How to Bottle-Feed Kid Goats With Calf Milk Replacer

Sometimes it's necessary to bottle-feed a kid goat. The mother may have perished during labor, or refused to nurse her young. If so, the baby goat will become ill quickly without nourishment. Some mothers do come around eventually, but it would be impossible to force a stubborn doe to feed her young on a regular schedule. Despite your best efforts, human intervention may be the only way to save an orphaned kid goat.

Things You'll Need

  • Baby bottle
  • Scissors
  • Milk replacer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the nipple of a standard baby bottle to form an "X" on the tip.

    • 2

      Milk the mother to obtain colostrum, the first secretions after giving birth. These secretions are high in antibodies. If the mother died during labor, obtain colostrum from another new mama goat if possible. Orphaned kid goats will be more susceptible to illness without the colostrum. If colostrum can't be obtained, use fresh goat or cow's milk or calf milk replacer.

    • 3

      Put the milk or colostrum in the bottle. A newborn should drink 6 ounces of milk every four hours. Your kid goat may refuse or have trouble nursing from the bottle in the beginning, but instinct and hunger will help him figure out what to do.

    • 4

      Hold the bottle higher than his head so that milk flows down the right pathway. A kid's head should be pointed slightly up with his neck extended to drink properly.

    • 5

      Increase the amount of milk replacer fed by 2 ounces every day until you are feeding 10 to 12 ounces of milk per feeding. On day three, you can reduce the frequency of feedings to four times a day as long as the kid is adapting well to life outside the womb. Reduce the amount of colostrum and begin mixing it with calf milk replacer in a half and half ratio. Offer grain and dietary supplements using the schedule you have for the herd.

    • 6

      Reduce the frequency of feeding times at three months to three times daily and again at four months to two times daily. Begin to gradually wean the kid at six months.