Bottle Feeding Baby Goats Whole Milk

We don t usually get kids down to less than three bottles ever.

Bottle feeding baby goats whole milk.

Day 1 use this exclusively in all bottles day 2 give 1 2 this solution and half milk regular whole cows milk from the grocer day 3 give 2 3 milk and 1 3 this solution day 4 give all whole milk. There are two main options either buy a commercial powdered goat milk replacer or make your own using a cow s milk based recipe that you mix up yourself recipe below. Some people try to get kids down to only two bottles as soon as possible but in my experience baby goats are more likely to get diarrhea when given too much milk at a single feeding. I personally find that it s easier to use there are less steps and thus less chance of making a mistake plus it s quite a bit cheaper in the long run.

We do not recommend milk replacer. Feed this mixture every two hours for the kid s initial few days at 0 5 to 2 ounces at each feeding. 1 gallon whole milk homogenized 1 can evaporated milk 1 cup buttermilk take the gallon of milk and pour out about 1 3 and set it aside pour in the 1 can of evaporated milk and the 1 cup of buttermilk into the gallon then pour to the remaining milk that you set aside until you reach the top. I recommend that all people new to bottle feeding use the powdered milk replacer.

Either way that baby goat still needs milk and colostrum. The american fainting goat association recommends several different homemade formulas based on the kid s age. The first involves mixing 3 quarts of whole cow s milk 1 can of goat s milk 1 cup plain whole yogurt and 1 cup heavy cream. Goats milk is obviously the best choice to bottle feed if you have it.

If you have a mother goat that has too much colostrum milk her and freeze it. If it s store bought just be sure it is whole milk. For the first two to four weeks we give bottles at about 7 a m noon 5 p m and 10 p m. It is a good idea to keep a bag of the colostrum on hand as well.

This will be a 4 day feeding process. This can come from either your own farm if you have a milk cow or just from the grocery story. If a goat specific milk replacer isn t available in your area then you may want to try the goat milk replacer recipe below. Mix gently each time before making up a bottle.