bottle feeding goats?

[animalcrazy31]

I'm getting a little bottle feed baby in the morning and i was wondering is there anything you can get or make to feed them besides the powder goat formala? I've heard some don't do good on it.

 

[trestlecreek]

I'm sure you'll get a # of different reply's to this, but I will tell you what I know.

Most people use Vit. D cows milk from the grocery store w/great success. Powder goat replaces are known to be hard on them and many agree that they have lost several kids to these replacers.

When I raised mine, I wanted mine to grow at a better rate, so I used half/half. She did grow a little better compared to the Vit D Cow milk curve, but I was still not as satisfied w/ the rate. Half/half is thicker, creamer and has many more calories compared to regular cow milk. It is closer to goat milk. My baby loved it.

 

[cmjust0]

Our recipe went like this..

Take 1 Gal of whole cow's milk, and pour off 2-1/2 cups (20oz). Add one can of evaporated milk (12oz) and top it back up with one cup of cultured buttermilk.. Not "low-fat" buttermilk, either -- you want the real stuff.

It's worked great for us several times. I've even been able to get kids to switch from frozen goats' milk (...ran out...) to this recipe without skipping a beat. The consistency seems to be really similar to goats' milk.

It's not cheap, though..

 

[cmjust0]

When I raised mine, I wanted mine to grow at a better rate, so I used half/half. She did grow a little better compared to the Vit D Cow milk curve, but I was still not as satisfied w/ the rate.

How did you manage to come up with a Vit D cow's milk bottle feeding growth curve.

Edited for content. Keep it nice.

 

[trestlecreek]

Books and with studying w/others whom are/have been raising bottle kids!!
I am in the field of Veterinary Medical Science and I study these trends deliberately.

Edited for content, again keep it nice.

 

[animalcrazy31]

The half and half is that the stuff people put in there coffie? About how many ounces will a boar mix take?

 

[trestlecreek]

Yes, it is the stuff that we put in our coffee. I bought mine from Kroger in the 1 pint bottles.
A kid should get 15% of its body weight per day, divided into 3-4 feedings timed about equally apart.
I went 5-6 feedings a day to try to keep it as natural to a dams schedule as possible.

 

[cmjust0]

Books and with studying w/others whom are/have been raising bottle kids!!
I am in the field of Veterinary Medical Science and I study these trends deliberately.

Edited for content, again keep it nice.

Oh, ok.. Makes sense now..

Is there any way you could post some data from that growth curve, because I'd be really interested in seeing it.

 

[trestlecreek]

You should be able to find all of that information through university extensions/publications and through good goat reference guides.... I have not read/looked at one model that showed any differently....

 

[kimmyh]

If you are using half and half (that is what I use too) be sure to buy the full fat version, the nonfat half and half does not have the fat the little goats need.