How to Care for Baby Goats When Their Mother Won't

Baby goats (kids) are wonderful creatures, but sometimes a mother isn't around to care for them. Whether a kid was separated from its mother shortly after birth, or the mother has rejected it, humans can successfully care for baby goats. With hard work and knowledge of goat development and nutrition, baby goats cared for by humans grow up healthy and strong.

Things You'll Need

  • Milk replacer
  • Grass, hay, alfalfa or grain
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a milk replacer. According to the University of California Extension Service, baby goats can thrive off a replacer that contains 20 percent crude protein, 20 percent fat and one percent fiber. Milk replacers derived from dairy products are the most digestible.

    • 2

      Calculate the calorie needs of the baby goat. Goat Wisdom, a website designed for goat breeding beginners, recommends feeding a kid at least 10 percent of its body weight each day, divided into three or four feeding sessions.

    • 3

      Feed the baby goat solid foods, such as pasture grass, grains, alfalfa or hay within the first 10 days. If a kid refuses solids, place any of the items in its mouth and let him chew on it.

    • 4

      Wean the baby goat off milk. Ideally this should happen once the kid is eating 1.5 pounds of grains, grass, alfalfa or hay per day. If the baby goat doesn't have access to pasture, use a commercial feeding product that contains 16 percent crude protein.