How much to bottle feed?

General Brown · #1 02/03/11, 12:56 AM

My doe just kidded tonight with twins. The first one, a 9.25 lb buck had to be pulled. Both front feet were presented and his head was NOT coming out. I finally got it out, and he is just not thriving. Has never stood up, and never nursed. I have him warming up in the house at my feet in front of a heater. I was advised to give him 1 Tbs of mallosses to help perk him up. Thats all I have on hand. I will try to bottle him after he warms, but not sure how often or how much. thanks

jill.costello · #2 02/03/11, 01:08 AM

He must be warm before you feed him, but he also MUST have colostrum very soon. I would start with 1 ounce of his momma's very warm colostrum and then see how he does. I would guess 1-3 oz ever 1-2 hours until he perks up enough that he can tell you when to give him a bottle....I do hope someone else jumps in here for you soon!

General Brown · #3 02/03/11, 01:34 AM

I did make sure that he was warm. I milked the doe and got a good bit in him. He perked up well after the molasses. Its going to be a long night.

pygmybabies · #4 02/03/11, 08:19 AM

Good luck with him....how is he doing now?

Congratulations on your babies

General Brown · #5 02/03/11, 07:00 PM

He is jumping around and doing well. His last bottle was 3 hours ago, so I took him back out to mama. She isnt real sure about him, but she still is licking and caring for him. his little sister seemed cold, so I brought her in for a warm up. I may continue to bottle the buckling for a bit until I know for sure he is nursing mama. I do have a cam in the house that allows me to view them at all times. Its sappose to be another cold one with low of 8* tonight, I may just bring both kids in and let them sleep in the house. Would that be OK?

Pony · #6 02/03/11, 07:28 PM

So glad the little (?) fella is doing well. This weather is the pits, isn't it? I'm looking at a due date of 2/12 for my doe, and I keep praying that things will warm up before then. Still haven't dug out from all that wind the other night, and I don't care if they say it's going to be 8* tonight: I'm betting we go down to 4* or so.

Good luck, and do keep us posted!

General Brown · #7 02/03/11, 08:05 PM

Thanks Pony. It was a balmy 7* last night when she kidded. The buckling has did a complete turn around, but this evening i noticed the little doeling not looking so hot. I KNOW that she nursed last night, she had milk bubbles on her mouth, and I actually saw her. I checked her mouth, which was semi warm, not cold, and offered her a bottle. She wolfed it down. I now have HER in the house, and the buckling out with mama. Im getting ready to take her back out for a couple hours and then bring them both back in if I dont hear any negative thoughts on that. My concern is bouncing them between warm and cold. ANYONE have any thoughts?

copperpennykids · #8 02/03/11, 08:41 PM

Bouncing between cold and hot is not good for them.

BUT, getting chilled is worse. Can you safely set up a heat lamp for them to sleep under? Use zip ties to secure the lamp.

Otherwise, I would be letting them warm up in the house at night (do you have a porch that is a bit cooler than the rest of the house?) Then it is not such a dramatic change of temperature.

You might want to give both kids some baking soda by mouth, about a pinch. If they were oxygen deprived during delivery (and the buck kid was for sure), they may get floppy kid syndrome in a week or two - the baking soda helps balance their Ph and prevents this from happening. The severe cold can also have a "brain numbing" effect, so the baking soda is a + there as well.

Fine line to walk on bouncing the kids in and out. You could just take them out to nurse and stay in the house the whole time until the temperatures moderate. Then try to transition slowly to outside the whole time. If it warms up in a week or two like it is supposed to, there won't be that huge contrast in environment. I think that is what my plan would be.

Pony · #9 02/03/11, 09:22 PM

I'd be inclined to keep them outside, providing extra hay, hot water bottles, and a snug place out of traffic.

Last year, I did drag my sleeping bag out one night to keep an eye on the kids and Trub (one of the coziest, albeit uncomfortable, nights I've spent).