silly doe

[mistee]

4 days ago I brought home 2, 2 day old orphan bucks... It was a fight getting them to take a bottle and finally b4 bed I put my milker in a headlock and let them nurse. I did the same for the next 2 feedings cause the day was crazy. they now take the bottle great. Now my milker is obsessong over the babies,, she wont stop calling them,, wont got to bottom field to graze,, licks them through the fence @nd sleeps outside their pen but when i put her w/ them she tries to skewer them w/ her horns when they try to nurse,,lol... I h@ve been slowly intruducing them to the herd and just now another doe was picking on the one and my milker attacked her so bad the other doe was just laying on the ground in fear. She then took the babies away.. She layed down, let them crawl all over her, she cleaned them, and scared off any other babies that came to play w/ them,,lol..

do you think she will let them nurse or does she just want to look out for them,,lol? they are learning not to ask her to nurse,,lol.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Well, that's a new one on me. Lots of folks don't post on Sunday, busy with other things I suppose.

I'll give you a bump and hope someone with more experience has a solution. I know you want to keep them from killing each other for sure.

DonnaBelle

 

[rockdoveranch]

What a nice and unusual story. You need to take pictures and post them.

We have sheep, but it sounds like sheep and goats have similar behaviors when it comes to babies and babies of others.

Our bottle baby ewe lamb (10 days old) was following the herd when we turned them out this morning, staying close to her mom and twin. But after her second bottle she got herself lost. Right now she is hanging out by the house with a 2009 bottle ewe and her ram lamb who we just banded this morning. For some reason they do not knock her around.

Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[mistee]

I h@ve been keeping them @p@rt but she wont stop calling them.. I just checked, all 3 are snuggled together sleeping .. she even had her head resting on 1.. if she didnt have horns i wouldnt worry but she has a killer set and know how to use them!!

 

[rockdoveranch]

I h@ve been keeping them @p@rt but she wont stop calling them.. I just checked, all 3 are snuggled together sleeping .. she even had her head resting on 1.. if she didnt have horns i wouldnt worry but she has a killer set and know how to use them!!

It sounds to me that she is not going to be a threat to them. Sounds like she had totally bonded with them! Nice story. I NEEDED a nice story today!

 

[mistee]

they r le@rning th@ food comes from me.. they try nursing fro her but she still wont h@ve it,,lol

 

[jodief100]

I had one do this last year. I had two bottle babies and I bought a LaMancha to milk and feed them. She completely bonded with them but wouldn't nurse them. She is still "favorite buddies" with the one bottle baby I still have.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Sounds like she wants to be their protective auntie, but not their nurse maid!

I have a plan for any potentially rejected babies... Just like you let these little ones on your doe when you had her on/in the stanchion!
I am willing to lose a little milk for myself & my family, if it means that a kid is raised on a dam and gets to be just as healthy as the others. I am still hoping that we won't have any rejected this year, but there is always a chance.