How to Care for Bottle Fed Goats

Goats can be quite affectionate and can make great pets. It was once believed that goats would be friendly only if they were bottle-fed from birth. Today, one of the main reasons baby goats, or kids, are bottle-fed is because the mother may not have produced milk, or has abandoned the kid. Caring for a bottle-fed goat is quite simple once you get the hang of it.

Things You'll Need

  • Goat colostrum or substitute
  • Goat milk or replacement
  • Bottles with nipples
  • Feeding syringes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hold the baby goat and snuggle it before feeding. Newborns like the security and the warmth given and are more likely to feed.

    • 2

      Measure out the amount of colostrum needed and give it to the goat using the bottle. Do this in the first 24 hours of birth. Weigh the kid and then give the baby 10 percent of its weight in colostrum. Give the colostrum one to two ounces at a time every two hours. If the baby does not take to the bottle, use the feeding syringe and dribble the colostrum into its mouth. Colostrum is the first milk expressed by the mother after giving birth. This early milk contains vital antibodies that help the goat gain immunity against pathogens. Colostrix and NursemateASAP are two brands of a colostrum substitute, but any will do just fine.

    • 3

      Start feeding the baby goat two ounces of milk, or a replacement, every two hours using the bottle. Gradually increase the amount of milk to six ounces every four hours for the first week, and then gradually increase it to three eight-ounce feedings a day. You can find goat milk replacer, such as Sav-A-Kid, at a feed store or you can make your own by mixing one gallon of whole milk, a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk, one cup of cultured buttermilk, and Goat Nutri-Dench, which is added to stimulate appetite. Milk replacers are also known as formulas.

    • 4

      Continue feeding the kid three times a day, gradually increasing the amount of milk to 16 ounces.

    • 5

      Start feeding the goat only twice daily. You will have to increase the amount to 20 ounces.

    • 6

      Give the kid a proper dose of a probiotic made specifically for the goat every two weeks after birth. This helps the goat's rumen to work correctly and prevents any gastrointestinal problems.

    • 7

      Wean the babies off goat milk between eight and12 weeks of age. At this time, they are able to eat grass and other feeds.

    • 8

      Vaccinate the goat according to the schedule your veterinarian recommends.