Raising the Kids

It is important that the kid goat receive colostrum (the first milk) as soon as possible after birth and for at least 2 days. Colostrum provides antibodies for resistance to disease and is high in nutrients, including energy, vitamin A, the B vitamins, protein, and minerals. Overfeeding colostrum or other milk can cause scours. Extra colostrum can be saved by freezing and fed at body temperature at some later date. Orphan kids may be left on goat's milk or changed to cow's milk or a commercial milk replacer after the first days on colostrum.

Kids must have a warm, dry place to sleep if they are taken from their mothers. A deep wooden box with a slanted floor is raised off the ground to provide drainage makes a good bed for new kids. The box should be well-bedded and draft-free.

For the first 3 to 4 days after birth, a kid should receive 2 to 3 pints of milk in three to four feedings per day. Kids can be fed twice per day thereafter. A creep feed containing approximately 20 percent CP and a high-quality hay should be made available to kids at about 2 weeks of age. Keep clean, fresh water and salt available at all times, especially when the kids are weaned from milk at 8 to 12 weeks of age.

As soon as the kid begins eating a little grain and hay, the rumen will begin to develop, allowing the kid to use roughage materials. The kid will begin chewing its cud at this time. When the kid is eating hay and grain well, usually at about 4 to 6 weeks of age, you can discontinue milk feeding. The rumen will be fully developed at approximately 8 weeks of age.

The kid should have plenty of exercise and as much sunshine as possible. Provide boxes or barrels for older kids to have something on which to climb and jump. Separate the buck kids from the does at about 2 to 4 months of age to avoid premature breeding.

CARE OF A NEWBORN:  

As soon as they are born, dip their navel cord in 7% Iodine. 

Open the teats on the Mother. Many times they are clogged, and as hard as the baby tries to nurse, no milk will  come...therefore always make sure a steady good stream is coming from her  teats. Make SURE the babies are up and nursing  within 30 or 40 minutes after being born. They must have 10 to 15% of  their body weight in colostrum (first Mothers milk) in the first 24 hours of  life...better to get that in the first 12 hours of life...If they do not get this "life saving " colostrum their chances of survival are  slim...and even if they don't die, they will not have a good immune system, and will not be a healthy animal as a rule.  

The doe will need to be fed MORE while her babies are nursing. ALWAYS leave babies on Mothers till 3 months old . If you pull them before then, you will not have the good weight and growth you should  have.  If I keep a doe baby, I never take her from her Mother.  Mom will kick her off when she’s ready. Longer than three months nursing, can only do her good. If you take them away too soon not only will it stress the babies, but also the Mother. Anytime goats are stressed, it opens them up to all sorts of  "sickness"..
 

ESSENTIALS YOU MUST HAVE ON HAND ( if breeding and raising )
Baby Bottle and nipple
REPLACER  COLOSTRUM.. You will never know how often you might need the replacer Colostrum. Trips or quads, and the Mother may not have enough milk (colostrum )..or the Mother could die, or become sick, and when sick they don't eat, and if they don't eat, they don't produce milk.. You  must have this colostrum the first 12. hours of that babies life.. You can  order replacer Colostrum from most supply houses. It is called COLOSTRIX.  It is made for baby calves, but it works on goats.  I have lost count of how many babies I have raised with ONLY  the COLOSTRIX...I still have some does I raised around 7 to 9 years ago on nothing but the COLOSTRIX.  Don't let anyone tell you it won't work...IT WILL.  It is very inexpensive, and can be ordered  from most supply  houses. Some vets even stock it.  Also the COLOSTRIX has an e-coli preventative in it.

Kick start for weak newborn:

Karo syrup in 2 pints of water, or give black coffee.  These should be followed up with colostrum which every newborn requires.

Recipe for Colostrum Replacement: 

3 cups whole milk
1 beaten egg
1 tsp cod liver oil
1 Tbs sugar.

Colostrum  Trick : 

Freeze your colostrum in ice cube trays & put into a plastic freezer bag.  This way you can thaw a cube at a time for a kid that should need it, and keep from wasting a very valuable resource.

12 weeks for first round of shots.

Author: Coni Ross
             CR Ranch
              13285 Ranch Rd. 2325
              Blanco, Texas 78606
              512-496-3197
              crranch@moment.net

Repositioning babies

A little trick's I learned to help reposition babies and to avoid a C
section is to:

1 - DON'T wait until doe is in serious distress, the uterus has a greater chance of tearing. If you think things are taking too long ...wash up with iodine solution and lube a gloved hand and check things out !!      Better to feel a nose and hooves and relax a bit than to be wondering what to do !!

2 - give the doe 1cc epinephrine im...this relaxes the uterus a little bit and gives you a bit of room to maneuver.

I did this last spring with a large buck kid that was determined to come tail first and NO FEET ...talks about sticking your hand in & saying "WHAT is this?". The epi gave enough relaxation that I could push the boy back a little bit when she wasn't contracting and get each hind leg pulled out one at a time (note take the hoof toward the baby's umbilical cord/midline and the hock outward). Fortunately she was a pretty big doe/not a first freshener as at one point I had a nearly bothhands in there and it was a tight fit !!

Despite our best efforts sometimes you can't save them tho'

• Try to keep an equal number of hours between feedings

• * Gradually substitute water for a portion of the milk to wean.

Do not feed them as much as they want to eat follow the schedule, Unless you want to kill them.

Suggestion: 1 scoop of Loveland's Calf Pac or any Probios in each bottle once a day...This has 5 live organisms and is for their rumen...This should cut down on a lot of problems you might encounter bottle feeding...This will prevent many things, including bloat in most cases.

When mixing milk replacer keep it consist changes will upset stomach and then the problems start.

Recipes for Milk Replacer
pick ONE RECIPE AND STICK WITH IT. don't MAKE SUDDEN CHANGES.

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1 cup whole buttermilk (not low fat)
• 12 oz. can evaporated milk.

Pour off 2 1/2 cups of the whole milk and add 1 cup whole buttermilk and one 12 oz can of evaporated milk to the whole milk.  Mix well.

1/4 cup whipping cream,
1 large egg,
1 cup non fat dry milk
3 cups of water

Which makes 30 oz.. For a larger batch, I double everything except
for using 1/3 cup whipping cream.

I use that, and egg has every amino acid, every fatty acid, every vitamin and iron, the only thing it lacks is Vitamin C. It is highly digestible, and kids raised on this do not look like bottle kids, they are as large as other dam raised kids their age, and do not have a big belly. My cost for feeding my one doe kid is give or take a few cents: $1.60 per gallon.

Author: Coni Ross

GOAT MILK FORMULA
(for bottle baby kids)

1 gallon Whole Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 cup Cultured Buttermilk
Goat Nutri-Drench

Pour 4 cups of the whole milk into a container. Add the evaporated milk and butter milk. Add back as much of the whole milk (roughly 1 cup) to refill the gallon milk container. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Goat Nutri-Drench to the first bottle of the day.

Author: Unknown

Be very careful to mix the appropriate amount with water for feeding, as an improper mix can cause diarrhea.  If you continue to have a problem with diarrhea and you've eliminated other causes look once again to the kid milk replacer.  You might want to try using whole cows milk, or a mix of the two.  You may want to cut back on the amount of milk you are feeding, and supplement with hay/alfalfa to compensate for the reduction of milk.   Keep a very close eye on the condition of your kids at all times while experimenting with feed levels.

Also, there has been a recall on Manna Pro products Spring 2007.  Many young kids have become ill from use of the kid milk replacer.  If you are using this product and having a problem with the health of your kids, stop using it immediately.  If kid milk replacer is a grayish color & the smell is off, do not ever use it to feed your kids.  I have found DuMor to be a very good product for kid milk replacer.

COLOSTRUM AND GOAT MILK -- STORING FOR EMERGENCY USE

An important part of preparing for kidding is to have real colostrum and real goat milk on hand for emergencies. The doe who gives birth but has no milk, the dam who develops mastitis, the mother who dies and leaves orphans, the sick mom who can't nurse her kids, the dam whose teat orifice is too small for good milk flow, the doe who is unable to raise three or more kids . . . each of these situations is easier to handle if the producer has previously collected and frozen colostrum and goat milk for emergency use.

There are commercial substitutes for both colostrum and goat milk. However, real colostrum and goat milk contain antibodies specific to the producer's location that are critical to newborns' continuing health. Goat kids are not born with independently-functioning immune systems but rather operate off their dams' immunities for the first several months of life. If the producer must use commercial substitutes, avoid soy-based products.

Obtain a new or used chest or upright freezer and designate it as colostrum and goat milk storage. Collect empty 16 - 20 ounce plastic soda-water bottles with screw-on caps. Remove the labels, clean and dry them thoroughly, and store them for future use. Obtain stick-on labels for identification of the contents. Buy a funnel that fits the top of the bottles. Have on hand a stove-top pot with an elevated rack placed inside, a hot plate or stove, a counter, and running water. Save wide-mouthed jars into which to milk colostrum and goat milk. Buy screw-on Prichard teats that fit the plastic bottles. Automatic-defrost freezers speed up degradation of frozen colostrum and goat milk because they take moisture out of the air and therefore out of the frozen product. Plastic bottles protect frozen contents better than zip-lock bags or ice-cube trays.

When a doe has more colostrum or goat milk than her kids require, clean her teats with an alcohol prep pad and milk into a wide-mouthed jar. Write the following on the stick-on label and apply it to the plastic bottle before you funnel the contents inside: "First-Day Colostrum," "Second-Day Colostrum," or "Goat Milk," the date collected, and the dam's name and ear tag number. Fill the plastic bottle half full, allowing for expansion when frozen, and screw the cap onto the bottle. Store the filled bottle upright in the freezer. A larger bottle can be used to freeze goat milk, but colostrum needs to be stored in one-feeding quantities. Once thawed, it is of questionable value re-frozen. This writer has successfully used both colostrum and goat milk that has been frozen for more than two years. Use oldest dated bottles first.

Thawing colostrum is a delicate task. Seldom does the producer have time to refrigerator or counter thaw. Place the raised rack in the bottom of the stove-top pot and fill it with water; loosen the screw-on cap and submerge all but the top of the frozen bottle of colostrum. Begin to thaw over medium heat, reducing heat to low temperature as thawing proceeds. Shake and turn the bottle frequently to prevent scorching or clotting. Colostrum should not be thawed or warmed in a microwave; it turns gummy.

Goat milk can be thawed in a microwave, using several-second bursts of energy and can also be heated in a microwave without destroying its immunological and nutritional values. However, do not over-heat milk. Test the heat of the colostrum or milk on the inside of your bare wrist before feeding it to kids. Do not try to re-use plastic bottles in which colostrum or goat milk has been frozen. Colostrum especially leaves residue in the bottom of the bottle that can attract bacteria. Keeping a frozen supply of colostrum and goat milk that is specific to your ranch for use with stressed newborns is a sound management practice.

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. Acknowledgement must also be made that the articles were first published in GOAT RANCHER Magazine, for which Suzanne Gasparotto writes exclusively.

Bottle Babies with Rattle in Chest:

I just went through that cough with several of my bottle kids...  I went to the vet and got the excenel and gave the ones coughing 5 days of that.  Dosage was 1 cc per 35#... broke it down and gave the ones weighing 8#  0.25 cc (point 25)of excenel for 5 days.  My bigger kid (around 50#) got  1 2/10 cc of excenel for 6 days.  I gave (please forgive me group) the shots IM as the babies move SO much. Used the small needle and syringe - 1cc with 10ths marked.   He is still coughing after he takes a bottle, but there is no rattle. So with Mr. Glutton, I think he is probably still asperating a little milk at bottle time.  But his lungs are clear and he does not "rattle".   

 Author:  Kathryn Davis

If you have a bottle baby you need to vaccinate at 3,6,12, and 16 weeks, then once a  year they get the booster.  ( always 2 ccs )
I think it is a smart idea to booster with the CD/T every 6 months. (not wait a year). It is VERY IMPORTANT. you vaccinate the pregnant  doe 3 weeks  before kidding with the CD/T. This way her babies will be protected  till 12 weeks of age through the Mothers colostrum, and then when the babies are 12 weeks if left on the Mother, they should be given their first CD/T vaccination, followed in three weeks by the  booster.  

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT ON BOTTLE BABIES to deworm every 3 weeks. Also you must treat 5 straight days with Albon ( 1cc per  10 lbs ) double dose the first day.  This must be done at 3 weeks, and  again at 6 weeks.  You can put the liquid Albon and wormer straight  in their bottles.....Babies are VERY prone to coccicidiosis (an internal  parasite ) and worms.     

CL  Vaccinations: Case Bac CL vaccination to be given ONLY as a  preventative to be given EVERY 6 MONTHS. Autogenous CL vaccine. Given once a yr.  This vaccine can be given to a positive goat, and it will suppress any future abscesses.  This vaccine can also be given to a negative goat as a preventative.  The Autogenous vaccine is given once a year. Both CL vaccines need a booster three weeks after the original (always 2 ccs ).  Safe to give a PG doe. If given 3 weeks before kidding, babies will be protected till 12 weeks old through their Mothers colostrum. Then they are old enough to get their first CL vaccination followed in three  weeks by the booster.  

Author: Unknown

We use 40 watt, with the metal reflector. Right now it is 29 degrees Outside, and the 40 watt adds enough warmth to keep them just fine.

Author: Gayla Roberts
            Always Enough Ranch

It looks like he's got a huge Adams apple. It's fairly soft, Try spraying that kid's tail web with iodine. There is a 'milk goiter' in kids that get a lot of milk, and grow very fast. The thyroid needs more iodine, and enlarges temporarily. The iodine sprayed on the tail does not sting, and the kid will absorb it very fast, even the hair will be white again the next day.

Author: Coni Ross

KIDDING SUPPLIES

Goat Serum Concentrate: The medical breakthrough of the century! Now you can protect your kids from the leading causes of newborn disease and death. Newborns depend on antibodies shortly after birth to build their immune system. A number of common conditions result in little or no immune build-up, leaving newborns susceptible to pneumonia, scours, and high mortality rates. Be assured that your kids will have maximum growth and long, healthy productive lives. Also effective as a treatment for infections in adult goats such as mastitis and shipping fever complex. "It's like a miracle!" Very economical to use ($3.37 per dose). One bottle provides 8 treatments.

Frozen colostrum is preferred, as colostrum replacer is not sufficient.

Colostrum Powder: Supply your growing kids with beneficial micro flora for intestinal flora as well as immune building antibodies, protein, vitamins A, D, E, B12 and lots of trace minerals. Add a teaspoon of this wonderful colostrum powder to every bottle of milk replacer or milk you feed your baby goats for as long as they are nursing. You can’t go wrong. Dose scoop included. Labeled for goats. 9 oz. Jar (75 portions).

• Nutri-Drench or Power Punch to provide vitamins, trace minerals and amino acids for much needed energy.
• Probios or Calfpac  gel to provide the naturally occurring microorganisms necessary.
• Iodine for dipping navels, You can use a plastic film container for the iodine cup or purchase one.
• Betadine scrub to wash up  the doe's rear before delivery.
• Weak kid syringe
• Penicillin - 1 cc shot,  in case you need to use the O.B. gloves, and risk introducing bacteria into  the uterus.
• 12 cc syringe &  1/2 " needles for administering serum I.M.
• O.B. leg snare for difficult delivery, or a pig puller,
• Heat lamp for cold weather kiddings help to keep those young kids warm.  Be sure to hang them so that they do the job, but are not too close.
• Long O.B. gloves & Lubricant
• Towels - Have plenty of clean, dry, (warm) towels if possible on hand for helping the doe to clean off the  kids, especially in cold weather.
• Soft blankets in a low, round feeding pan,  under the heat lamp, so that the kids can snuggle together  under it's warmth.
• Bottles and Nipples ready to use just in case you need them.

KIDS

What I have always done and I have had a 100% success rate at doing this is one of two ways depending on what has accrued.   

1) If the doe just kidded and she only had one.  I take the afterbirth and rub it all over the kid I want to graft. If you are there when she is kidding you can catch the clear fluid from the birth and smear that also on the graft kid.  Once she has kidded and I check to make sure that is the only kid she is having then  I take her kid to another kidding pen where I have the graft kid that I have already smeared with her afterbirth or fluid.  The doe will follow you crying for her kid to the new pen where she now has two kids to clean.  She is confused because you moved her and is only concerned about being with her kids now and will clean and talk to both as well let both nurse.   

2)  If the doe has kidded and you have no afterbirth to smear on the kid then I milk the doe about a half of a coke bottle and smear it on the graft kids face, body and rear as well as on her own kid. The I move her kid to another kidding pen and she will then follow concerned about her kid and will except both because she smells the milk on both kids. This is how I have always done it and have always had them take them.     

Author: Karen Venglar

Grafting a Kid: Alternative to bottle feeding

There are several situations that call for grafting a kid: multiple birth when the doe is not going to be able to rear all of the kids, death of a doe, and a doe who’s kid has died, and needs a kid to raise.

There are several methods which work:

Graft a kid to a doe that is kidding: Put the kid in the stall with the doe after she has the first kid. Make sure you do not let her see you do it. Smear the kid with the birth fluids. Make sure the kid fills up on the doe’s colostrum so that the scent comes through. Keep them penned together for at least 2-3 days to be sure bonding and recognition has taken place. Take the yellow colostrum feces from the natural kid on day two, or as soon as you see it, and smear it on the head, back bottom under the tail, and belly of the graftee. The graftee may have a confusing scent from its dam’s colostrum. The maternal instinct is very strong at this time.

Graft a kid to a doe who has lost her kid: skin the dead kid. Leave the tail on, and the genital area. Cut off legs, and put the adoptive kids legs through the holes, make sure the kid fills up on the doe’s colostrum. It may be necessary to blind fold the doe until the colostrum comes through the digestive tract, if her own kid was several days old. If there was colostrum feces on the tail of the dead kid, use it to help with the bonding.

I have also used a dark room. If that doe has no other company, she can not hear or see another goat or animal, and you put the kid (let it nurse until it looks like it will pop so the colostrum will come through faster) with the doe in the dark room. The room needs to be at least 95-99% dark. Put feed hay and water close to the door, and leave a small crack so the doe can see the water and feed. Leave them alone. Make sure the kid has nursed again before dark. I have had does take a kid overnight like this. There are goat eating monsters in the dark, and not only is that kid her only company ( goats are herd animals) but the maternal instinct is most stimulated when she must concentrate on the sounds, and scents of that kid. I have also let the Border collie peek through the door, so that the doe feels the kid is threatened. It speeds the acceptance process. The longest I have ever had this take is 48 hours.

Author: Coni Ross

You can pop those ears out if you want. I roll the tip of the ear over my index finger, pulling out the adhesion. Put ointment on it. It will heal, and her ears will be as they are supposed to be.

Author: Cynthia Ellis
             Florida Cracker Boer Goats

Do not feed a kid that's too chilled to raise it's head, as this could send the animal into shock. First warm it up, and once it's warm, then tube it. Never use dirty tubes or syringes, and be sure to have extra tubes in case one wears out unexpectedly. Feed through the tube slowly until you've gotten 25-40 cc's of warm colostrum into the stomach.  It is Very important that a kid receives colostrum as it's first meal as it provides antibodies  that the animal needs, and it activates the proper balance of naturally occurring microorganisms in the stomach.

Author: Unknown

Goat kids are fun to raise, but like any animal they do sometimes get sick. When a young kid is too sick to nurse or suck a bottle, sometimes you have to feed him through a feeding tube that is put directly in their stomach. Sometimes they are found just to weak to swallow, and need warm fluids to revive them. Tubing a kid if done correctly is preferable to using a syringe to squirt the liquid in their mouths. This keeps the kids from aspirating any medication or milk, which could lead to pneumonia or death. Aspirate means to inhale into the lungs. Without intervention a kid that is too weak to nurse will not survive long.

Newborn kids need to be fed every 2 - 4 hours. Especially if they are sick. Frequent small amounts of nutritious fluids are preferred over large amounts more infrequently. This is especially for kids that are sick.

Author: Robin L. Walters
                 Bar-None Meat Goats

kid with fever and a limp 

I would suspect joint ill. Joint ill can occur soon after birth from infection arising in the umbilical cord, or later from a cut or scratch that you may not even see. Check the leg the goat is limping on: is it swollen at one or more joints? Check other joints, and is there swelling or tenderness? If so, then it is likely joint ill.

Joint ill needs to be treated aggressively, or the animal will be permanently crippled, stunted, and die..  I have saved kids with joint ill by treating aggressively with very high doses of

Nuflor (6ccSQ on day one, and 3ccSq/day for  7-10 days),
Penicillin !0cc SQ on day one.
Polyserum 7-10cc SQ every 4 days.
Banamine for it's antitoxin effects. 

The issue here is to treat the disease, or loose the kid . Sometimes you loose them anyway, the pus gets into the pericardium of the heart, in the peritoneum, and in all the joints.    

Author: Coni Ross 

kids with belly, not growing:

First, I would worm them. Be sure to use enough wormer to do the job. Second, I would calf pac them, and make sure you have a feed with Rumensin. Sometimes kids have sub-clinical Coccidiosis, which will interfere with absorption and growth. Coccidiosis will damage the lining of the gut, and will decrease feed efficiency. If the kids are young, and not getting enough milk, a cup per 50 lbs of feed can be added to the creep feed in the feeder.

pot bellied kids:

If you are bottling the kids, hold the bottle up high, so that the milk goes down the esophageal groove, That helps absorption. Second, make sure your milk replacer has Milk as the first ingredient. Measure milk powder separate from water. If you are feeding kids creep feed, you can add 1 cup of nonfat dry milk (generic will do) from the grocery store. I also use Calf Pac in the feed, and in the milk. Pot belly means the kids are not getting enough protein. I would put a Rumensin block in with them, unless you have Rumensin in the feed. The Sweetlix Meat Maker Mineral with Rumensin is good too.

Author: Coni Ross 

Water feeding via nipples warning:

Large amounts of water should not be given to young ruminants via a bottle or other nipple device due to the danger of causing hemoglobinuria (what appears to be blood in the urine, but in fact is hemoglobin from red blood cells which have burst and colored the urine red).  This information is per my experience and what I learned a few years back:  When weaning a Nigie doe kid who had been bottle fed, I decided to follow advice that I'd read about adding warm water to the bottle as the amount of milk was gradually lessened. The hypothesis was that this would both help ease the transition off of milk and aid hydration until the kid was drinking water well from a bucket. It sounded like a good idea.

Dr. Freeman stated that she has seen many cases of "osmotic hemolysis"  (rupture of the red blood cells due to water intake) in young ruminants (esp. sheep) who are fed water via a bottle or other nipple device such as a lambar. Reportedly, the critter confuses the water with milk and drinks too much water for it's system. Ruminant systems are not designed to suck in large amounts of water at one time.  I was told that when a goat drinks water from a bucket or even from a drench, it does not take in the same quantities at a time as it will when sucking on a nipple. Dr. Freeman states that water should never be  given via a bottle or lambar to a ruminant who has been fed milk the same way.  Within one day of stopping the water via a bottle, my doe stopped passing red urine. Fortunately, the anemia that I had caused her to suffer also cleared up in time and there was no permanent damage.  I hope this helps prevent others from making the same mistake that I made.  Andy

Author: Andy Highland

We have a doe kid with swollen knees, they are crusty and "smell sick". She tends to walk stiff legged and when she stands she won't put one down at all. She's being bottle fed and it appears that another bottle baby is starting to develop the same symptoms.

 We applied a spray on antibiotic and wrapped it up. She seemed to walk better with the wrapping applied.  Any one have an idea as to what it might be and how we might stop it? You might consider treating them for Mycoplasma bacteria by giving them Biomycin (or LA 200) injections according to weight.

Author: Doug and Vicky Inich
             Circle I Ranch 
             American Ingenuity Breeding American Genetics

For use as an aid in the prevention and treatment of conditions such as pneumonia and enterotoxemia, passive immune failure in newborns and shipping fever complex. Especially helpful for weak newborns.
If this all sounds an awful lot like the description for Goat Serum Concentrate, you are exactly right. Bovi Sera acts much the same as Goat Serum, but is labeled for calves, cattle and sheep.
Goats are not listed on the label. For larger herds, Bovi Sera offers a more cost-effective alternative than Goat Serum. Dosage of 10 cc sub-Q injection for adults and a 5 cc sub-Q injection for newborns.

Care and Bottle Feeding of Newborns:

Babies need colostrum (or the equivalent) for a minimum of 24 hours after birth, and they need to ingest 10% of their body weight. So if the baby weighs 8 pounds (128 oz.) you want to get a minimum of  13 oz. of colostrum in the kid. We have found dribbling the colostrum into the kid's mouth with a syringe works good if the kid doesn't have a good sucking motion and can't figure out the bottle. (We use a 6cc syringe and try to get 6 to 18 cc in every 15 to 20 minutes if the baby isn't interested in sucking.)

If the mother had no milk or if the babies were not able to get colostrum from the mother, I highly recommend giving them Colostrix or any other colostrum substitute. (These substitutes are all labeled for calves, but that's fine. They work great. You don’t have to mix up the entire package. What I have is manufactured by CANPAC in New Zealand and distributed by Schering-Plough. I try to keep a bag on hand “just in case.” The bag I’m reading from has an expiration date of  11/14/05; in October or early November, if I haven’t needed it, I will mix it up and feed it to the dogs and buy a new bag. I consider this “insurance.”) Some people tube-feed the babies; we have never done that so I wouldn't have any clue how to tell someone to do it. If the baby takes to the bottle, you can/should give approximately 2 oz. every 2 hours - if they will take that much. But it is extremely important they have colostrum or colostrum substitute for the first 24 hours!!

Normally if the baby won’t suck on a bottle, I put a little Karo syrup on my little finger and try to get it to suck on that (after I first make sure the baby has colostrum – normally with a syringe 6 cc at a time).

When bottle feeding there are a few “tricks” to try on the baby to encourage it to drink. One is to snuggle the baby close to you; they normally like the security of being held close. Another thing to try is to put a lightweight towel over the baby’s eyes – stimulates being underneath the dam. Yet another idea is to gently rub the baby’s neck (down the side) while putting the bottle in his mouth. Some people tickle the tail, but I’m not that coordinated.

We normally start off with 2 hour feedings of no more than 2 oz. We gradually increase both the amount of milk and the amount of time between bottles to be at 6 oz. every 4 hours by the end of the first week. After the first week we gradually increase to 8 oz. 3 times a day and stay at that 3 feedings a day for a couple weeks - gradually increasing the amount at each feeding to 16 oz. At 16 oz. we then go to two feedings a day - and usually have them drinking 20 oz.
 

Ideally you will have a goat you can milk to provide milk for the babies. But since we seldom live in an ideal world, you are probably going to have to either use a store-bought formula (Purina makes a goat milk replacer) or use the milk /buttermilk / evaporated milk recipe. If you use a milk replacer, mix it exactly according to directions; smarter people than you or I came up with the portions. And do not use a milk replacer that has soy in it; soy tends to give the babies diarrhea. Whichever you use (and I would recommend the milk/buttermilk/evaporated milk recipe only because it's so easy to mix and the measuring doesn't have to be exact), don't change abruptly. We have found we get a better grow-out rate and healthier bottle babies when we add Goat Nutri-drench to the first bottle of the day. Change in a goat's diet almost always is going to make them sick (at least our goats).

About every two weeks you need to give the babies a probiotic. We prefer Probios - a blue gel in a tube we can buy at either Tractor Supply or our Co-Op. (The cost is considerably less at the Co-op!!) Some people use a product called Calf Pac by Loveland and swear by it, but we cannot get this item locally. The Probios keeps the rumen functioning properly. If you can't find either Calf Pac or Probios, try feeding about a tablespoon full of plain cultured yogurt...serves the same purpose.
 

If the babies did not get the mother's colostrum (or if the mother was not vaccinated with CD/T or Covexin 8 or a similar product prior to the birth), I highly recommend giving the babies CD Antitoxin at birth (or close to it). The first two doses, six weeks apart, can be given orally. The bottle we have recommends giving the Antitoxin (not to be confused with CD/T) at birth and at six weeks. At 12 weeks you can then give CD/T or Covexin 8.

At birth we always give our babies a squirt of Nutra-Drench or Goat Aid any time they seem lethargic I would recommend this.

Personally I keep the babies in the laundry room for the first two weeks - especially if the weather is bad. I do this for my convenience - not necessarily because it's good for the babies. I do take them outside to play in the grass when possible. After two weeks, depending on the weather, I have them spending their days at the barn around the other goats. We have an area only babies can get into, and that's where we put them. If they wander out, they know where a "safe" place is for them to hide from the big bully goats. If they are around other goats they learn (1) they are goats, (2) grass tastes pretty good, (3) hay is tasty too, and (4) hey, those little pellet are for eating! (The babies will start eating grain faster if they are around other goats/babies eating grain.) Mainly, though, you want the goats to learn they are goats and not dogs or cats or other house pets. When in the laundry room we keep babies in boxes until they figure out how to get out at which point they move into dog crates; at no time do we allow the babies the run of the house.

I would keep them out of a drafty area if possible. During the winter if you elect to keep them at the barn, put them underneath a 250 watt light (depending on what your weather is like where you are). You want their immediate area to stay above 50 degrees. You do not want them to be using their energy/calories shivering and trying to stay warm, but you don't want to bake them either.

Hopefully you won't run into any problems with the babies and they will grow up big and strong. You will want to watch carefully for diarrhea because you don't want them dehydrated. (I'm a firm believer in Pepto Bismol for diarrhea - mixed with a little Biosol.) You will also want to make sure they get their shots on time because their immune systems are probably already a little compromised.

Author: Clear Creek Farms

 Author:  Coni Ross