Single doeling just born... and we want to bottle feed.

Lorelai · #1 05/17/14, 05:47 PM

I haven't been active on the forum for awhile, but now I need some advice! Pretty please! (And I will post some pics later on, once I remember how, I promise).

Prima Donna gave birth today to a single doeling. Zanadu is next but isn't due until June 5. We don't have a "real" barn with stalls or a good way to separate Prima and the new girl even if we were inclined to dam raise, and we had good success with our bottle babies last year (there were 3 total, but luckily the twins were born first and the single girl a few weeks later). Our bottle babies are way friendlier than the dam raised kid we had, and DH is really not inclined to try dam raising. It looks like Prima is stopping at one, so are we going to have to find a companion? Or does anyone have other solutions and/or experience bottle raising a single?

dozedotz · #2 05/17/14, 06:04 PM

Some how we have always had a "friend." Still, I would go ahead and bottle raise her. If there is anyway to "fence" her away from mama's teats, but still allow the companionship, that's what I would do...failing that, I would hope that there are kids coming on June 5 that will quickly grow to be her companions (doelings, obviously!!!) lol

Lorelai · #3 05/17/14, 06:39 PM

Will it be possible to separate her and keep her alone, though? That's the issue. We have a "kid pen," but I'm worried that she'll not be content to be alone until her fellow kids arrive in a few weeks! I don't know if I could stand her being miserable and alone

... wondering if I should start the search for a young bottle wether or lamb...

Alice In TX/MO · #4 05/17/14, 06:59 PM

Keep her in the house. A human style play pen is perfect.

Clovers_Clan · #5 05/17/14, 07:11 PM

Do you have an extra large wire dog crate(4'x3'x3')? If so, you might be able to crate her next to mamma in the barn and still bottle feed until the next babies are born. As with the house plan, you'd still need to let her out for exercise. How is the weather there? If its still cold at night, it might be good to opt for the house.

wintrrwolf · #6 05/17/14, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Keep her in the house. A human style play pen is perfect.

This is what I would do. Until the others arrive.
If she is kept alone she will cry probable until she is hoarse, she will be miserable and stressed and then you will be too.

Lorelai · #7 05/17/14, 08:54 PM

The weather here is pretty good - in the 70s at the moment, and daytime highs for the next five days stay in the 60s. Night lows of 50. I think we'll put Prima and Buttercup (hey, DH says she was born in a patch of buttercups, so there you have it (plus it goes with last year's Fern and Sweet Pea) in our makeshift stall at night at least for the first few nights, and let them be together. It's not right to keep her alone, and we can't bring her in the house (well, if it was an emergency maybe, but the landlords don't even want cats inside, they could care less about outside). We'll give dam raising, with her getting lots of human attention, plus milking Prima once a day, a try.

Now, any advice to help her learn to latch on? Prima is letting her milk down nicely, so that's not an issue... (still working on pics, need DH to run interference on the dumdums, COUGH, last year's bottle babies... lol

MDKatie · #8 05/17/14, 09:03 PM

You could always let her dam raise her until the other kids are born, then put her on the bottle. You can also feed her by bottle and leave her with the dam, which will make it very easy to switch her 100% to the bottle later.

southerngurl · #9 05/17/14, 09:05 PM

Some tips on that.
Don't try to pull them towards the teat, rather, push her bum from behind. Pulling just makes them back up.
Do use a finger from behind the udder to push the end of the teat towards the goat and make it easier to latch on. If you try to just pull it towards her she will try to eat your hand.

If she doesn't try to nurse, can't stand well etc, she may need a shot of bo-se which is a selenium and vitamin E supplement.

For a tame kid, just go sit out there a few minutes every day. They are horribly curious and she will be all over you before you know it. Just consistently spend a few minutes a day with her and she will grow up tame. Also, if you take her off overnight (best to put her alongside mom so she doesn't get too upset) so you can milk in the morning, you can give her a bottle in the morning too. Or even if you don't, the picking her up and moving her about helps with her being tame as well. You can put some grain/hay in the place she stays at night that's just for her and soon she'll be excited to get to her feed at night and excited to get back to mom/get her bottle in the morning, two happy events attached to your presence.

Lorelai · #10 05/17/14, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDKatie

You could always let her dam raise her until the other kids are born, then put her on the bottle. You can also feed her by bottle and leave her with the dam, which will make it very easy to switch her 100% to the bottle later.

Yes, that's what we're thinking! She hasn't quite gotten the hang of nursing yet, so I think we'll try keeping them together and bottle feeding her to make sure she's getting what she needs. I was out there just now "remembering" last year when I was trying so hard to get them to latch on. Just nudge the bum like mom and away they go! She seems to be strong and have good instincts. I'll give both her and Prima a dose of Selenium E gel - we're selenium deficient here and I did this last year with great success.

I think we'll figure it out.

...mostly I'm just mad I missed her birth. But DH did too, and he was in the same area of pasture! Prima isn't very loud by nature, but Buttercup came into this world with a VERY healthy set of lungs, apparently.

secuono · #11 05/17/14, 10:11 PM

Can't you leave her with mom until the other one kids?? I really don't see why you couldn't.
Or get a nose ring for the kid and let them be together, mom will refuse the kid. So you can still milk her and bottle feed.

Lorelai · #12 05/17/14, 10:22 PM

It will be easier to transition her fully over to the bottle after Zanadu kids if she's already used to getting one. Don't worry, she'll stay with mom until that happens for sure! Then we'll play it by ear and see how things go. We're doing our best to make the situation good for all involved.

Alice In TX/MO · #13 05/18/14, 06:59 AM

Nose ring??

dozedotz · #14 05/18/14, 08:53 AM

Alice!! LOL!! Some of us have had children who went through weird stages that looked just like that...whatever that is...LOL!!!