Goats AT Auctions!!!:)

[muscovy94]

I'd find the closest goat dairy I could and buy from them, they are usually fairly cheap and they haven't been exposed to the bad things auctions goats may have.

I've tried to find them locally, but they only people I could find that sold goats only had mixed breed goats. I'm looking for some pygmy babies.

 

[haviris]

I thought you were just looking at bottle babies, didn't know you wanted a specific breed. Pygmies aren't milk goats, so goat dairies won't have them. I'd keep an eye on craigslist, and possibly post a wanted ad. Pygmies are pretty plentiful so I'm sure you'll find one (although be sure you are getting a pygmy, lots of people think of any small goat as pygmy when they are usually mixed, study the breed standard).

I've seen a few pygmy bottle babies on Craigslist near TX the last few months, but it's getting late in the baby season, they may start getting harder to find.

 

[KareyABohr]

I buy bottle billies every year at auction.
They sell them seprately and you need to keep a CLOSE eye out. If they wont suck on your finger, then they won't suck a bottle.

They need their CD&T shots, they need to be kept clean, warm, and dry.

Other than that an ability to feed them twice a day at the SAME TIME every day, is all you need to really enjoy having bottle billies.

Good luck!

 

[nightshade]

I am a really big advocate for buying goats at auctions or taking in unwanted ones from people that can no longer care for or have them. Over half of my goats are market rescues or ones given to me by people that nolonger wanted them for what ever reason.

But you have to be careful buying bottle babies at sales more so then ones that are a little older they are more likely to die and leave you heart broken. I try to stick to ones that are old enough top be weined and rarely buy anything that is not almost knee high on me.I Keep antibiotics, syringes, CD&T meds and plenty of wormer in stock at all times.I worm them as soon as they come home as well as give them a penicillin and tetanus shot.

KareyABohr gave some great advise though if you do decide to buy a bottle baby from a sale.

 

[mully]

Makes one wonder why a bottle baby would be at auction...is it sick and did the people who gave it up to be auctioned care for parents. I would find a good goat from someone local.

 

[haviris]

The most common reason for a bottle baby to end up at the auction is because many people just don't want to take the time to raise them or find them private homes. Most will be dairy bucklings.

Unfortunately there are alot of bugs they pick up at the auctions, a kid that was healthy before going to the auction, may not be healthy leaving.

I have no problem rescueing auction bottle babies, but I would recommend it for a newbie or first timer. They can be very difficult to raise and heartbreaking when they don't make it.

 

[haviris]

Make sure you are truely commited to the responsiblity of a bottle baby, depending on how young you get one, you need to be prepared for 3 months of bottles.

Here is my bottle feeding schedule (aprrox. it can vary by kids)
1-2 weeks five bottles a day 4 hours apart
2-5 or 6 weeks, four bottles a day 5 hours apart
5 or 6-12 weeks, three bottles a day,
If they are being sold they will start weaning at this point, if it's a keeper, I will either cut them to two bottles, or continue w/ three until they are ready to start weaning.

One thing I've noticed about newbies, no matter how excited and committed they think they will be, they seem to start getting bottle burnout at about 6 weeks, it almost never fails.

I sell bottle babies sometimes, but rarely anything under 2 weeks, and generally closer to 4 weeks. This way I can be sure the kid is doing well, the buyer gets plenty of "bottle time" and hopefully the kid will be about ready to wean by the time the buyer starts getting bottle burnout.

 

[Scout]

Make sure you are truely commited to the responsiblity of a bottle baby, depending on how young you get one, you need to be prepared for 3 months of bottles.

Here is my bottle feeding schedule (aprrox. it can vary by kids)
1-2 weeks five bottles a day 4 hours apart
2-5 or 6 weeks, four bottles a day 5 hours apart
5 or 6-12 weeks, three bottles a day,
If they are being sold they will start weaning at this point, if it's a keeper, I will either cut them to two bottles, or continue w/ three until they are ready to start weaning.

One thing I've noticed about newbies, no matter how excited and committed they think they will be, they seem to start getting bottle burnout at about 6 weeks, it almost never fails.

I sell bottle babies sometimes, but rarely anything under 2 weeks, and generally closer to 4 weeks. This way I can be sure the kid is doing well, the buyer gets plenty of "bottle time" and hopefully the kid will be about ready to wean by the time the buyer starts getting bottle burnout.

Very good advice. I've had countless folks bring me the bottle lambs back or kill them cuz it was "to much work." So I stopped sellin bummers cuz it was gettin ridiculous. So ya lose a few hours of sleep, big flippin deal, but I guess some folks just dont like spending time with their "pets."

 

[nightshade]

Makes one wonder why a bottle baby would be at auction...is it sick and did the people who gave it up to be auctioned care for parents. I would find a good goat from someone local.

Around here they usually end up at sales because they are considered a by product of freshening a dairy goat. They usually are bills but sometimes you will see nans. They are normally smaller then what the breeder wants to have or not the desired color.

 

[username taken]

It'd be best to buy from a local farm. One of my friends around here just give's the bummers away IF ya let him know ahead of time ya want one, if ya dont act fast he'll put 'em down, he says he's to old to deal with 'em like he used to. So the point is, put an ad in the paper your interested in a PAIR of bummers (dont get just one, they really dont do well on there own, and if ya only get one and it does live, it'll be a down right PEST!!! Trust me...) Get out to the farm and look at how they care for there stock, make sure ya ask how old the babie's are (very important, if they dont get colostrum within a half hour or sooner after birth they will die, no way around it, and that powdered colostrum's a huge joke, its absolutely worthless. It'd be best to get one that's about 5 days old, if they wouldn't have got enough colostrum they usually wouldn't have made it to that old, from then on its smooth sailin... Oh, and also that powdered milk usually aint no good either, I've had some luck with it, but unpasterized goat's millk's the best, if not, just get the whole cow's milk from the store, it aint the best but it sure beats that powdered nightmare... and it's a lot easier on the wallet.

That bein said, I'll tell ya what I'd do if I was you... I'd purchase a TAME (very important, not only would it be so much easier to catch her and milk her, but the kids'll watch how she acts around you, they'll pick up on fear awful quick) preggy doe, wait til she kids, pull the kids off her, milk her, and bottle feed 'em that way, that way they'd have the colostrum they need and you'd know exactly how much they got, and then the good milk after that, and you can drink the extra milk, aint nothin wrong with that LOL. Now when the kids are weaned, you could either keep the nanny, sale her or butcher her, dependin.

So much misinformation here I had to register and post.

Colostrum DOESNT need to be within half an hour or they die

It is best to get it into them within 6 hrs, during this period there is 100% absorption of antibodies; within 6 - 12 hrs there is about 50% absorption; 12 - 24 hrs about 25% absorption and this tails off to 0% absorption at 48hrs.

Now, if they dont get colostrum, they DONT immediately die, I have raised many many animals that are still alive and thriving and I KNOW they didnt get ANY colostrum.

If they dont get colostrum, the danger period is actually 5 weeks, that is when they will succumb to infection, if you can get them through 5 weeks you are home free.

Now if they dont get colostrum from their mum, next best thing is colostrum from another doe or even a cow (lots of people keep some in the freezer). After that the next best thing is the powdered colostrum - it is fine and does work, no problems. Next best thing after that is a mixture of milk (or replacer), cod liver oil, sugar and egg, this mimics all the other protein, fat, vit/min etc in colostrum but doesnt have the antibodies.

If you dont get antibodies into them within 24 hrs either by fresh, frozen or powdered colostrum, best to go to a vet, they can give you injectable antibodies.

If you choose to use milk replacer get one that is ALL MILK, no soy, and at the very least 20% protein, 20% fat. If I was in the US this is the one I would use:

http://www.mannapro.com/nurseall.htm

I personally use a 28% protein 21% fat replacer, and have raised hundreds of babies of all species on it with no problems.

Now muscovy:

you know what you want, a pair of pygmy babies to bottle feed. The best way to get this is find a breeder of pygmy goats, place a reservation for two wethers, or two does, whatever you like, for when they are kidding down next. Place your order for bottle babies, put down a deposit, then wait till they kid down. The breeder will probably be able to establish them on a bottle for you and make your job easier.