Built on the Rock Farm of Naturally Raised Nigerian Dwarf Goats in Minnesota
ADGA/AGS Registered Nigerian Dwarf Goats in Minnesota MN
To declare the Lord is upright; He is my Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalms 92:15
Bottle Feeding Goat Kids
We try to keep all babies on their dam. We feel that this is best for the kids and the dam. Unfortunately situations arise where a kid may need to be pulled and bottle fed. So because of those situation and for others just looking to know we made this page. Between research, fellow breeders, and personal experience, this is what we recommend for bottle feeding goat kids. Please see disclaimer below***.
Disease Tested
You may ask why we are including disease information in the bottle feeding section. Here is why, there are some disease that are somewhat common in goats that can be transmitted to goat kids through their momma's (dam's) milk. Some of these disease are actually not only transmittable to the goat kids but also humans. I encourage everyone who is looking to purchase any goat verify disease testing of the breeder. Diseases such as the following CAN be transmitted through milk to the kids - Johnes (chronic wasting disease in deer), CAE (a form of arthritis in goats that some call the HIV of goats), and CL (which causes abscesses and if those abscesses become internal it can be deadly) if there is an open abscess in the udder. You can find more information about the diseases and disease testing on our disease page here. This is why I also do NOT recommend purchasing from an auction. You have no idea what illness or problem you are bringing to your home and that animal may seem cheap but if they cost you your other goats or contaminate your land with something like Johnes. That free or cheap goat could become a reason you no longer can have goats on your property.
Colostrum!
Colostrum is a must. When purchasing a bottle kid one of the most important thing to ask is if that kid received his/her (dam's) colostrum for at least the first 24 hours of life. That colostrum helps build up the kids immune system and gives him a great start at life. A kid that doesn't receive that needed colostrum may live, but is much more likely to die, become diseased, or have chronic health issues.
What do you feed?
We do NOT recommend powdered replacer here. We have heard of too many losses of kids that got scours and sadly passed from replacer. If you can get goat milk from tested clean goats that is the best option. This is what we use if we do not have goat milk available:
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Whole Milk
1 C. Cultured Buttermilk
Can of Evaportated Milk
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Dump out part of the whole milk into a clean container. Add 1 cup buttermilk to the original gallon. Add one can of evaporated milk. Then add as much of the milk you dumped out back into the mixture until the gallon is full again. Put on the cap and shake. Give a gentle shake each time before feeding.
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We use the pritchard nipples pictured below that just screws to a pop bottle. We also recommend when transitioning to any new feed (from goat colostrum to cows whole milk or starting or changing grain) to also add probiotics to their bottle or their feed to give their tummies an extra boost to help them with the change.
How Much and How Often?
We recommend feeding your goat kids 15-20% of their total body weight in milk a day. Divide that amount by how many feedings a day they require. Example would be my last batch of ND are 2.6lbs 2.6lbx16 (oz in a lb)=41.6 oz 15% of 41.6 is 6.24 (round up to 7 oz). So I want to give my kid 7 oz a day of milk. If I need to feed them 4 times a day (7/4=1.75) then I need to feed them 1.75oz each feeding. I recommend feeding until 8 weeks minimum but upto 16+ weeks for breeders. I also do not feed more then 24 oz a day as by the time they reach that amount they should be also eating grain, hay, mineral, etc.
Day 1-2 Feed every 2 hours
Week 1 Feed every 2-4 hours going no longer then 4 hours at night
Week 2 Feed 5 times a day going no longer then 6 hours at night
Week 3-5 Feed 4 times a day going no longer then 8 hours at night
Week 6-8 Feed 3 times a day feeding morning noon and night
Week 9-12 Feed 2 times a day feeding morning and night
Week 13-16 Feed once a day
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* Your kid will still act hungry. If they do not then you need to cut the amount you are feeding them down for the next feeding because they have over eaten.
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** A kid that has over eaten can get diarrhea and get dehydrated so it is important to not over feed.
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*** A kid that has over eaten can also get something called "floppy kid syndrome" which is caused by feeding them too much milk and their bodies are not able to digest it properly leaving them deficient.
**** Feeding a kid infrequently (only acouple times a day for instance) prevents their digestive tracts from developing properly so it is very important to feed a young kid several times a day.
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Do you only feed the bottle?
HAY: Hay is available free choice 24 hours a day. They may not eat it or will only nibble but it should be available at all times.
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MINERALS: Minerals are available free choice 24 hours a day. Again they may not eat it or will only nibble but it should be available at all times. Be very sure that the mineral is a loose mineral and not a block. Also make sure it has a 2:1 Calcium Phosphorus ratio. Do not purchase one that is for goats AND sheep or your goat will not be receiving the proper amount of copper.
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GRAIN: We start offering grain at about at 2 weeks old in the morning and in the evening. At this age we just offer free choice for the same amount of time our other goats get their grain. The amount they get fed varies greatly on breed of goat, age of goat, and sex of goat. We try to have our ND adult goats (not in milk etc) on 3/4 of a cup of grain twice a day so we slowly work our way up to that through the weening process and after. Make sure your grain is 2:1 Calcium:Phosphorus for goat.
MEDICATED FEED: We personally do not use medicated feed. Medicated feed is used to prevent coccidiosis in goats. My personal experience with medicated feed is that the animal does not receive the proper amount of medication in the feed to ward off infections. There is also belief in some circles that the medication does not allow the kid to properly build up its immune system to coccidiosis increasing the likelihood of an infection. Our only sever case of coccidiosis we have had on our farm was from a goat we purchased from a treated farm. This is a highly debated topic so please do your research and speak with your vet to decide what would work best on your farm. As for ours, we believe in only treating a problem if it is there. Some Natural and Chemical preventive options available here.
Some things to watch for:
DIARRHEA: This can come from over eating or coccisidiosis which can be deadly in kids. Dehydration also can come quickly in something so small. We use Molly's Herbal with other herbs in addition to Coptis drenched starting at 3 weeks old to prevent worms and cocci. You can find out about treatment options here.
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DOESN'T STAND VERY WELL/WEAK BACK LEGS: Most common cause of this is weak kid syndrome. It is commonly caused by a deficiency, early kidding, or multiple kid births. We treat with a dose of vit E/Selenium paste. In sever cases we also splint the back legs. Kids normally recover in full if treated if that is what is going on.
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PNEUMONIA: At first sign of any snotty nose or raspy breathing we use Phytocillin. This seems to almost instanty take care of the issue. We have only ever had one goat we have had to use antibiotics on and he had other health issues going on at the time. Nuflor is the antibiotic of choice for us for pneumonia if we have to use it. Pneumonia and Cocci are 2 of the most dangerous conditions for kids so both are urgent to watch for and treat.
Our 1.6 lb peanut
Other Misc. Info:
WETHERING: We recommending waiting until a min. of 10 weeks for meat goats and 12 weeks for pets.
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IMMUNIZATIONS: We do not immunize any of the animals on our farm. You can find out why we have made this decision by following this link. A good place to find the immunization schedule if you would like to immunize is here or you can speak directly with your vet.
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DISBUDDING: We recommend either being a 100% horned farm or a 100% horned free farm. It seems a goat knows he has the advantage if he is horned and others are not and there can be conflicts and injuries because of this. If you decide to disbud we recommend disbudding as soon as you can feel the buds. This is rarely over 3 days for bucklings, but doelings can be even 10-14 days later. We do not recommend the paste which can cause blinding or burns to themselves or other goats and we have seen goats that have had the paste with nasty scurs. Clove oil does not work and just causes the goat pain and can blind them also so please do not try to disbud this way. We use the Rhinehart X-30 for our Nigerian Dwarfs but they make a larger model for larger breeds. Bucks you always want to do a figure 8 when burning. To find out more about disbudding you can follow this link.
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COPPER BOLUS: We have very hard water on our farm which depletes the minerals in the goats more quickly. Some places can go 8-13 months without bolusing. We bolus about every 3-5 months. We start our kids at about 3 months of age.
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***Disclaimer: We are simple farmers and not veterinarians. What works for us may not work for you so please do your research to verify what would work best on your farm. This is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. We disclaim all liability in connection with the use of these products and/or information.