Stuborn Goat! Bottle refusal

Naturaldane · #1 05/28/08, 05:56 PM

the baby I brought home a few days ago refuses the bottle, for the first day I let her nurse off my milker just to catch up, but she flat out refuses the bottle, and Im tired of getting soaked, any ideas? I have used 4 different types of nipples

thaiblue12 · #2 05/28/08, 06:03 PM

I had one just like that and I gave up and she drank from a bowl. The little boy I have gave me grief for about a day and we were both covered in milk! Then he somehow remembered what it was and is guzzling like no tomorrow.
His doeling friend at 6 weeks did not want it either so I did the under my knee cover her face thing. She was not thrilled but I use human bottles and nipples with a big X cut in it. She put it in her mouth sideways and I would slowly squeeze a bit into her mouth and she would swallow. She finally after a week of this started drinking on her own and today for the first time had the nipple straight forward and drank it fairly quickly.
Have you tried putting a small bit of corn syrup on the tip of the nipple?
Do you not want her to nurse off your milker so you can use the milk?

DQ · #3 05/28/08, 08:21 PM

how old is it? was it drinking from a bottle before? I brought home a 4 wk old doeling that was going down hill fast. I tried and tried to get her to take a bottle and finally gave up and let her nurse a milker on the stand twice a day. now she is just doing it once per day at almost 3 months old. I'm sure glad I have several dairy girls. try the cornsyrup. put her under a towel. different nipples. hold a bottle next to the does udder. I managed to get my girl to take some out of a bottle with pear juice in it, of all things...I was desperate and eating pears at the same time! I never could get her to do it again though. make sure she doesn't get constipated from lack of fluids in the mean time. if she is not pooping give her a warm water enema a few times per day.

Naturaldane · #4 05/28/08, 08:56 PM

I tried sweetend condenced milk as it works for foals, kits and pups, with no luck, I have never had so much trouble. She is now three days old. Since I had a nipple for milk type goats I tried smaller ones to mimic mom, she has no issues with nursing off my milker when we got her here.
How many times would I have to let her nurse off my milker? It would be very hard to get her to her more than three times a day, the milker isnt exactly social. I can get three ounces down her via a nipple my last bottle baby used that has a larger hole in it (lilly is a pig, a greedy pig) and let it just trickle down her throat, and me.
shes pooping and peeing fairly normal shes just a bit on the skinny side and i know babies like this dont have allot they can lose. I used to add heavy cream to lillies milk because she never seemed to get enough with the powederd milk stuff, but with a lamancha nubian cross I think the milk would have enough fat in it, or should I add the cream to this also?

Togg Lovers · #5 05/28/08, 09:05 PM

We just went thru this this spring. Brought home a wk old buckling and he wouldn''t take the bottle. I tried every type of nipple I could find. Finally I got down on all fours and tucked the bottle under me, pulled the little guy over and started rubbing his back. Sure enough it worked. I know it's kinda weird but it worked. I only had to do that twice then I just held him and fed him the bottle.

It might be worth a try.

southerngurl · #6 05/28/08, 09:10 PM

Just put the bottle in her mouth at each feeding time, hold it in her mouth. Squeeze a little (be careful not to choke her) milk out and stroke her throat some to encourage her to swallow. Just get what you can out of her each feeding. She will eventually figure it out, it may take a few days. You just have to keep at it.

Steffiej · #7 05/28/08, 11:19 PM

We had a bottle baby last fall. She initially refused, so the first feedings involved her yelling a lot and me trying to hang onto her and the bottle. I found that sitting her upright in my lap, facing away, and holding the bottle in place worked. She fought me a few times, until she figured out it was good stuff. Good luck with your baby!

goatkid · #8 05/29/08, 12:54 AM

You should be able to train a kid that young to a bottle. I like to use a pritchard nipple. A couple of things I've tried is getting down on all fours and acting like a mommy goat and enticing the kid to nurse. Another thing I've done is to put milk from the milker into a bottle, put the doe on the stand and when the kid goes to nurse the doe, slip the bottle nipple into it's mouth. The best thing for your baby is goat's milk.

Shazza · #9 05/29/08, 04:48 AM

If the baby isnt hungry and you reckon can go without for a day then just let her go without...offer it to her, if she refuses offer it again in an hr etc etc etc...if I get something new I dont usually try and feed (it) till the next morning. If you keep taking her out to the milker she will hang out for you to do that every time....training you well.