 |
12/09/06, 08:18 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 4,507
|
|
|
Bottle Feeding Tips?
Found two baby pygmy goat does, both being bottle fed. Supposed to pick them up on Monday (my birthday), going to be a combination Christmas presents for the kids/ Birthday for me  !! We had a pygmy before, but need some advice tips on bottle feeding. Any advice would be appriciated!
|
12/09/06, 08:35 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 236
|
|
|
Find out what, how much and how often they are feeding them. If you like what they are feeding them then get exactly that and feed them. If you do not plan on feeding them what they use then get enough of that so you can switch them over slowly. Also see if you can get the nipples that they have been using so they eat good for you. When feeding them with the bottle try to put it in the position their dams udder would be in. Do not hold the bottle too high or the milk will go in the rumen and cause the runs. You want them to bend down and turn their neck to get to the nipple so the milk goes in the right place. This will save you alot of head ache so you wont be dealing with the runs. You also want to use some sort of coccidiosis prevention as bottle fed babies are more prone to get it. Enjoy your new babies.
|
12/09/06, 08:43 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 4,507
|
|
Thank you Trob, I was thinking exactly along those lines, how the angle of the nipple should be (most like Mama) & etc, I was at the feed store tonight, and found the stuff they are feeding the kids. Wonder if they use regular baby bottles, or the livestock kind?
The lady I spoke with lives near here, and raises both Pygmies and Boers,and was super helpful on the pone. My 11 year old is in 4H, and she really is a very smart (A student) and caring, compassionate girl. My 3 year old son (will be 4 next month) simply loves ALL kinds of animal, so I think they will do great w/ the kids. As a poultry owner, I am familiar w/ coccidiosis ,so that's a plus. Also, we have an 8 month old Pyr, who I know will have to be watched w/ the kids, as he still likes to roughhouse a bit. 
|
12/09/06, 08:43 PM
|
 |
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: NW OR
Posts: 2,314
|
|
|
Find out ahead of time what kind of nipples they're using, so you can order them online if need be. The hardest time I've had with bottle babies received from someone else is that they use a different nipple than whatever I have on hand, and you don't want the little guys missing a meal because they won't accept the nipple. Now I have ALL kinds on hand, ha ha, regular baby, pritchards, and lambbars.
|
12/09/06, 09:17 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 4,507
|
|
Doc I saw the lamb-whatever nipples at the feed store tonight. Will have to call her tomorrow & see what type of nipple she's using. Just how big are Pygmies as babies?- - I think she said they were just born last week, but not sure. I did some searching online, and they are TINY!!
I have a king-size dog house w/ a built in heat lamp, & pen, for them. Just wondering if they will be so small I will need to keep them in the playpen indoors...etc... 
|
12/09/06, 10:28 PM
|
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: NW OR
Posts: 2,314
|
|
|
Keep them in whatever temp they've been kept in. Unless like me, the cuteness factor intervenes and you feel the urge to keep them in the house. Do you have a dog crate?
|
12/10/06, 08:00 AM
|
 |
Retired Coastie
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Monterey, Tennessee
Posts: 4,653
|
|
|
laura, ask the goat owner to give you the nipples the goats are presently using. The nipples are broken in, smells like them, and may be helpful during their transition. A doeing I bought could smell her used nipple through a canvas bag and it knew sooner or later dinner would be served...Enjoy your new goats...
__________________
TOPSIDE FARMS
|
12/10/06, 10:49 AM
|
 |
We love all our animals
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: VA, KY & TN Line
Posts: 1,402
|
|
|
Good Luck on getting the new babies. Talk to the goat owner on how much they are feeding them and etc..
Again Good Luck
__________________
Love all animals don't abuse them. I hope if caught abusing & animal I want to be first in line to kick your butt. I despise mean people & liars. 
|
12/10/06, 06:29 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 4,507
|
|
|
Uh-oh...
I just spoke to the lady w/ the 2 Pygmies, and found out that they are NOT on the bottle yet, but still on Mama. They are actually her brother's goats, she's watching them for him while he's out of town. Is it very hard to switch them to the bottle, and should I even attempt it? Supposed to go see them tomorrow....
|
12/10/06, 06:52 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: NE. Alabama
Posts: 420
|
|
|
Hi,
Do you know how old they are?
Generally, the older they are the harder it is for them to accept a bottle.
Some of my kids liked it if you cup their face with your hands while bottle feeding.
|
12/10/06, 08:48 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 4,507
|
|
Two weeks old. Thanks, I found a very helpful, informative goat board,where I found all the answers I need ! 
|
12/10/06, 10:39 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York
Posts: 3,891
|
|
|
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday, and best of luck with your goats!
__________________
I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.
|
12/10/06, 11:59 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Montana
Posts: 2,133
|
|
I used a Pritchard nipple on a baby pygmy La Mancha cross. It's one of those red nipples in a yellow cap that you screw onto a pop bottle. At two weeks old, it's sometimes harder to get them on the bottle, but they get hungry and do catch on. It's just important they don't get the milk in their lungs, so go slow when you're teaching them and hold the bottle at the proper angle. If you can milk the doe when you pick them up, it should be easier to make the transition, because the milk tastes the same. I would not feed them milk replacer from the feed store. It causes digestive problems in goat kids. If you can't get hold of pasteurized goat milk, feed whole cow's milk. Happy birthday. Enjoy your new babies
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:44 PM.
|
|
