Bottle Feeding Goats Schedule

The milk provides the baby goat with the entire nutrient it needs.

Bottle feeding goats schedule.

After that first day of feeding colostrum we move to the following schedule through weaning. I usually try to work with a doe and newborn for at least 24hrs before giving up and bottle feeding the kid s completely. We had their bottle feeding schedule written on the blackboard door. They are energetic and into everything at this point.

Keep bottle feeding three times per day and increase to ten ounces each bottle. Most people feed 4 5 times in 24 hours and you can usually go 7 8 hours overnight between bottles so it s about every 3 4 hours during the day. Bottle feeding also forces the goat owners to being at home when it s time to feed those babies. On the day of its birth a kid will need several small meals.

Don t worry if the kid doesn t eat much more than a couple ounces for the first several meals. On pasture in summer and on hay in winter. We generally bottle feed about every four hours or when the kid squawks. If a baby goat can t consume much in the beginning i may need to give five bottles to get at least 10 body weight into the kid in 24 hours.

The goal is to have them weaned completely by 12 weeks of age. Sometimes however this isn t an option. Your goat kids should have the hang of the bottle hay and a little grain at this time. Baby goat feeding schedule for the first eight weeks the baby goat will feed on milk from its mother.

I understand these issues. Now after eight weeks you may transition from milk to solid foods. Start reducing the amount of milk per bottle or go down to 1 bottle a day. And some goat owners don t want to bottle feed because it s considered unnatural when the baby goats mother is usually close by.

Instead of a burden it was truly an act of love and instant happiness bottle feeding the babies. Each bottle should have 10 15 ounces milk depending on the weight and appetite of the kid. Kids should be eating with the herd. It s okay to introduce starter grain at this stage but a few minutes of nibbling is plenty for these young goats.

It is time consuming bottles must be cleaned milk must be warmed and then those hungry baby goats must be fed on a schedule 3 4 times a day. With a newborn it s best if you can allow the kid to nurse some colostrum from it s mom for the first 24 48 hours. When at all possible it s better for the kids to be left nursing from their mom. The amounts i have listed are just what has worked for us and our goats.

Bottle feeding has its disadvantages but it s a task that also has advantages. The babies are finally weaned and the bottles go up for another year.