Bottle baby - not that willing to take bottle

[cjb]

I brought my ND doeling home at 3 weeks and am transitioning her to the bottle. The breeder swears that she's transitioned them later than this and that she tried this baby once and she took the bottle.

I am thawing frozen goat's milk, bringing to room temperature and feeding with the appropriate nipple on a pop bottle. She will actually chew on the bottle from the side while I squeeze it and she swallows so she does get some down her.

How much would a 3 week old ND take in terms of ounces? Breeder said to just feed her what she'll drink and she'll let me know when she's hungry but I would like to be a bit more scientific than that. She also said 4 times per day. She is nibbling on hay and drinking water so maybe she would do bette with a pail?

Anyway - any advice is appreciated and I'll post the requisite photo on a separate thread.

[DairyGoatSlave]

im not sure how many ounces, but one way to get her to take the bottle, is offer, and if she dosent take, dont squeeze some in her mouth, try again next feeeding time. Its amazing what a motivater hunger is

[Hawkfamily]

8 oz 4/times a day or so. There are lots of feeding schedules out there if you google it (I don't have one on hand.) Everyone feeds a little differently anyway - is she going to be a milker for you?

In terms of taking the bottle, she might just get used to it as you go along. Sometimes trying a different nipple helps or making sure that the hole in the teat is big enough. I've tried pail feeding twice before with some bottle kids and I had no success with it. I agree with DGS above - if she's hungry enough, she'll take to it, in most cases. Check her mouth, too, if she's got any sores or anything in there that is making it uncomfortable for her to suck. Most likely, it is just a case of having to get used to a different teat.

Good Luck!!
Jodi

[xoxoGOATSxoxo]

I'm not sure about the amount either.

I've had two kids who would never take a bottle properly. It's true that they were both getting a few nips here and there from mama, but not enough to keep them growing. Their brothers and sisters would all learn, but these two were dumb. I ended up taking them in my lap every day and force feeding the poor fellas. Force feeding as in holding them and squeezing small amounts into their mouths and waiting for them to either swallow or spit it out. A waste of time, true, but it made me feel like they were getting enough. It was nice to wean them, though!

I dont know if kids who dont have access to mama never take a bottle, or if they all learn eventually.

The only kid I ever had who was on a bottle and no mama took about a week to learn the bottle. I dont know if thats long, or short, or what. My supplement kids who get both mama milk and bottle milk learn faster than that, so I'm guessing she was slow?

[Hawkfamily]

I had a batch of 10 bottle kids one year - got them at about 4-7 days old. One of the older ones in the bunch never did take a bottle; flat out refused. He started eating grain and hay, and drinking water really early on. He never drank from us once in 2 + months. We didn't try too hard after the first 4 or 5 days because of the circumstances (other than offering the bottle to him every time), but surprisingly he did well. You couldn't even see the difference in his size by the time they left for meat a couple of months later.
Abby, this one in particular, never did learn.

[TwoAcresAndAGoat]

See if the kid will suck on your finger.

I let the kid suck my finger drip a bit of milk on the side of my finger so it dribbles into the kids mouth.
After a bit (15 - 30 seconds) it slip the nipple into the kids mouth as I slide my finger out. It is a bit tricky to do but can be done.

[Hawkfamily]

We've used a big syringe on a kid before too. just gotta make sure he's swallowing.

[cjb]

Originally Posted by Hawkfamily

8 oz 4/times a day or so. There are lots of feeding schedules out there if you google it (I don't have one on hand.) Everyone feeds a little differently anyway - is she going to be a milker for you?

In terms of taking the bottle, she might just get used to it as you go along. Sometimes trying a different nipple helps or making sure that the hole in the teat is big enough. I've tried pail feeding twice before with some bottle kids and I had no success with it. I agree with DGS above - if she's hungry enough, she'll take to it, in most cases. Check her mouth, too, if she's got any sores or anything in there that is making it uncomfortable for her to suck. Most likely, it is just a case of having to get used to a different teat.

Good Luck!!
Jodi

8oz 4x a day for Nigerian or standard goat? Just wanted to be sure that you knew that she's tiny.

I got her yesterday at noon, fed her at about 6:00pm, then again last night at 11:00pm, this morning around 10:00am and again at 3:30 or so. She struggles against the bottle but once I get it in her mouth, I can get some down her.

The breeder said the same thing - just let her get really hungry but how hungry is too hungry? I don't want to starve her so that she gets weak etc. I would say that I've gotten at least 6 oz into her so far today - that's it. She does nibble on hay too and has access to that and water.

I haven't done this before and am a worry wart, of course.

[dragonchick]

Originally Posted by cjb

I brought my ND doeling home at 3 weeks and am transitioning her to the bottle. The breeder swears that she's transitioned them later than this and that she tried this baby once and she took the bottle.

I am thawing frozen goat's milk, bringing to room temperature and feeding with the appropriate nipple on a pop bottle. She will actually chew on the bottle from the side while I squeeze it and she swallows so she does get some down her.

How much would a 3 week old ND take in terms of ounces? Breeder said to just feed her what she'll drink and she'll let me know when she's hungry but I would like to be a bit more scientific than that. She also said 4 times per day. She is nibbling on hay and drinking water so maybe she would do bette with a pail?

Anyway - any advice is appreciated and I'll post the requisite photo on a separate thread.

Just a thought, but she may not like cool milk. Mine won't take it unless its real warm, close to 110°F.

[Hawkfamily]

Originally Posted by cjb

8oz 4x a day for Nigerian or standard goat? Just wanted to be sure that you knew that she's tiny.

I got her yesterday at noon, fed her at about 6:00pm, then again last night at 11:00pm, this morning around 10:00am and again at 3:30 or so. She struggles against the bottle but once I get it in her mouth, I can get some down her.

The breeder said the same thing - just let her get really hungry but how hungry is too hungry? I don't want to starve her so that she gets weak etc. I would say that I've gotten at least 6 oz into her so far today - that's it. She does nibble on hay too and has access to that and water.

I haven't done this before and am a worry wart, of course.

oh yeah, that would be standard, I suppose....
So, how much is she taking at each feeding now then? about 2 oz? I guess the first thing is trying to get her to actually take the nipple, then see how much she wants to drink. If she's taking 2 oz now, try to work up to 4 oz. If you can feed smaller amounts 6 times a day, that might help you feel better about how much she's getting too.
So, you sit with her on your lap when you're feeding her? Holding her head/jaw/mouth in one hand to pry open the lips and the bottle in the other hand? You say that once she gets going, she's okay. Is she sucking, then chewing on it , etc? But not consistently just sucking it back? Did you check her mouth and lips for any little sores or blisters or anything? I have had problems like this with 'sore mouth' before.

[Hawkfamily]

oh, and the cool milk thing might be the problem too. I don't make mine super hot, but I definitely warm it up.

[southerngurl]

Yea, I would have the milk nice and warm.

The breeder really should have had her taking the bottle before selling her.

[cjb]

How do you warm up the milk? In a pan?

I'll try that.

Yes, I feed her on my lap. I pry her mouth open, insert the nipple and she will switch between sucking and chewing it. When she chews and I squeeze the bottle, she gets alot.

Also, the milk is pretty separated and clumpy. I whisked it with a wire whisk so it's better but its quite thick. I assume that's from being frozen. I tested and it comes out of the bottle pretty easily.

Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming!
Cliff

[deetu]

I've gotten kids on the bottle with honey. Put some on my finger and let her suck it off, then put some on the nipple. Takes a few times but they like the honey.

[cjb]

YOU GUYS ARE SOOOOO AWESOME!!!

I blended the milk so it was smooth and heated it to 100F and she sucked down 8 oz like an expert.

I feel soooo much better about her ;-)