Bottling babies

Bottling Baby goat kids can be a super joyous chore. They are relatively easy to transition to a bottle and always eager to eat. Preventative measures will keep your bottle kids healthy and full of energy. Just like human kids, nipples should be an appropriate size for your goat kid. I find that the silicone human baby nipples are very suitable for Nigerian Dwarf goat kids. Venting the rim to allow no counter suction will play a huge role in their comfort of the nipple and bottle. Colostrum should be given for the first 24 hours with the best absorption of antibodies in the first 12 hours. I hear a lot of breeders talking about goat formula causing diarrhea in their young kids. I also see a lot of breeders using pop bottles to feed their kids. It makes me wonder how often they’re cleaning those pop bottles with a scrub brush. Bacteria can grow in just hours in the right temperature and environment. I also hear of a lot of breeders feeding newborn goats only 3 to 4 times a day when the goat digestive system is really made to eat a little bit every few hours. My advice to new people bottle feeding is to feed them every couple hours a little bit of new formula or milk. Our feeding schedule to start is 5am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm. If this schedule seems to be too difficult, adding more nighttime feedings can be adapted. Always add an extra half to full ounce to each kids bottle as they should be eating more and more as the days pass. Never restrict a healthy baby goats milk intake. Discard any formula that has not been eaten out of the bottles and scrub those bottles each time. We typically send a bottle and a small amount of formula with our bottle kids. The milk or formula will need be heated to around 105*. The milk in the bottle will cool quickly- feed right away. Don’t be alarmed if the color of their poop is yellow. This is very normal as their tunny can take a few days to weeks to adjust to eating. Healthy consistent poops after eating and playing should be your indication things are going well. Black meconium is what you will see the first day or two. When you are done bottling, you will most likely have very tired kids. This is short lived and after a rest they will be full of energy. You might hear the milk sloshing around in their digestive system as they jump and play. It always makes for a good giggle. You should always follow your breeder’s suggestions of course, if you have purchased from a reputable breeder.