Please help, kid is not nursing well.

[Adri]

And thank you so much for being so helpful! I really do appreciate it.

 

[20kidsonhill]

And thank you so much for being so helpful! I really do appreciate it.

If she has a sucking reflex, I wouldn't worry about the baking soda, It wont hurt her, but at this point getting milk into her is what she needs.

as far as the mom that wont stand still for her, Is she showing any mothering instinct towards the baby? does she try to lick her or talk to her, or is she totally not interested?

If she shows some interest, then holding mom every 4 hours or so and forcing her to feed the baby, should eventually result in mom understanding her job and taking care of the baby, but if she has totally rejected the baby, then it will be more difficult, If this is a dairy doe and you were planning on milking her anyway, then I would suggest putting the baby on a bottle,
I would be surprised if the other mom will let her nurse, but if she does then go for it.

If the doe has totally rejected her and is being mean to her when she approaches, then I have read were some people have had luck by penning the baby next to the mom behind wire fencing so they can see and smell each other, but mom can't bang into her, and forcing mom to feed her at least 4 or 5 times a day.

If mom isn't being mean to her, keep them in a well ventilatede(fan) pen, no bigger than 6x6, or maybe 8x8 to keep them close together for the bonding process and then help baby eat by holding mom.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

So glad the bo-se worked. I would recommend you does receive bo-se shots 30 days before they kid, clearly you are needing it.

 

[Adri]

She seems to have a weak sucking reflex if I use my pinky finger and when she does try to nurse from her momma. The other doe stands well for her kid and her kid is a vigorous nurser. And she is very easy to handle, I am sure I could "persuade" her to let this kid nurse.

The doe is very motherly, licking her and wanting her close by. She will not let any of the other goats near her doeling. Her only problem seems to be standing still long enough for the kid to get a latch. She seems to have no clue of what to do with a black nipple or a human baby bottle. If I put about 2 cc's of milk on the back of her tongue with the medicine dropper, she does swallow that. But I'm not sure how often I should be doing that.

I am planning to use them for dairy. I was planning to eventually put the kids up at night, milk the does in the morning and then let the kids have access throughout the day.

 

[20kidsonhill]

She seems to have a weak sucking reflex if I use my pinky finger and when she does try to nurse from her momma. The other doe stands well for her kid and her kid is a vigorous nurser. And she is very easy to handle, I am sure I could "persuade" her to let this kid nurse.

The doe is very motherly, licking her and wanting her close by. She will not let any of the other goats near her doeling. Her only problem seems to be standing still long enough for the kid to get a latch. She seems to have no clue of what to do with a black nipple or a human baby bottle. If I put about 2 cc's of milk on the back of her tongue with the medicine dropper, she does swallow that. But I'm not sure how often I should be doing that.

I am planning to use them for dairy. I was planning to eventually put the kids up at night, milk the does in the morning and then let the kids have access throughout the day.

The amount the baby needs depends on the size of the baby, but a couple cc's isn't even close, syring feed her 30cc's and add a 5 cc's of corn syrup to it, and let the baby rest for an hour and then try again with the nursing.

If mom has a lot of milk that comes out fast, then baby may not need to nurse long, it is hard for me to be sure exactly what is going on over the internet. Once the baby nurses, then they should rest for 2 or 3 hours.

If mom is so motherly, you are 90 % of the way there, keep the baby with her, and just assist holding mom.

Does mom have really large hard udder? perhaps you should milk mom and soften the udder, to assist the baby latching on.

Also a young doe can be in pain and not like the feeling of her udder being touched, releiving the pressure by milking her can help.
Giving her some banimine(for livestock for pain and fever) or children's liquid advil may also help with the discomfort.

I like using a 3cc syringe when syringe feeding a new born, seems to be the right size.

 

[Adri]

She seems to be getting the hang of things. She still doesn't nurse enough for my liking and I'm constantly trying to encourage it. I have been milking Lily a bit as she seems to be getting engorged and tender on one side and only lets the doeling nurse on the opposite side. Milking her seems to have helped. I saw her doeling drinking water from the bucket with her, so I decided to try giving her what I milked out in a bowl, and she does lap up a little bit. I really appreciate all of your help and hand-holding when I was panicked!