What do you start weaning babies with?

[BobDFL]

Our 4 little Nubian bucklings (bottle babies) are 3 weeks old yesterday and are already drinking 25oz each twice a day. At this rate they will be up to 32oz each by next week.

I've been told that we shouldn't give them more than the 25oz and have them start eating other stuff, but what?

They've already been nibbling on the grass hay and alfalfa hay, but what kind of other stuff would be good for them? Most of the local goat owners all say a sweet horse feed but we've finally got my herd totally off that stuff (pellets, BOSS and hay only, no molassis saturated and dripping grains).

Right now only the milkers are getting extra grain the rest of the herd gets grass hat, timothy/alfalfa hay, and pasture.

So what would be good that is smaller than the pellets and not dripping in molassis?

FYI, the reason we dislike the molassis so much is because we lost a little goat last year to acidosis before we knew any better.

Thanks,

[prairiedog]

We make sure they have hay and alfalfa pellets avaiable and minerals. We started giving ours three bottles a day 20oz each then at one month we cut out the middles bottle then after a few weeks the night bottle then eventually by three months they are on all hay and no bottles

[BlueHeronFarm]

This year we are going to introduce medicated pellets as we wean. We have decided that this will be our cocci-prevention plan instead of the DiMethox drench we did last year.

The medicated pellets are meant for kids, so they are quite small At least the ones we bought.

They do have molasses in them ... but I bet it's to hide the taste of the DX. I dunno. I don't see molasses as a problem for kids. As active as they are, the extra, kind of empty carb calories do not worry me. Just my 2 cents.

[BlueHeronFarm]

Ah-- about your acidosis problem. Be sure you keep CD Antitox around. Often any kind of bloat/acidosis leads to enterotoxemia - and that is really what kills them.

[BobDFL]

We're concidered renegades around here because of our aversion to sweet feeds.

So the pellets won't cause them to choke?

That and the fact the sweet feed is cheap, are the 2 main reasons everyone around here use it. None of my bigger girls have had a problems with pellets (both the goats and sheep) but I wasn't sure about the little ones.

I know there is molassis in the pellets but it's a lot farther down the list of ingredients than in the sweet feed (it's like #1 on the sweet feed around here).

[LynninTX]

we have out for ours alfalfa pellets and medicated goat pellets... not much! We mix 1c of pellets in with 1 1/2lbs of alfalfa for 9 babies...

but ours get alot more milk...

We feed 3x a day most take 40oz 2x a day and 20oz 1x a day... the babies are 5-7 wks old.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Good for you Bob, it is also going to further you getting a handle on worms in your area.

I would start the boys on a pelleted meat goat feed that contains a cocci med in it, but that also has ammonium chloride in it. Look for one with alfalfa meal on the label if you have choices.

I am going back to the tried and true soybeanmeal/oats and chopped corn for my kids, I used to feed that in the late 80's and early 90's, grows really nice kids and it's cheaper than the pellets and hugely less expensive than just whole oats here now..go figure! I will be keeping mine on cocci prevention (corid) orally instead of having it in the grain...not raising out bucklings this year but if I was they would be eating the meat goat pellet I feed my bucks/alfalfa pellets, grass hay, minerals and moved out into the woods pen as soon as I dare. Vicki

[tailwagging]

Originally Posted by BlueHeronFarm

Ah-- about your acidosis problem. Be sure you keep CD Antitox around. Often any kind of bloat/acidosis leads to enterotoxemia - and that is really what kills them.

Where do you get CD Antitox?

[goatkid]

I got mine at the feed store in the same cooler as the vaccines.

[tailwagging]

Thank you goatkid

[BobDFL]

Thanks all, I'll start them on some medicated pellets, some cracked corn (I don't think they can handle the big whole corn yet), and the hay.

I'll also make sure they get some Probios every couple of days just to make sure everything keeps moving. Their also due for their second dose of wormer next Tuesday.

When I checked yesterday evening, (before their evening bottle and between the rain storms), I found they had eaten all the grain and the alfalfa they were given at lunch. So it looks like they know what to do with it.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Make sure you know that if you dilute their pellets (if medicated for cocci) with cracked corn or anything else they will not have enough blood level of the drug for it work on the cocci and you will have outbreaks. Medicated meat goat pellets are dosed to be fed as the only feed. Vicki

[tailwagging]

Probios, is this the gel or powder? how much should you use, for lets say, a kid about the size of ND kid?

Medicated meat goat pellets, would these be good for a doe kid of dairy/meat breeding raised as a hopeful high butter fat milker? Or would she grow too fatty to conceive?

[BobDFL]

As far as the Probios, I have both the paste and powder and for the kids I used the paste. I just estimated the weight and did the division from the reccomended dose and bumped it up a little.