8PMKN · #4 05/19/06, 12:30 PM

3 times a day here..

**mygoat** · #5 05/21/06, 09:06 PM

what about the amount, isn't the quantanty for larger goats too big for pygmy babies?
thanks guys,
Dona!

Wendy · #6 05/21/06, 09:49 PM

I gave them half the amount I would a large breed. I fed 3-4 times a day for 4 days & then twice a day after that. They did fine.

cowgirlracer · #7 05/22/06, 12:04 AM

We bottle feed 3-4 times a day for about the first 4 days, then down to 3 times a day and then 2 times a day by 2 weeks. Don't know if this is right or wrong, but it works for us. I think they are pretty hardy and forgiving creatures.

Anne
Cowgirlracer

judysfunnyfarm · #8 05/22/06, 07:05 PM

our first baby was bottle fed and raised in a play pen in our cabin i feed him from when he was abut 5 days old till he was eatin grain he took to the bottle pretty easy and we feed him 4 times a day according to the directions on the replacment milk.

**mygoat** · #9 05/23/06, 06:52 PM

This is the Fiasco Farm schedule :
· Day one- 6 oz. (per feeding) colostrum, every 4 hours. (6 times)
· Day two- 8 oz. (per feeding) colostrum/whole milk, 4 times a day
· Day three- 10 oz. (per feeding) colostrum/whole milk, 4 times a day
· Day four- 10-12 oz. (per feeding) colostrum/whole milk, 4 times a day.
· For the next week- 10-12 oz. (per feeding) 4 times a day.
· For the next 2 months- 10-12 oz. (per feeding) 3 times a day.
· For the next 1 month- 10-12 oz. (per feeding) 2 times a day.
· 10-12 oz. (per feeding) once a day for two weeks.

But this seems a little drastic in that they feed more times than do seem neccesary. And if I were to cut the amount in half, would it still be enough? (3 oz of colostrum sounds like very little at one day old... )