Bottle/milk bar plans

[Carla D]

im thinking it’s time to start using a different method to feed all eight of my young bucks. They are getting to big to sit on my lap, and I can’t keep three others from jumping into my lap at the same time. The boys do have horns. I’m trying to find the money to have them removed before it’s too late to have them surgically done. They are also getting to be a safety hazard for my four year old daughter to help me feed as well as myself. I’m pretty bruised up from the head buts on my legs. The massages aren’t too bad however. She has her own goat as well. That one must be fed first. Does anyone know where I can find plans for a simple DIY bottle/milk bar. I’m not sure if I want one I can attach to something so it is semi perminant or if there is a plan for me that I can build where I can preload the bar and haul all eight in at the same time. I’m not sure if either is possible. I’m currently using 20oz pop bottles with Pritchard nipples. Any ideas?

 

[Latestarter]

https://www.google.com/search?q=lambar+feeder&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MI8ebHmcCv3gIVnLrACh3JfgMdEAQYASABEgKqIPD_BwE
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/lambar-feeding-outfit

As I suggested on another post, you should swap them (gradually) over from formula to just plain whole milk from the grocery store.

 

[Carla D]

That’s interesting. I never though of doing it that way. I was thinking there me be some way to put all 8 bottles on a rack or device. That way if I could keep them on any particular bottle I could kinda monitor who’s drinking how much. Tonight I had five babies not drink all 20oz. A couple of them only drank 10-12oz. Does this mean they are getting enough nutrition from other sources? The bottles are cooler now than when I first got the babies, I only feed them three times a day but that’s usually 9am, 2pm, and 8pm. I don’t have the ability to give them one overnight. But they still didn’t drink all of their bottles this morning. Is this a good sign or a bad sign?

 

[Latestarter]

I know some folks just fill up the lambar in the morning and leave it for the kids to drink as and when they wish all day long. If it's going to be really warm, where the milk would curdle, they freeze a large soda bottle of water and place it in the lambar to keep the milk cold all day. I'm sure you can go to YouTube and search for DIY lambars and find a way to do it with your 20oz bottles. If you monitor them and their bodies, you should be able to tell if any are falling behind the others.

If they're eating browse/hay and pellets, then they probably don't want/need as much milk. Also, I believe you're using formula which could be another reason why they aren't drinking as much.

 

[Carla D]

Maybe that’s why. I’m finding however that the formula is cheaper and last longer than grocery store milk. I make 5 gallons of formula a day at $4+ each gallon, and a bag of formula, I think 12# bag last me about 5-6 days is cheaper I think. Well, at least I’m not going to the grocery store twice a day, just to fleet farm twice ever two weeks. I usually but 3bags at a time which are roughly $24 each. I haven’t crunched the numbers yet, but I’m at least saving time and gas. Hopefully money as well. I believe I’m using pretty good stuff as well. It’s Advanced multi species milk replacer by Manna Pro. They drink that a whole lot better than the stuff I’ve been using the last two days which I accidentally bought a couple of weeks ago. The bag is about a buck cheaper, but a bag of the same size only lasts 2.5 days which is made by Land-O-Lakes. Maybe that’s why they are drinking less as well these last couple of days. Most don’t finish their bottles and they are like trying to feed a 5 year old cooked spinach. They poke at it, shove it around on their plate think we don’t notice they haven’t eaten more than one teeny tiny bite. Lol I think it very well may be time to drop them down to two or 2.5 bottles a day. You’re so smart.

 

[Carla D]

Latestarter, this is kinda what I’m looking for. But it’s so big.

 

[Southern by choice]

We went to a lambar this last kidding season. We had 42 kids.

We used 2 different kinds- still looking for a pic of the other one we use. But here is the first.
This one we used mostly for Miniatures and Standard Goats although some of the Nigerians used this too.
Our other one is more of a gravity feeder and pritchards are adaptable to it and then we can change the tiny nipples to larger as needed.
We have found Standard size goats after the first few days do better on larger nipples. I don't care for these big grey ones on this bucket but they did fine and there is a valve so the milk stays in the tube and doesn't drop back down. The tube is like a straw.

As far as the milk and sitting out. We have never experienced any milk being left. They take everything down we put in the bucket. We fed 3x a day then moved to 2x day. We go to 2x a day on the standards at about 2months old They are "bottle" fed til 4months (16weeks) they do have hay and feed available though all the time as kids.
We fill the bucket according to need. These kids below are all 1-2 weeks old (except the eared one) you can see there is a little milk still in the bottom. Nigerians are weaned between 8-12 weeks depending if the kids were quads or small.

found the other- this one we use for nigerians- gravity feeder
we start them with pritchards then move to the kinds on you see here these Nigerians are about a month old here

before this we did bottles... the time it took to feed and clean all the bottles was crazy. With the buckets we are still right there and they are handled and loved on... we haven't noticed personality wise a difference from hand bottle feeding to the lambar... still all act like spoiled bottle babies.

There are benefits and drawbacks to all. I want to try a long style gravity feeder for easier cleaning.

 

[Latestarter]

Thanks for jumping in here @Southern by choice

Latestarter, this is kinda what I’m looking for. But it’s so big.

Well, considering the size bottles, it's really only as big as it needs to be... I mean, you have to have something to hold those 20oz bottles right? You could probably make it "shorter" by building the holding rack as an inverted "V" so they could feed from both sides... But then you'd need a bigger space to handle goats on both sides vice in a line... 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other...

I don't use one so I'm glad that Southern jumped in here. Her or her daughter @Goat Whisperer or @babsbag can probably help you as they use them (quite extensively)...

 

[Southern by choice]

I like the wood racks but often the bottles move around too much unless they are secured but for us it is the cleaning. Cleaning those bottles is a nightmare then the goats sometimes pull the nipples off. This one I am thinking of getting - it is a gravity feeder- I don't like these nipples though. Yet there is no tubing to clean.

I want something like this.

https://www.polymaster.com.au/catalogue/agriculture/calf-feeding/fence-hung-gravity-feeders

This place has all kinds of feeders

 

[frustratedearthmother]

How about one of these?

Couldn't help it - pic was just too cute!!