Bottle feeding two pygmys

[ChevyChick]

I have two 2 week old pygmy goats. One girl is very tiny and the other is average sized. The small one takes replacer and the other wont have anything to do with it. She takes whole milk very well though. I feed them both about 4 oz 4x a day, is that right? Should the bigger one be getting more milk but at 3x a day? Also, I wanna know why I am reading the replacer is so bad for them . I know they can get scours and die but if she doesn't get them, she is safe from any harm right (from the replacer) should I have them both on whole milk?? Im confused, this is my first time doing this and they are both doing fine with the routine that I have them on but I just wanted to get some opinions. Should I change anything that I am doing? Thanks!

[Janis Sauncy]

I always bottle-raised mine on kid milk replacer with excellent results.

I never knew the replacer was bad until I started coming to this forum.

Good for you on the bottle-raising. You will have wonderful pets as the result of the work you're putting into them now.

Janis

[ChevyChick]

thanks Janis!

[mygoat]

Ug, I hate replacer. Honestly, it's more expensive than whole milk from the store (in most places) and whole milk is better for them.

With my pygmies, I would feed no more than 16 oz per feeding at any size or age, but I would get them up to that quantity as fast as they could take it. Being small they usually can't eat too terribly much, but from the get-go I would let them dictate how much they ate - they usually could down a 16 oz bottle 3x per day by 2 weeks.

I at two weeks they should be at 3x per day feedings. Continue this until they are 2.5 months old, then take it down to 2 feedings per day, then down to 1, then none for weaning.

Good luck!

[ChevyChick]

Whats wrong with replacer?and 16 oz each feeding isn't too much? thats 48 oz a day, she only weighs about 4 pounds