I have a 1 week old pygmy goat I got from a breeder. He was on the mama and now is being switched to bottle. He is SO stubborn and will not take the bottle. I have a small goat nipple from tractor supply but I’ve also tried multiple baby bottle nipples as well. Nothing seems to work. He hasn’t had a successful feeding in 2 days since I got him. He’s hungry and just chews on the nipple when it’s in his mouth, he did suck on it for 3 seconds then stopped. I’ve tried covering his eyes, whipping his bottom with a warm rag, and always make sure his head is at the right angle. He drank some water out of a bowl so I put goats milk in a bowl but wasn’t interested. What else can I do?
Baby goat won’t suck!
- Thread starter megan.sue
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Alaskan
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If it has been 2 days, I would take him back to the breeder ASAP.
Put him back on mom, or gave the experienced breeder get him too eat.
At this point he probably needs electrolytes, probiotics, and maybe an IV for dehydration.
Alaskan
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Sorry you didn't get a faster response... I hope he is still ok.
Finnie
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frustratedearthmother
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Agree with all of the above! But, in the interim....what are you trying to feed him? If it's a soy based formula I'd stop that ASAP. If you can get goat milk for him that would be best but if not you can change him to whole cow's milk from the grocery store. I've raised plenty of babies on cow milk and they do well.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
You need to get some goat milk for him. Add some Karo syrup to sweeten it and put some on the nipple. Try different nipples. We had a ewe die, and I had to put the 3-day old lamb on a bottle. I have bottle fed a lot of kids and calves, but that lamb just didn't want to suck. Finally, I changed the nipple to one that fit over a soda bottle and was able to squeeze a little milk into her mouth. When she figured out she could get milk she never looked back.
What kid f goat breeder ses a kid that has been n the mama to someone without putting it on the bottle first themselves. Selling a young kid on a bottle is fine if it has been on a bottle from birth (dairy goats are all bottle babies) but selling one that young off the mama without first training it to a bottle is practically a death sentence!
Hopefully, you can get some goat milk and get it to drink. At least it got colostrum.
What kid f goat breeder ses a kid that has been n the mama to someone without putting it on the bottle first themselves. Selling a young kid on a bottle is fine if it has been on a bottle from birth (dairy goats are all bottle babies) but selling one that young off the mama without first training it to a bottle is practically a death sentence!
Hopefully, you can get some goat milk and get it to drink. At least it got colostrum.
