Meet my newest goat (I hope)
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She is adorable!!!! Congratulations........love the markings.
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PS: what do I need to know about taking care of such a young 'un? She'll be housed with my 10 month old wether, ******. Vet agrees that if Sandy had anything contagious, ****** would have had it, too. We cleaned out all the bedding, etc. ****** was housed in a thrown-together "hobo hut" while Sandy was sick, but he used to push his way in there when I was caring for her and drink out of her bucket, eat with her, etc.
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She is adorable.
congratulations
congratulations
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Good for you!!! My babies are pygmy/nigerian cross. They will be a year old next month and they weigh 45lbs. As far as taking care of on 8 week old I'm not sure because mine were dam raised...so I didn't have to do anything but play with them and love them to pieces! You will want to make sure she has CD/T shot or that her Mama had the shot 3 months before delivery. So is she still on a bottle?
Congratulations...she is adorable and she will help you tremendously with the loss of Sandy. My babies were born 3 days before my brother had the brain anyerism and I don't think I could have gotten through it without them.
Congratulations...she is adorable and she will help you tremendously with the loss of Sandy. My babies were born 3 days before my brother had the brain anyerism and I don't think I could have gotten through it without them.
Congratulations on your new baby. She's really cute. I'd make sure you're around when you introduce her to your wether. He's alot bigger than an eight week old kid. She needs clean straw to sleep in. For her bottle, I'd recommend a 16 or 20 oz pop bottle with a Pritchard nipple. Some feed stores carry them, or perhaps the person who is selling her to you can send a nipple she's used to. The best milk for her is pasteurized goat milk. If you can't get that, use whole cow's milk. Do NOT feed milk replacer. It's bad for goats. At her age, I'd feed her about 16 oz twice a day. She also needs hay. I start my babies on goat developer pellets at about her age. She also needs water in a small bucket she can't drown in. It would also be advisable to do a course of cocci prevention. I give liquid sulfa orally, 1cc per five pounds body weight the first day and then 1cc per 10 pounds for four days. I'd also worm her with what ever wormer works in your area - cydectin, Ivermec or Valbzen. The stress of a move can bring on worms or cocci. Find out if she's had both her CDT shots. If she's only had the first one, she'll need a second 21 days after the first.
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An 8 week old baby should have had it's second shots and have been wormed. It is still good to give them one more set at 12 weeks and worm again.
As for 'anything contagious', not so certain. Keep in mind most goat vets know NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING about goats. It is truely up to the owner to learn ALL you can in the ways of vet care. You WILL be required to do most of your own. Get a couple good books and read up. Not knowing what shots and when or about 'contagious diseases' means you've got a lot of learning to do. But don't worry, that's half the fun AND we all started about where you did.
And even if your other goat that died didn't have a contagious disease, you can't know that this new one isn't bringing any in. Ask the previous owner about any abscesses they'e had in their herd, and DON'T BUY if they don't have untested animals that have had abscesses. CL is a horridly zoonotic (all mammals can get it, including you or your children) and horridly contagious disease that would just lead to more hearbreak. CAE is more manageable BUT is still a pain.
As for a 'bottle of what' that she will need, she is probably a bottle baby. She will still need 3 feedings 3x per day until about 12 weeks, then she can be tapered off. Lots of breeders wean at 8 weeks but I would NEVER wean a doe that young. They need at least 3 months of milk in most good breeder's opinions. Just feed her whole vitamin D cow's milk from the store, 12 oz per feeding (x3 = 36 oz per day) and use a lamb nipple on a pop bottle. NO replacer, it's bad for them. But, if she was dam raised she will NOT take the bottle, in which case it is ok for her to have a cup or so of grain PER DAY. I'd feed a good dry mix and mix in 1 part calf manna to every 3 parts or so to make sure she grows well. They don't need a lot, don't overfeed her. After she hits about 4-5 months, wean her off the grain. Goats don't need grain unless in late pregnancy (last month), or producing milk. Otherwise grain is unnecessary and bad for them. Free choice hay, of course.
As for 'anything contagious', not so certain. Keep in mind most goat vets know NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING about goats. It is truely up to the owner to learn ALL you can in the ways of vet care. You WILL be required to do most of your own. Get a couple good books and read up. Not knowing what shots and when or about 'contagious diseases' means you've got a lot of learning to do. But don't worry, that's half the fun AND we all started about where you did.
And even if your other goat that died didn't have a contagious disease, you can't know that this new one isn't bringing any in. Ask the previous owner about any abscesses they'e had in their herd, and DON'T BUY if they don't have untested animals that have had abscesses. CL is a horridly zoonotic (all mammals can get it, including you or your children) and horridly contagious disease that would just lead to more hearbreak. CAE is more manageable BUT is still a pain.
As for a 'bottle of what' that she will need, she is probably a bottle baby. She will still need 3 feedings 3x per day until about 12 weeks, then she can be tapered off. Lots of breeders wean at 8 weeks but I would NEVER wean a doe that young. They need at least 3 months of milk in most good breeder's opinions. Just feed her whole vitamin D cow's milk from the store, 12 oz per feeding (x3 = 36 oz per day) and use a lamb nipple on a pop bottle. NO replacer, it's bad for them. But, if she was dam raised she will NOT take the bottle, in which case it is ok for her to have a cup or so of grain PER DAY. I'd feed a good dry mix and mix in 1 part calf manna to every 3 parts or so to make sure she grows well. They don't need a lot, don't overfeed her. After she hits about 4-5 months, wean her off the grain. Goats don't need grain unless in late pregnancy (last month), or producing milk. Otherwise grain is unnecessary and bad for them. Free choice hay, of course.
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If you haven't visited this site yet you might want to...it helped me out with a lot of the basics.
http://fiascofarm.com/
http://fiascofarm.com/
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She is so pretty!!!
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What a doll. Congratulations on your new baby.
I have to say with the bottle. Not all goats will use the same nipple. I had a goat that would not take any bottle (nipple) but a human baby bottle size, but she was bigger then your baby.
I agree. Make sure you help the wether adjust to her. He might really butt her around beings she is new and all. He is just going to tell her he is the boss.:hobbyhors
I have to say with the bottle. Not all goats will use the same nipple. I had a goat that would not take any bottle (nipple) but a human baby bottle size, but she was bigger then your baby.
I agree. Make sure you help the wether adjust to her. He might really butt her around beings she is new and all. He is just going to tell her he is the boss.:hobbyhors
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