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Barnyard Buddies:  help baby goats- need help  |
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pnygrl
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Adrianne
Chazy
New York
USA
34 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 28 2012 : 4:59:25 PM
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| 2 weeks ago, my Alpine doe gave birth to twin girls. Up till now seems like all is going well. I am milking in the morning and leaving the babies with her during the day (my work schedule does not allow me to milk at a consistent time in the evening though I am considering doing it anyway, but that is not the issue). When they were born, one of the babies was a little slower to get started. Today she looks a little unthrifty, but still overall she appears healthy. Mom seems to push her away alot. Mom doesn't ever seem to want to nurse when I am there, apparently I am distracing, but I am concerned the little one is not doing well, maybe not getting to nurse enough. She is a little smaller and seems a little less active than the other girl. Her mouth is warm and she is not screaming or acting really sick. She is still curious and plays a little just not as much as her sister. My question is: When do I step in and take the baby to bottle feed??? They are starting to be interested in eating things other than milk- hay and grain a little...should I hold off for now? What should I look for as signs for when I need to take over??? |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2012 : 5:22:27 PM
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If the doe isn't interested in nursing her and she seems like something is off, I would go ahead and take her away. I would stick with bottle feedings for now, and let her get "caught up" if you will, when she is more active and seems more normal and a few weeks older you might start offering hay and grain. I don't think that the hay and grain would hurt anything if she ate some, but I doubt it will have the nutrients that she needs at this stage.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
http://madame1313.wordpress.com/ |
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pnygrl
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Adrianne
Chazy
New York
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2012 : 5:36:46 PM
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| If that's the case, should I take them both away so they are together or just the one?? Or should I leave her with mom and supplement with bottle feeding only for her- and will that even work? |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2012 : 6:21:59 PM
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in my opinion she is too young for grain. she has a milk stomach right now. if you do bottle her be sure to mimic the way she nurses mom. this way the milk goes in the correct stomach. the other thing i learned here from kris and the gals is DO NOT OVER FEED they need only mom milk if possible. if your milking mom thats great. she would be nibbling hay with the other goats. i cant answer your other question. one of the others may have an opinion. keep us up to date how they are doing. sending a hug sherrrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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pnygrl
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Adrianne
Chazy
New York
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 04:37:05 AM
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| She's not eating grain yet, just starting to be interested in nibbling on stuff. If I pull her totally away from mom then I need to take her to work with me in order to feed her often enough....so I need to know if I should really pull her altogether OR leave her with mom and supplement with a bottle twice a day. AND if I need to pull her totally, should I pull them both so she is not alone all day.....??? |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 06:28:39 AM
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so a day has past now. i am wondering if mom is doing better with her. if she is nursing and not crying for food she is probably ok with mom. i just hate to take a baby from mom when not necessary. if she is not ramming it and totally stopping her from eating i would leave her with mom. especially if you are gone in the day. she would have a hard time alone. if it were me i would watch the baby closely and hope mom will take to her better no one else posted so i thought i would give you my 2 cents. you may need to hold her while she nurses on mom. when i bottle fed we fed 2 times a day. when on mom they do nurse more often but this is what i do with calves and kids. just an opinion so you can do what you think is best. let us know how its going. hoping you have happy days ahead sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 06:33:05 AM
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Adrianne,
I have always left them with the mom and just bottled them twice a day. That has always worked for me. Now if the mom is trying to hurt her than thats a different story I would take her away. In the past I have had does have trips and quads so I always just bottled them twice a day and left them with mom. That way I knew everyone was getting at least 2 good meals a day. Hope this helps and your little does improves for you.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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pnygrl
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Adrianne
Chazy
New York
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 10:53:17 AM
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| She is pushing her away with her head and seems intent that she not to nurse, but again the doe is distracted when I am there and is all about me. It doesn't seem like she is hurting her. She has been getting some nutrition since she is 2 weeks old now and isn't dead, but she is falling behind the other kid that the mom seems less intent on pushing away.I think I have decided my plan is to leave her with mom but to supplement her with bottles throughout the day (I have someone I can hire to come while I am at work...) Thanks for the info! |
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 5:58:26 PM
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Adriane I think that would be the right thing to do.One of my does started off nursing one of her bucklings then later rejected him so I ended up with one bottle baby.I just left him in with the others and have taken his bottles out to him.I think its important for them to be with the herd.Occasionally I hobble his dam and hold her collar while he nurses but I found it's less of a struggle to just milk her and bottle feed him.The sooner they can start eating hay the better but grain takes a little longer.I think forage helps them to develop thier rumen better while grain causes more acidity in the rumen so encourage the forage more than the grain.Hope all works out!
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 8:01:06 PM
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Too much grain can cause bloat and kill a baby goat real fast. I never give my baby goats grain. I raise my baby goats on the bottle from birth because they turn out much more gentle and also they can be put in with the mother in a month or 2 and don't try to nurse cause they don't know where it comes from. Also the bag is kept nicer. My does appreciate it too. The mother goat may have been a bottle baby herself and would rather not nurse and the other one is more demanding so she relents. Also the smaller one may sort of nurse weakly and irritate the teat. You might check to see if one teat or both teats are chapped. I like to put nice leafy hay in the kid pen in a milk crate nailed to a post. But too low and they jump in it. Milk replacer can cause bloat too. Especially if it is mixed full strength. And the medicated kind will kill them. I only give my babies real milk. I hope this helps. Baby goats are fun to raise and a lot of work too!
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: help baby goats- need help |
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help baby goats- need help
