Calf on Goats' Milk?

nehimama · #1 03/28/08, 09:17 AM

I posted this question on the cattle forum too, but there's more traffic here, and some of you goat folks have cattle too.

A neighbor gets goats' milk from me to feed her bottle calf. It's about a week old.

Another neighbor told her to dilute the goats' milk with water, as it's too rich for a calf. (Didn't say what proportions for the dilution.) That did not ring true with me, and I advised her NOT to do that.

Was I right? If I was wrong, I will be sure to let her know what you all say.

Thanks!

NeHi

BlueHeronFarm · #2 03/28/08, 09:31 AM

I would not dilute any milk for any reason.

A breeder I know raise two calves a year on her goats' milk - they do fine and are ready for freezer camp in a very short timespan. It's the whole milk, I'm sure.

Tana Mc · #3 03/28/08, 10:13 AM

We feed ours straight, too. I have a neighbor that dilutes it....
Tana Mc

topside1 · #4 03/28/08, 10:58 AM

Works for me,,,,never dilute.....Why would ya.

cathleenc · #5 03/28/08, 11:01 AM

well, I do not have calves but am getting 3 (fingers crossed) at the end of the year. I asked our vet - an incredible large animal guy - and he said that you would need to dilute the goats milk by 20% with water due to the higher fat content. More likely tolead to scours if you do not.

topside1 · #6 03/28/08, 11:03 AM

jBlaze · #7 03/28/08, 11:37 AM

We got three calves and treid raising them on replacer, what a joke!
Next year we goat a calf and raised him on goats milk. He did SUPER.
I cannot believe that anyone would suggest diluting it! Do goats have more fat then jerseys? lol. Oh, my, should you not feed a holstien jersey milk then?! haha, NOT.
Feed him straight goat milk! If he scours it is from too much at one time. We fed ours 6 cups then waited till we were done with chores an hor later and gave him another 6 cups. Of course he didn't ever think it was enough. We fed him like that 3 times a day for the first few weeks, till he was ready to get 8 cups at a time.
Never dilute any milk when feeding. It will not digest properly.

lyceum · #8 03/28/08, 01:04 PM

We have been bottle feeding calves goat milks for 6 years now. Never once diluted it. Calves have never had any problems, grow very well. Have had problems with replacer, switched them to goat milk straight (not diluted) and they straightened right up. Bottling 3 right now and getting more.

Carisa

deafgoatlady · #9 03/28/08, 02:19 PM

Dont dilute the milk. It is good for the cows. Even i heard that it works better if u use the goats milk for the baby cows but dont dilute it. Would u dilute the milk for baby goats and human babies. I dont think so ..

**mygoat** · #10 03/28/08, 03:01 PM

I would maybe dilute it if the calf WAS getting cow's or replacer - simply because the transition to the richer goat's milk might cause simple upset scours. Other than that, the additional fat will do nothing to harm the calf, but maybe make it grow better and gain faster.

Eunice · #11 03/28/08, 05:46 PM

Sorry, the vet that said to dilute the goat milk is way off. In saying he is a large animal vet does that mean he is good with horses? The butterfat and solids of goat milk is very close to that of cow milk. My Alpine goats on the star test were both under 3% butterfat. I bottle raise and sometimes doe raise calves on goat milk and always get top dollar from them straight from the pen.

**ladycat** · #12 03/28/08, 06:28 PM

My mother gave them straight goat's milk unless they had scours, then she would dilute it until the scours cleared up.

These were feedlot calves; she raised hundreds of healthy calves over the years. Most were sick when she got them, but she lost very few.

nehimama · #13 03/28/08, 09:09 PM

Thanks, you all! I knew I'd get the "straight poop" here.

NeHi

Tracy in Idaho · #14 03/29/08, 10:14 AM

I'm with Eunice -- the vet is very mistaken. Goat milk runs about the same % as cows -- that said, yes there are 6% butterfat milkers -- but there are also cows that hit that too!

Never dilute your milk -- doing so is going to interfere with how it curds in the stomach -- and why would you dilute their nutrition anyhow?

We raised a Holstein x steer to 800# in 7 months on goats milk! Of course, he was drinking almost 15 gallons a day by the end of summer

Tracy

ozark_jewels · #15 03/30/08, 11:09 AM

Don't dilute it. If you are switching them from cows milk or replacer just mix half and half for a couple feedings, then 3/4 and 1/4 for a couple more then straight goats milk. It raises wonderful calves. I have two on it right now and they are slowly going up to 1-1/2 gallons a day each.
Have raised many, many calves on goats milk and never diluted it.