It is my opinion that baby goats are the cutest animals on the homestead. We were blessed to welcome three new pygmy dwarf babies in March and they are the funniest, most animated babies that love to bounce, run, and jump on everything. I can have a bad day, and then look outside and see these cute, cuddly, kids frolicking in the meadow and playing with each other, and it brings a smile to my face. Whether you want a goat kid for a pet, or as a future breeder or milk goat, it is important to know the proper care and upkeep of these sweet animals.
What you need to know.
Is your kid bottle-fed? If you decide to purchase a bottle-fed kid you must be ready to commit to feeding the kid for 6 to 8 weeks from a bottle, and every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day. After a week you can start to spread out the feedings to 4 feedings a day. Then two feeds per day at 3 weeks of age. It is important to find out if the kid nursed the mother within hours of being born and was able to get colostrum. If the kid doesn't get colostrum, it makes them very suspectable to disease because they have no to little immunity, and will likely die. If at all possible it is better to let the kid nurse from the mother for a least a couple of days to get the necessary nutrients and immune-boosting colostrum. There would be several reasons that nursing from the mother wouldn't be possible. The mother may reject the kid, the farm where you are buying the kid may want to keep the mother goat for milk for the farm and therefore will sell the kid as a bottle baby, or the mother expired during birth.
Bottle feeding how to. Patience is a necessity when trying to teach a new kid to take a bottle. It may take many tries, so don't get discouraged. To encourage the kid, gently open its mouth, and squeeze the milk into its mouth. It will eventually get the idea and start sucking. If the kid doesn't have a good suckling reflex, you may need to dropper feed it, or tube feed it. We had to do this with a bottle calf, and if you have never done this before, I recommend you call a vet. If not done properly, it can go into the lungs instead of the stomach. When purchasing nipples for newborn kids "Pritchard" nipples are best because of there small size makes it easier to suck.
How much to feed depends on the breed and age. On average you will feed 3 to 4 ounces per 5 pounds of weight for each feeding.
How long do I bottle feed? As a general rule, it is good to bottle feed for at least 3 months to get them off on a good start. It is a good idea to transition them slowly to hay because they may bloat or have other digestive issues. A good probiotic regime given while they are transitioning to hay will help alleviate this problem.
What do I feed my baby goat?
Bottle feeding how to. Patience is a necessity when trying to teach a new kid to take a bottle. It may take many tries, so don't get discouraged. To encourage the kid, gently open its mouth, and squeeze the milk into its mouth. It will eventually get the idea and start sucking. If the kid doesn't have a good suckling reflex, you may need to dropper feed it, or tube feed it. We had to do this with a bottle calf, and if you have never done this before, I recommend you call a vet. If not done properly, it can go into the lungs instead of the stomach. When purchasing nipples for newborn kids "Pritchard" nipples are best because of there small size makes it easier to suck.
How much to feed depends on the breed and age. On average you will feed 3 to 4 ounces per 5 pounds of weight for each feeding.
How long do I bottle feed? As a general rule, it is good to bottle feed for at least 3 months to get them off on a good start. It is a good idea to transition them slowly to hay because they may bloat or have other digestive issues. A good probiotic regime given while they are transitioning to hay will help alleviate this problem.
What do I feed my baby goat?
- The majority of the goat's diet should come from hay.
- Around 15% should be from grass/weeds, or bagged hay pellets.
- 5% should come from grains.
- Goats also need certain minerals added to their grains when given. (grains are a treat, not a meal.)
- Freshwater, with apple cider vinegar.
What vaccinations do my kids need?
- If you are raising goats for milk or meat, CD-T, protects against Clostridium perfringens types C and D and tetanus and must be given.
- An optional vaccine that may be given is CL (Caseous lymphadenitis), sore mouth, rabies, footrot, and pneumonia.
.jpg)
Housing for your kids
Kids should be kept apart from aggressive goats that are in your goat herd. They can be slowly integrated into the herd when they are better able to stand up to the bullies in the herd.
Kids should be provided with a dry, warm wind-free shelter. Give each kid at least 10 square feet of space. Put fresh hay or shavings for bedding.
When the kids are put out to pasture with other goats or other animals, the pasture should be kept clean of manure to keep down parasite load.
Kids love to play and climb so making a small area with pallets to climb, big spools, or a small slide entertains them for hours.
Additional Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment