A friend of mine called me this afternoon. I'd told him that I had a new baby goat and was milking out the mom...and that night he lost one of his ewes. She orphaned one two or three week old lamb (he couldn't remember off the top of his head without looking up the records). He was hoping that I would take the lamb and bottle feed it with my goat's milk.
I don't think that's a problem - she's certainly going to give plenty of milk since sh eonly had one baby. But how much does the lamb need at this stage of the game? He's older than the new goat, obviously. I'd imagine probably almost twice her size, too (guestimating 13 or 14 pounds? Maybe more? I haven't actually seen said lamb yet).
I'm still getting colostrum from my goat but thought that Friday night when I got home I could go pick up the little one if it was still up and about and not agoner from going cold-turkey from Mom's milk to replacer...
Does anyone have a general guidelines feeding chart for bottle lambs? He's nibbling on hay and grain now, too...
By the time my bums are two weeks old they are eating at least 1 pint three times a day. Depending on how many bums and how much milk the goats are giving they may be getting as much as 1 pint and a half three times a day. Just don't try to feed double that amount only twice a day or you might bloat him.
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