new to goat babies, bottle raising/nursing question

[buttercup0884]

We are just starting out with goats, and have 2 Nigerian Dwarf Does that kidded in the last 3 days, Caramel on Tuesday (she had a doe and a buck) and then the Myriah(also a first freshner) kidded yesterday(also with a kid and a buck) the Myriah has rejected the little girl, and so we milked Caramel to try and bottle feed her. Well I can't seem to get her to take the bottle...she is tiny (weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces) so I am using a human infant bottle with an X cut in the nipple so it will come out easier for her. Caramel also wont have any thing to do with her ( to the point of head butting her across the barn stall) I got up with her in the night and went out to make Myriah stand and let her nurse (but i dont think it is enough as her brother is quite plump and round) I have her in the house next to me or my DH at all times so we hear if she is hungry...we try the bottle first...which she wont have anything to do with...and end up trekking out to the barn. Are there any tips you all might have on getting her to take the bottle, I read the sticky and it is very vague on getting started.

Thanks again

 

[Queen Mum]

Go to the feed store and get a pritchard nipple (red with a yellow screw on top) Trim off a tiny bit of the tip and put it on a glass pop or beer bottle. Make sure the milk is warm. Then add a tiny bit of karo syrup to the bottle.

STUFF THAT nipple into the babies mouth. DON'T take her to the barn when she is hungry or she will NEVER be hungry enough to suck on the nipple. Be patient. She will get it soon enough.

 

[redtailgal]

I had a few bottle babies last year, and a couple were very difficult to start.

SOme tricks that I used that seemed to help: cuddling the baby for the first few times as he ate, one kids also would eat much better if I covered his eyes.

Try different kinds of nipples, I liked the pritchard, but one of my babies did NOT, and would only take a straight lamb nipple. I would think that the straight lamb nipple would be too big for one as small as your, but I would definately try a pritchard.

I also put a little brown sugar or white sugar on the nipples the first couple times I offered it.....the yummy taste spiked interest and kept them from fighting the nipple so bad. Just a little does it. You could also add the Karo syrup to the nipple, but be careful with Karo. I tried adding a quarter teaspoon to a bottle, and ended up with a scouring kid.

If they were being very difficult, I would "tease" their mouth a little before offering the nipple to them, just like stroking along the lips, similar to what one does to a baby to trigger the rooting reflex.

Also, I made the mistake of offering the nipple too often, and ended up with a frustrated kid who was prepared to fight me as soon as he saw me. Instead, offer the bottle and work with them for a few minutes (I stopped after 10 minutes), wait a couple hours and go back. If the baby is weak or listless, you need to get something in them right away.

Here is Roll's Farms page on bottle babies, I wouldnt have survived my bottle babies without her:


http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=149874#p149874

 

[Queen Mum]

What RTG said x 2! Don't fight the baby. Just once in a while you have to sit down and hold that baby and give it the bottle. As soon as they get it, they will glom on to that thing and that will be it.

 

[elevan]

She's so tiny. You may want to go to the pet store and get some puppy bottles. They have relatively small nipples. Get her started on those and you'll have to switch to a Pritchard or lamb nipple later as she'll start to destroy the puppy nipples as she gets biggger.