Bottle baby question

[lovinglife]

I work full time and travel two hours a day, if I am not there when my girls have their babies is it ok if I still take them away to start the bottle process? I really want to bottle feed these babies but if it happens while I am at work.......I hate to be mean.... I am getting an unrelated buckling so will be bottle feeding anyway, would be nice to have them all together..

 

[she-earl]

I was wondering why you want to pull babies and bottle feed when you are working full-time. It will add more work to your schedule. If you want your buckling to have a buddy, pulling one would accomplish that. I have bottled baby lambs and know that lots of little feedings is better than a few bigger feedings. If you are wanting them to be really friendly, spend time in the barn or pasture with mom and babies. However, if the mothers are so unfriendly, skittish, etc. that would be harder to do. If you separate them for weaning, then you could spend time with the kids so they become friendly.

 

[lovinglife]

I will be doing the bottle/bucket method where they free feed, this is how the buckling is started, the dairy where I am getting him raise all their babies this way and they do very well. I know I am going to have a lot of work no matter what, as will be milking them eventually anyway. For many years I was up at 3:30 to get ready for work, I don't have to do that now so getting up at 4:30 to get my day started won't be horrible. I am torn between what to do here..... I sure did like the goats from this dairy that all just swarmed around me instead of running to the far corners...

I just hate the thought of pulling them after they bond with Mom, guess I will wait and see what happens and go from there..

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Mom will scream for them for a week or two if you take them after she had cleaned them off, and you will want to keep them in an area where she can't see/hear them if possible. My recommendation---make your choice now about what you want to do and stick with it.

 

[Bedste]

If you start bottle feeding right away it is much easier to wean them. At 10 weeks you just stop feeding them their bottles. I like to take the kids and bottle feed them as soon as I am able to milk their mama, from day one. They get the colostrum and everything they need. I milk her twice a day..... but the first week I feed them 5 times a day.... they get room temp milk unless its fresh from me milking. Second week I feed them 3 times a day and third week 2 times a day. When they are 8 weeks old I go to 1 time a day and then cut them off at 10 weeks old.

This method is a lot of work at first. The beauty of it is that after only spending a week apart from their mama, they are looking to me for their milk and mama is looking to me for relief and I can put them back together at 7 days old. mama teaches them how to be a goat and no one steals my milk.... I do NOT put the kids on replacer. They get their mothers milk but she continues to produce more then they need and after the kids are two weeks old I have plenty of milk for kids and household too.


Keeping kids with their mothers is easier but if you are keeping the kids sometimes they continue to nurse after even 6 months old... If you are selling them and separating them I would do it the natural way and let mom nurse her young. I have heard that if she has more than 2 you have to make sure all are eating.... sometimes moms wont feed more than two. I have also heard that if she has only one the kid has a favorite side and you have to be sure and milk the other side out too.


I posted this reply to another thread but thought it applied to your question too! After the first 5 days of feeding 5 times a day, you could start doing 3 times a day.... but I would not put them on 2 times a day until they are at least 7 or 8 days old.... they only eat 2-4 ounces to start with and need the 5 times a day at first... (my experience with bottle babies)

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

I work full time and travel two hours a day, if I am not there when my girls have their babies is it ok if I still take them away to start the bottle process? I really want to bottle feed these babies but if it happens while I am at work.......I hate to be mean.... I am getting an unrelated buckling so will be bottle feeding anyway, would be nice to have them all together..

My opinion is if you miss that window she's gonna be looking for them either now, or later if you dam raise and wean later. She's gonna be unhappy about both. I just bought a 9 month old who's still nursing her mom. I haven't separated them yet but I'm going to. It gonna be bad, I just know it! Earplugs anyone!? Those two are attached at the hip. I will be bottle raising their kids in the future! The people who owned them handled the baby a lot and she still turned out just like her mom.

 

[lovinglife]

Ok, lots of good advice, I am going to really watch them and if they look to be starting or close to labor I will take the day off, I wouldn't feel right leaving them alone anyway if I knew they were getting close. BUT if they fool me and don't give me any signs, that is where I needed the advice. So I "could" remove them on day one if I happen to miss the birth, just would be harder. I do plan on keeping the does and I really do want them to be bonded to me, it is just easier. My first girls were bottle fed (ok 25 years ago) and they were awesome to work with. These are just not that easy and I know for a fact they were handled, just not the way they needed.... They didn't have collars, they don't lead, makes things much harder.

Lots to think about and I know I am going to be really busy, but I don't care, be good for me. Here is a picture of my group, the first one is Aspen, she is broke to lead so she is easy, the other two will get collars this weekend I hope. They are not due for 2 - 3 months, but Aspen is due end of the month.

 

[madcow]

Aww, beautiful mothers-to-be!

 

[Egg_Newton]

What breeds are those? They look like mini nubians and a ND?

 

[lovinglife]

The first girl is my Guernsey doe love her... the second in command is Shirley, my Nubian/Angora cross love her too the fuzzy little cutie, the last on the totem pole is Lavern, she is a small Nubian and the one who gets picked on the most so of course I love her too!! My Guernsey, Aspen is the oldest, I am expecting twins or better from her, the others only time will tell as they still have a long way to go. Can't wait!!