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how to handle kids

758 views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  BlessedMom 
#1 ·
okay, my goat has just come in to her first heat this year. So I'm trying to make plans. If my goat is CAE and CL free..do I have to keep the kids off of her? It just seems like a lot of work when the whole goal is to make sure that they stay CAE and CL neg.

Any input on benefits of bottle feeding verses leaving with the mom?

Thanks!
BlessedMOM
 
#2 ·
Any input on benefits of bottle feeding verses leaving with the mom?

Well, your typical bottle babies are normally alot friendlier, little spoil brat babies if you with. They are alot easier to handle and you have alot of one on one with the baby from birth. With dam raised kids you need to spend alot of time with them to get them friendly.

I dam raise. However alot of people I know do the CAE prevention even though there herds are CAE free.

If someone wants a bottle baby from me they have to put a deposit on the baby before it is born. So I will know to take it off. OF course the kid has to be purchase before a week old as well. I don't have the time to bottlefeed or I would do my whole kid crop.

If you are goin to do a CAE prevention program you have to pull the baby even before the mother licks the kid, or nurse. You have to heat treat the colostruim and give the baby the first milk. This is a must. Without the colostrium the baby has nothing to boost its immune system.
 
#3 ·
The first year I chose to leave the baby on the mom. What a mistake. She is such a brat. Beautiful goat but does lousy in the show ring because she can't stand to be away from her mom. This year we chose to bottle feed, what a difference. I also chose to not pasteurize. I can't sell the babies as being on a CAE preventative program but I will tell people that the does that I bought came from herds that tested neg. for 14 and 17 years and that I test every year. I think that the raw milk is better for the babies as it is also better for us humans. That is, as long as your milk handling practices are clean.
 
#4 ·
I won't buy a dam raised kid. Period.
I want them raised on CAE prevention, and I like the temperments and personalities of the bottle raised kids a lot better.

If you don't have a LOT of time to spend with the dam raised kids every single day, then they end up wild. Took a goregous doeling to the sale last year becaue she was awful. No more dam raised kids for me.

It also makes the does a lot easier to break to milk -- they honestly think we are their kids, and are happy to be milked.

Tracy
 
#5 ·
I've done it both ways, and usually have some on bottles and some dam raised every year. Honestly, it depends on my mood at the time, as well as the doe. Two of my does have never mothered, and one of those would probably just let the kids die if I wasn't there. The other two does are excellent moms.
Bottle feeding has the advantages of very, very tame kids, plus you can sell them right away without putting much milk into them.
Dam raising has the advantage of soooooooo much less work.
I disagree that dam raised kids need an extraordinary amount of care to be tamed. I have found mine to tame up very quickly once weaned. You do have to make the effort, but in the long run, have a lot less hours into that effort than if you had bottle raised.
Just my own experience.
mary
 
#6 ·
I also will not purchase mama raised stock. I also know I couldn't get what I get for my stock unless I used CAE prevention. If you are going to mama raise and you have registered stock at the very least test your goats before they kid so the babies can be sold with their dams negative test results.

On the homestead with lots of children to play with the babies, or they are your first couple of litters of kids, than dam raising is fine. But those wild goats you won't buy to milk, is what you raise when babies are left on dams and not messed with enough.

Yep it's hard work, but it's only 12 weeks of hard work, and when most of my does live here until 12, kidding and milking, whats 12 weeks?

With the internet new folks getting their first goats are just way to smart to be able to slide anything by them anymore. We likely see alot less disease because of this. Vicki
 
#7 ·
We've pretty much decided that we are going to bottle raise the kids. I don't have registered stock.
I have one nubian/sannen cross. Plus I will be getting one boer/sannen cross this week. I keep them for milking.
The Boer/Sannen cross is a long story but is being offered to me at no cost. She was born in January and became a "pet" to this family very quickly. She was dam raised though. I have asked that they have her CL and CAE tested before I get her. Is there anything else I should ask for?

Also, my current N/S goat...I KNOW that she is CL and CAE neg. She was bottle raised, closed herd. Wonderful family that she came from. Should I have her tested just to have the paper work? I would eventually like to have registered goats.

I mainly want milk goats. Although any wethers will probably be sold for meat. The more I learn..the more I realize I have more to learn! I just want to do everything right! I don't want an animal to suffer because of my ignorance! Before we got out first goat I read book after book and surfed the net. Now that we have her..I have all these other questions!! LOL!

I think I need to go spend a week on a goat farm!! :)

I could see how my goats could quickly get out of hand!! LOL!
 
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