need help, bottle feeding

Dixie Bee Acres · #1 03/29/14, 06:17 PM

Went to the sale barn this morning, looking for a couple more baby pigs, ended up coming home with a couple, and a couple 4 day old goats.
The guy selling them brought in 11, 4&5 day old weathers.
Anyhow, he told me to bottle them 12oz each, twice a day.

I went to Big R and got a couple lamb/kid bottles, and a bag of Advance Kid milk replacer.
I mixed per instructions, 3oz powder per pint water, and at temp suggested.

Problem is, I can't get either to take the bottle.
If I force a little out of the nipple, they will lick it off the nipple, but when I try to get the nipples in their mouths, they fight them away.

Any suggestions?

Wendy · #2 03/29/14, 06:30 PM

Keep trying. Sometimes they need to get good & hungry before they will take a bottle. Were they being bottle fed before this?

Dixie Bee Acres · #3 03/29/14, 06:52 PM

Wendy, thanks for replying, I just read that elsewhere on the web, to try every couple of hours, and when they are hungry, they will eat.
I don't know if they were being bottle fed or not.

Dixie Bee Acres · #4 03/29/14, 07:01 PM

If this works right, here is a pic of the two.

They don't really have names yet, but I jokingly started calling them Billy Joe and Jim Bob.

Wendy · #5 03/29/14, 07:01 PM

If they have never had a bottle, you would be better off waiting 4 or 5 hours to try. That way they will be nice & hungry. The different nipple, different milk, & different place makes it hard to get them to switch.

Dixie Bee Acres · #6 03/29/14, 08:22 PM

We just tried again.
One goat ate several ounces, the other took some, but then absolutely refused any more.
I figure I will try for a little bit every few hours until they get the hang of it.

mammabooh · #7 03/29/14, 09:17 PM

They are very cute! Have they really been wethered already? I didn't realize it was possible to do it that young.

I don't know if you have any experience with goats, but if you plan to have them disbudded, they should be done within the next couple of days.

Good luck!

Dixie Bee Acres · #8 03/29/14, 09:23 PM

My experience with goats is sitting at the salebarn and telling my daughter, "no, we aren't getting any goats", while waiting for pigs to start selling, lol.
That is until today.

And yes, the guy said they were all weathers. As far as debudding them, I hadn't really thought about it. I will probably just let them grow.

wintrrwolf · #9 03/29/14, 09:32 PM

It is so much easier to get bottle babies after they are already being bottle fed. You are probable going to have a very frustrating 24 hours if not more.
Am curious they are 4 days old did the guy band them or crunch em? Am with mammabooh on this one...very strange to wether them so young I would keep an eye on that region for possible infection.
On the nipples make sure you enlarge the hole, the little default holes are just a tad to small, baby has to suck too hard to get the milk out.
I don't like to use formula myself and will use whole cows milk from store but others have had luck with the powder stuff, it is suppose to have all the nutrients that the babies need so you shouldn't have to add anything. Keep an eye out for diarrhea especially if they have been banded.

Check out https://fiascofarm.com/goats/kid-care.htm
this has been a go to for many of us here and I still use it myself

I have 2 very sassy, phat/fat/chunky/well rounded, bottle doe-lings at the moment and I feed them on the same schedule.

Dixie Bee Acres · #10 03/29/14, 09:41 PM

Thank you. Yes, we did enlarge the nipple holes.
And yeah, it looks like its going to be a fun day or so trying to get these stubborn little guys to eat.
Thanks for the tip, I will keep an eye on there billy bean areas.

Dixie Bee Acres · #11 03/29/14, 09:42 PM

Ok, my wife just told me that they have bands on them right now. I hadn't even checked.

Dixie Bee Acres · #12 03/30/14, 08:42 AM

This morning, one is still taking to the bottle ok, but the other is still fighting it. We keep plugging away at it, he is going to have to get hungry soon.
On the plus side, I have seen both nibbling on some hay and taking small sips from their water dish.

dozedotz · #13 03/30/14, 09:12 AM

It is also possible that if they were just banded, they are not fully recovered from that experience! Do keep an eye on them...that is really early. Otherwise, sounds like you are working good with them and the little guys are coming around. Congrats on not getting any goats...lol! Hey, two is nothing! Talk to Doug...

Dixie Bee Acres · #14 03/30/14, 07:01 PM

Ok, goat one, now named Blackie, takes to the bottle wonderfully now, we almost have to take it away from him. Goat 2, now named Goat, still struggles and fights us, but will ultimately take 3 oz or so every feeding. We have been trying every 2 to 2.5 hours.
They both pee and poop fine. And they both nibble on hay a little and have seen each drinking from their water.
For someone, me, who didn't want goats, and for as frustrating as it was to get them to eat, i am enjoying these little guys. I have a good time standing back at a distance watching them play with each other.

95bravo · #15 03/30/14, 07:34 PM

I had a little bummer lamb that we had to feed with medicine plunger, for about a day.

Wendy · #16 03/30/14, 11:28 PM

Quote:

We have been trying every 2 to 2.5 hours.

If it were me, I'd make him wait a little longer. Let him get a little hungrier & he might eat better.

Dixie Bee Acres · #17 03/31/14, 05:26 AM

Just finished first feeding of the morning, Blackie ate every bit of 12 oz, Goat finally took about 2.5 to 3oz. Seems like if I can get Goat to fall asleep, he drinks while sleeping.

It's odd tho, both goats are roughly the same size, both feel like the weigh right close to the same, both have plenty of energy, but one eats 3 times as much or more than the other.

Dixie Bee Acres · #18 03/31/14, 05:40 PM

Just an update incase anyone is following along....
Goat one, still takes to the bottle fine, goat two made real progress today. He doesn't have to be really force fed now. Sometimes I have to convince him to take the nipple, other times he volunteerily takes it. And, although not eating as much as goat one, he is definitely eating more per feeding than he was, so he is slowly coming around.

Mattie420 · #19 03/31/14, 10:54 PM

Try cutting the "x" hole at the tip slightly bigger as well as a little extra stab at the air hole. My kid was doing the same thing and it just got too hard for him to do. I read that their moms can practically turn "on and off" their nipples and I figured if the mom wants him to drink she would "open the flood gate" as much as possible. Hope this helps!!! Good luck!!

Dixie Bee Acres · #20 04/01/14, 04:43 AM

Ok, next question from Mr. Goat Noobie,
Both goats have slightly, and I mean ever so slightly runny noses. Not wet all the time, just occassionaly, and I have seen each of them sneezing a time or two.
Is this something to be worried about?