Care and Bottle Feeding of Newborns
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Babies need colostrum (or the equivalent)
for a minimum of 24 hours after birth, and they
need to ingest 10% of their body weight. So if the
baby weighs 8 pounds (128 oz.) you want to get a
minimum of 13 oz. of colostrum in the kid. We have
found dribbling the colostrum into the kid's mouth
with a syringe works good if the kid doesn't have
a good sucking motion and can't figure out the bottle.
(We us a 6cc syring and try to get 6 to 18 cc in
every 15 to 20 minutes if the baby isn't interested
in sucking.)
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If the mother had no milk or if the babies were not
able to get colostrum from the mother, I highly recommend
giving them Colostrix or any other colostrum substitute.
(These substitutes are all labeled for calves, but
that's fine. They work great. You don’t have
to mix up the entire package. What I have is manufactured
by CANPAC in New Zealand and distributed by Schering-Plough.
I try to keep a bag on hand “just in case.”
The bag I’m reading from has an expiration date
of 11/14/05; in October or early November, if I haven’t
needed it, I will mix it up and feed it to the dogs
and buy a new bag. I consider this “insurance.”)
Some people tube-feed the babies; we have never done
that so I wouldn't have any clue how to tell someone
to do it. If the baby takes to the bottle, you can/should
give approximately 2 oz. every 2 hours - if they will
take that much. But it is extremely important they
have colostrum or colostrum substitute for the first
24 hours!!
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Normally if the baby won’t
suck on a bottle, I put a little Karo syrup on my
little finger and try to get it to suck on that (after
I first make sure the baby has colostrum – normally
with a syringe 6 cc at a time).
When bottle feeding there are a few “tricks”
to try on the baby to encourage it to drink. One is
to snuggle the baby close to you; they normally like
the security of being held close. Another thing to
try is to put a lightweight towel over the baby’s
eyes – stimulates being underneath the dam.
Yet another idea is to gently rub the baby’s
neck (down the side) while putting the bottle in his
mouth. Some people tickle the tail, but I’m
not that coordinated.
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We normally start off with 2 hour feedings of no more
than 2 oz. We gradually increase both the amount of
milk and the amount of time between bottles to be
at 6 oz. every 4 hours by the end of the first week.
After the first week we gradually increase to 8 oz.
3 times a day and stay at that 3 feedings a day for
a couple weeks - gradually increasing the amount at
each feeding to 16 oz. At 16 oz. we then go to two
feedings a day - and usually have them drinking 20
oz.
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Ideally you will have a goat you can milk to provide
milk for the babies. But since we seldom live in an
ideal world, you are probably going to have to either
use a store-bought formula (Purina makes a goat milk
replacer) or use the milk /buttermilk / evaporated
milk recipe. If you use a milk replacer, mix it exactly
according to directions; smarter people than you or
I came up with the portions. And do not use a milk
replacer that has soy in it; soy tends to give the
babies diarrhea. Whichever you use (and I would recommend
the milk/buttermilk/evaporated
milk recipe only because it's so easy to mix and
the measuring doesn't have to be exact), don't change
abruptly. We have found we get a better grow-out rate
and healthier bottle babies when we add Goat Nutri-drench
to the first bottle of the day. Change in a goat's
diet almost always is going to make them sick (at
least our goats).
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We do not heat our milk
for bottle babies after the first several days.
(Newborns need body-temperature milk to keep their
own body temperature up.) Somebody once told us
if you feed cold milk they don't gulp it as fast
and don't end up with as many upset tummies. It
does take a little longer to give the bottle if
the milk is cold because they do stop more often.
But, mother goats don't let their babies nurse continuously
- they walk away after about 7
seconds (yes, I've timed them ). This is why we
recommend starting the babies off with a little
milk frequently rather than a lot of milk less often.
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About every two weeks you need to give the babies
a probiotic. We prefer Probios - a blue gel in a tube
we can buy at either Tractor Supply or our Co-Op.
(The cost is considerably less at the Co-op!!) Some
people use a product called Calf Pac by Loveland and
swear by it, but we cannot get this item locally.
The Probios keeps the rumen functioning properly.
If you can't find either Calf Pac or Probios, try
feeding about a tablespoon full of plain cultured
yogurt...serves the same purpose. |
If the babies did not get the mother's colostrum
(or if the mother was not vaccinated with CD/T or
Covexin 8 or a similar product prior to the birth),
I highly recommend giving the babies CD Antitoxin
at birth (or close to it). The first two doses, six
weeks apart, can be given orally. The bottle we have
recommends giving the Antitoxin (not to be confused
with CD/T) at birth and at six weeks. At 12 weeks
you can then give CD/T or Covexin 8.
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At birth we always give our babies a squirt
of Nutra-Drench or Goat Aid any time they seem lethargic
I would recommend this.
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Personally I keep the babies in the laundry room for
the first two weeks - especially if the weather is
bad. I do this for my convenience - not necessarily
because it's good for the babies. I do take them outside
to play in the grass when possible. After two weeks,
depending on the weather, I have them spending their
days at the barn around the other goats. We have an
area only babies can get into, and that's where we
put them. If they wander out, they know where a "safe"
place is for them to hide from the big bully goats.
If they are around other goats they learn (1) they
are goats, (2) grass tastes pretty good, (3) hay is
tasty too, and (4) hey, those little pellet are for
eating! (The babies will start eating grain faster
if they are around other goats/babies eating grain.)
Mainly, though, you want the goats to learn they are
goats and not dogs or cats or other house pets. When
in the laundry room we keep babies in boxes until
they figure out how to get out at which point they
move into dog crates; at no time do we allow the babies
the run of the house.
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I would keep them out of a drafty area if possible.
During the winter if you elect to keep them at the
barn, put them underneath a 250 watt light (depending
on what your weather is like where you are). You want
their immediate area to stay above 50 degrees. You
do not want them to be using their energy/calories
shivering and trying to stay warm, but you don't want
to bake them either.
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Hopefully you won't run into any problems with the
babies and they will grow up big and strong. You will
want to watch carefully for diarrhea because you don't
want them dehydrated. (I'm a firm believer in Pepto
Bismol for diarrhea - mixed with a little Biosol.)
You will also want to make sure they get their shots
on time because their immune systems are probably
already a little compromised.
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