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[GM Forsythe]

I acquired 2 orphan goats (females) about 10 weeks ago. They are the first farm animals I have ever had. I have bottle fed them and finally they are starting to eat corn and sweet mix. I am going nuts trying to get them off the bottle. They simply will not drink from a bucket. They are otherwise very healthy. I found this site and read the postings on this problem, but I am looking for some more help. These goats will do whatever I want them to - but only after having exhausted all other available options!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH. You didn't say how old they are, but did say you're bottle feeding them... How old are they? You also didn't mention what breed they are... Are they standard size like Nubian, Boer, Alpine, etc. or a small breed like a pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf? They should also have goat minerals (granules are best) available. I specified goat, as goats need more copper than other animals. They should also have hay available to them 24/7. They need the long stem forage to aid in digestion, even if out eating grass and weeds (which are mostly water).

Feeding just corn and sweet mix probably isn't best for them if they are really young (10 weeks up to ~10 months to a year - breed matters here)... Might I recommend a good balanced pellet feed? Since they are female, you don't have to worry about urinary calculi (stones in the urethra). As for weaning them, that really depends on their age, breed, and how "mean" you want to be. Some folks shut it down cold turkey, others downsize bottle frequency and amount over a week or two till done. Others add water in increasing amounts to the bottle till they are drinking just water, then shut it off. Most small breeds can start being weaned at around 8 weeks. Larger breeds can also, but many find it best to keep them on the bottle longer as they do better that way. I have a bottle baby Lamancha (standard size) that is now down to one 28oz bottle a day every morning when I feed everyone else. She is 25 weeks old yesterday hide wow, time flys). I could cut her off right now but she enjoys it and so do I. I have 2 other kids being dam raised who are a month older than my BB, and they still nurse off momma goat 2-3 times a day.

Make sure before you cut them off that they are eating hay and feed well. They may scream bloody murder that you're starving them, but after a few days or so, they'll get over it.

https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/so-you-bought-a-baby-goat-now-what.59/

 

[GM Forsythe]

Thank you soooo much for replying – and so quickly.


I obtained the goats a day or two after they were born (momma died after giving birth, but apparently AFTER she had given them their first feeding with her colostrum), so they are about 10 weeks old (I lost track!). Anyway, we are pretty sure that they are Nubians. Until the end of this week, I had been feeding them 4 times per day. The last 2 weeks some of the feedings were just water. We have also taken some leafy branches and stuck them in the enclosure fence, and they seem to enjoy nibbling on them. When I take them out, they feast on dead leaves from our pin oak tree. They also like some of the garden plants my wife has planted to beautify the place. She does not appreciate sharing them with the goats!


We tried to get them to munch on store-boughten alfalfa, but no luck. We have not gotten any hay yet. Do you suggest we try that? I bought them a mineral block, but they don’t seem to eat from it except when I cut chunks of it out of the top. Mostly they just use it to stand on. Today was the first day I noticed them eating the grass in their enclosure. That is a good thing, as we have plenty of pasture grass (about 2.5 acres of it – here in Tennessee, the stuff grows like a California wildfire).


That’s about it.

 

[Latestarter]

Well, sorry to say but goats are primarily browsers, not grazers. They will eat grass, but prefer woody weeds over grass... They prefer twigs/leaves/branches/ornamental landscaping/fruit tree bark/whatever you do NOT want them to eat, next best. They will girdle young trees and kill them, so any trees you wish to keep, you'll need to fence them away from. As for the grass, they'll eat what they like, but you'll still need to mow... sorry...

You don't need to buy horse quality hay for them, but of course if you spoil them (as some of us do) then you can get an alfalfa mix. Generally speaking a coastal/orchard grass/whatever mix will suffice. There will be a lot of waste (hay as well as they OTHER kind ) but at least their waste is not "hot" and can be composted directly into whatever gardens you have. If you have weed/shrub lines along your property borders, I'm sure they'll love to keep that mowed for you. Recommend that you keep the hay up off the ground as they normally won't eat it once it's been on the ground, and they like to pee and poop on it making it useless as food. I recommend that you search for hay for sale on Craig's List or similar as you'll get it much cheaper. For 2 adult goats, I expect you'll need a maybe 10 - 60-80 pound bales to get you through winter and early spring. Make sure you store it up off the ground (pallets), out of their reach, and protected from rain/snow/condensation/etc.

I doubt you've done any vaccinations or anything, but you really should consider at the least, giving them the CD&T vaccine. You can buy a vial at TSC or most other farm type stores that carry animal meds. No prescrip needed. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/goat CD&T You can also buy the syringes, needles, and give them the shot yourself SQ, (below the skin, above the muscle). http://articles.extension.org/pages/27116/goat-vaccination-program

Another thing you'll need to keep in mind is parasite control. You can read up a lot about that here in various threads.

Block mineral doesn't really work well for goats as they can't get enough by licking it, and can damage their teeth trying to bite/chew it. Most times they just give up on it. The loose granulated type is best as they can lick it up and get what they need very quickly. They may hit it hard when they start, but should slow down and self regulate.

Now, back to weaning... Since these are standard sized goats, it would be best for them to get bottles at least till they are ~16 weeks or so old. Some cut them cold turkey at 8 weeks, others believe longer is better. My Lamanchas are full sized and I already shared what I'm doing. As long as they have hay available 24/7, grass/weeds to eat and browse available, they should be fine. You could knock it back to one bottle in the morning, say 28-32 oz and let them drink what they will. I use a 28oz coke bottle with a pritchard nipple. (mine is 5 months old) She doesn't really "need" the bottle, but it's her mom's milk and full of nutrients and since her aunt is still nursing her twins which are a month older, I surmise that it can't hurt. I will cut her off completely in about another month or so mostly because I'll be drying of her mom and don't want to have to buy milk for her.

 

[GM Forsythe]

Thanks again for your advice. I have printed it out for reference and will be following what I can.

I am beginning to wonder if I have goats or pigs! These things now eat like food is going out of style or something. I fill the dog bowl (I know, I have to buy 2 feed bowls) and they just inhale it all in no time and are crying for more! I am going to try doing milk twice and water twice. They are so vigorous in jabbing the milk bottles that sometimes they knock them completely out of my hand. I've been using baby bottles and giving them each 2 bottles at each feeding.

I will have to look for hay. I agree with your comment about them eating what we don't want them to. They escaped this AM and ate my wife's beautiful Confederate jasmine.

Thanks for the advice about vaccinations. As you surmised, I've never done that at all, so I will have to seek advice from someone locally here on that.

Lots to learn here. Fortunately, the Almighty has looked out for them thus far.

George
*/:-{)=

 

[Latestarter]

Youtube can become your best friend. Just type in "giving goats a shot" or to that effect and you'll have all kinds of videos showing you exactly what and how. It is not difficult at all! Oh, and just a word of caution if you will... any time you change or alter their diet, do it slowly over time... in stages. Give their rumen time to adjust.

Hey, best of luck and don't become a stranger!

 

[GM Forsythe]

Thanks so much for all your help!

And yes, we are doing the changes gradually.

You are in Texas, I see....a good buddy of mine just moved from there to be near his daughter and her family. He called his area "Deep East Texas." I think he's near the DFW area now.

 

[Latestarter]

Well, deep east Texas is a lot further south than where I am. I'm in NE Texas, about 60 miles SW of Texarkana, 2 hours east of DFW, just south off I-30.

 

[GM Forsythe]

Your avatar looks like you get snow there. I am in the process of liquidating my "shack in the woods" in upstate NY where we always get lots of the stuff along with sub-zero temperatures. Last time I was there in the winter, it was -21.

 

[Baymule]

I live about an hour south of Latestarter in Northeast Texas, his avatar is from Colorado before he moved here, LOL We keep telling him to post a new one! Welcome to the forum!