Does Taking Back Bottle Babies

[Terre d'Esprit]

I had a set of triplets born on February 16th. They were born while I was at work, and when I got home, one was strong, and the other two were weaker. I brought them in, and after about 2 days I took one back out to her. I had been milking her out and feeding it to the inside babies. She accepted the returned kid just fine.

Her kidding pen is large, and has a warming hut in it. I have a group of bottle babies already in that pen, and put her in there with her own kids. It worked out fine—the bottle babies stayed in their area, and sometimes mingled with her kids, but when they slept, her kids slept with her, and the other slept in a little goat pile in the warming hut.

On March 10 (about 3 weeks after they were born) I took the last baby outside. I had been feeding him cow’s milk, as once I took the other kid back outside and she had 2 kids on her, she was not producing enough to warrant milking her out and bringing it back inside for that third kid. I thought, since he was a bottle baby on cow’s milk, that he would not be accepted by the doe, and would be with the group of bottle babies. Instead, she recognized him and took him back immediately. He has nursed ever since, and has even refused the bottle (when I was not positive that he was nursing, I still attempted to bottle feed him). We have seen him nursing, and he has a nice round tummy.

I have had a few bottle babies in the past couple of years, and none had been accepted back by the doe after a few days, especially if they have not been feed her milk. However, I just wondered if this was typical? I know nobody likes to keep the babies away from the does for any length of time, but if you have had to do that, what’s the longest time that has elapsed and your doe still accepted her kid(s)?

[sancraft]

I little boy stole one of our newborn babies and brought it back 3-4 days later. Momma goat (1st freshening) didn't accept him. We started feeding him her milk and after 3 weeks, she started letting him nurse. I actually had a hard time getting her to wean him. LOL.

[Goat Servant]

Thats one heck of a very good mama you have there! She's a keeper!
Ive had them (one in particular) reject the smallest of trips. Next yr she tried it and I just kept on her...holding her horns & making her let that baby nurse. But these were not bottle babies.
This yr she tried it again only it was one of her disbudded doelings. I kept at her its been two & a half weeks and she is feeding her fine, but the little gal screams for me to "hog tie" her mom.
I am bottle feeding a 50% quad who gets shoved out of the way. When I DO hold the Boer mom for her daughter half the little 50% buggars try to gang up on that udder.
The Nubian has fooled me before with having to bottle feed at least one of her quads. Cows milk or goat milk from another farm. Then I catch them nursing after a few weeks of doing bottles.sheesh what con artists.

[jBlaze]

That is SO great! Yippee! What a good mama.