Baby goat bottle feeding chart
Raising Goat Kids | Purina Animal Nutrition
Skip to Content (Press Enter)Wellness : Nutrition
Mikelle Roeder, Ph.D.
Multi-Species Nutritionist
A proper program for raising goat kids begins prior to birth, because producing a healthy newborn kid means meeting the nutritional needs of the doe while she is gestating.
Once the kid is born, it's really up to you to make sure it gets off to a good start.
Newborn kid goat care and management
There are two management practices that are critical to the future health of a newborn kid. First, the navel cord needs to be dipped in a tincture of iodine solution. This will help prevent disease-causing organisms from directly entering the body. Iodine treatment will promote drying of the cord to help it break away cleanly from the navel. Do no remove the cord; allow it to dry and fall off on its own. Early removal can result in the kid bleeding to death.
Even more critical to a kid's future health is making sure it is fed colostrum as soon after birth as possible. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the doe. Colostrum contains antibodies which provide the kid's initial immunity against diseases. Since the antibodies in colostrum can only be effectively absorbed in the first 18 hours after birth, feeding as early as possible is recommended. The amount of colostrum fed in the first 24 hours should be 10% of the kid’s body weight. Bottle feeding colostrum helps ensure adequate consumption. Excess colostrum can be frozen and saved for orphaned kids.
Disease organisms, particularly caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE), can be transmitted from the doe to the kid through the colostrum. Transmission can be avoided by feeding kids colostrum from does shown to be CAE-free, using heat-treated colostrum or by feeding a colostrum replacement.
After kids consume their colostrum, they can be left with the doe to nurse or started on milk replacer, such as LAND O LAKES® Doe's Match® Kid Milk Replacer.
Bottle feeding kid goats
When bottle feeding, keep kids on a proper feeding schedule and restrict intake, since overfeeding can lead to diarrhea, bloat and even death due to Clostridium perfringens, which thrive on excessive starches and sugars in the digestive tract (this is called “overeating disease” or enterotoxemia). Kids can be aggressive eaters, and it is tempting to give them more than they should have, so be adamant about sticking with a recommended program. A typical kid goat feeding program is outlined below.
| Age | Amount of liquid milk per feeding | Feeding Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Colostrum, 10% of body weight* | |
| Days 2 - 10 | 4 - 6 oz | 4 - 5 times/day |
| Days 11 - 21 | 7 - 12 oz | 3 - 4 times/day |
| Days 21 - weaning | 12 - 16 oz | 3 times/day |
*e.
g., a 4-lb kid would need 0.4 lbs of colostrum, or about 6.5 oz (0.4 lbs x 16 oz/lb)
Smaller kids should eat at the lower end of the range, larger kids would need the higher amount in the range provided.
Weaning kid goats
When kids are offered a good quality hay or pasture plus a creep feed, they can be weaned as early as 30 days of age, but it is better to wait until 6 to 8 weeks. A better measure for weaning a kid is when it weighs at least 2 to 2.5 times its birth weight and is eating a significant amount of dry food. It may help to gradually reduce the amount of milk replacer being offered as you approach the designated weaning date. Kids will start consuming hay or pasture by 2 weeks of age; this intake of fiber stimulates the development of the epithelial lining of the rumen, which is critical for future digestive health and function. Shortly thereafter they can be offered a fortified concentrate feed such as Purina® Goat Grower or Purina® Goat Chow, both of which will provide critical nutrients.
These nutritional steps will help you make sure your kids get off to a healthy start for a long life.
Environmental management
Environmental management is also important. Kids should be housed in clean pastures or dry lots, and crowding should be avoided. Shelter from the elements is essential. The drier the premises, the less chance for exposure to pathogens and parasites, all of which love moisture. Proper vaccination and parasite control programs will minimize chances for future health problems.
With proper care, your kids will be off to a long, healthy and productive life.
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Bottle Feeding Baby Goats - Backyard Goats
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Once your kids arrive, you will need to decide if they will be dam-raised or if you will be bottle-feeding baby goats.
There are reasons you might choose to bottle feed from promoting friendliness to managing the dam’s udder. Or you may be forced to bottle-feed because for one reason or another the dam can’t or won’t let the kids nurse or a kid is too weak or compromised to nurse. Whatever the reason, if you are planning on bottle-feeding, you likely have many questions including:
- What kind of milk to feed baby goats?
- How to get a baby goat to bottle feed?
- How much milk to feed a baby goat?
- How long to bottle feed a baby goat?
What Kind of Milk to Feed Baby Goats:
When bottle-feeding baby goats, the very first milk they must receive is colostrum. Ideally, the dam will be producing enough colostrum that you can express her own into a bottle and immediately feed it to the kids. But if her fresh colostrum is not available for some reason, your other choices are to feed fresh colostrum from another doe that has kidded at the same time, feed frozen colostrum that you saved from a previous kidding, or feed kid colostrum replacer.
For this last choice, it is important to be sure it’s kid colostrum replacer and not calf or lamb replacer as the nutrient needs are different for different species. It is also important to be sure it’s colostrum replacer and not milk replacer. Newborn kids absolutely must get colostrum in the first 24-48 hours of life or their chances of survival are low. Do not substitute any type of homemade replacer at this stage and don’t try to get by with regular whole milk.
Once you get the newborn kid through the first 24-48 hours, then you can switch to milk. Ideally, you will have fresh goat milk available as this is best. Many goat owners who choose to bottle-feed will milk the dam and then immediately transfer the milk to bottles and feed it to the babies. Other goat owners prefer to heat-treat the milk before bottle-feeding baby goats in order to eliminate the risk of potentially passing CAE or other diseases from the dam to the baby.
I, myself, do my CAE tests while my does are pregnant so that I know they are negative and then I feed the mother’s milk to the babies raw, which feels more natural to me and I believe it contains more of the beneficial antibodies than heat-treated milk does. But if you do choose to heat-treat, remember that colostrum cannot actually be pasteurized because it will curdle, so it must just be gently heated to 135 degrees F and held at that temperature for one hour. Regular milk can be pasteurized at 161 degrees F for 30 seconds.
If you don’t have fresh goat milk for bottle-feeding baby goats, then your choices are goat milk replacer or another species of milk. I have seen goat milk replacer recipes but the advice I get from my veterinarian and goat mentors is that whole cow milk from the grocery store is more adequate and appropriate in the event that I don’t have, or don’t want to use, powdered replacers.
How to Get a Baby Goat to Take a Bottle:If your newborn is healthy enough to have a strong sucking reflex, getting it to take a bottle will be relatively simple.
I like to use the little red “Pritchard” nipples for newborns because they are smaller and easier for them to suck. Don’t forget to snip the tip of the nipple as it doesn’t come with a hole in it! Hold the bottle at an angle so that the milk is flowing downward, open the baby’s mouth with your fingers, and stick the nipple inside. I find it helpful to put gentle pressure on the top and bottom of the muzzle to help the baby hold the bottle in its mouth at first. A strong kid will generally be hungry and start sucking enthusiastically.
If the baby is too weak to suck, you may need to feed a few drops at a time through a medicine dropper (be careful not to put too much on its tongue or in the side of its cheek at once or it could go down the wrong tube and into the lungs). Or you may need to tube-feed the baby. I’ve also had babies that just needed to wake up a bit in order to get the sucking response going, and I find that using a supplement like “Nutri-Drench” or some Caro syrup or even coffee, rubbed on their gums, is often enough to give them a little energy boost and get them eating.
How much your babies will need depends on whether they are full-sized breeds or miniature breeds, and also on how old they are. In general, try to feed three to four ounces per five pounds of weight per feeding. At first, you may be feeding every three to four hours, and then after a few days, you’ll spread this out to four feedings a day. You can drop that back to two or three feedings a day at about three weeks of age, and then down to twice a day by six to eight weeks. For the last month, you can feed once a day as they should be eating some hay and grain by then, if not sooner.
Here are two useful charts to use as a starting point. You may need to modify the schedule and number of feedings per day based on your own schedule and time constraints, but this is a good place to begin:
Bottle-Feeding Nubian Goats (or other full-sized breeds):| Age | Ounces per Feeding | Frequency |
| 0-2 Days | 3-6 ounces | Every 3-4 hours |
| 3 Days to 3 Weeks | 6-10 ounces | Four times a day |
| 3 to 6 Weeks | 12-16 ounces | Three times a day |
| 6 to 10 weeks | 16 ounces | Twice a day |
| 10 to 12 weeks | 16 ounces | Once a day |
| Age | Ounces per Feeding | Frequency |
| 0-2 Days | 2-4 ounces | Every 3-4 hours |
| 3 Days to 3 Weeks | 6-8 ounces | Four times a day |
| 3 to 8 Weeks | 12 ounces | Twice a day |
| 8-12 weeks | 12 ounces | Once a day |
As a general rule of thumb, when I’ve decided on bottle-feeding baby goats, I try to feed doelings for at least three months and bucklings or wethers for at least two months.
Sometimes I go longer if I have extra milk, but this seems to get them off to a good start and by two to three months they are eating grass, hay, and even some grain, so their need for milk is greatly reduced.
Bottle-feeding baby goats is a time commitment, but it’s also a fun way to bond with your babies and make them oh so friendly!
References
https://www.caprinesupply.com/raising-kids-on-pasteurized-milk
Feeding kids from the first days of life: diet and norms
- Are you here:
- Own farm
- goats
From the first days of life, a newborn kid needs the care of his mother and his owner. Feeding kids is an important process that requires breeders to be responsible and know the basics.
After all, the further health and performance of babies depends on proper care and diet.
Contents:
- Preparing for the first feeding
- Methods of feeding
- Under the uterus
- Without queen
- Diet and feeding schedule during the milk period
Preparing for the first feeding
Most goats give birth naturally and without complications. After giving birth, the female's umbilical cord is cut, the udder is washed, and first the first streams of colostrum, which contain bacteria, are expressed, and then it is put into a clean bowl.
A newborn kid is wiped with a clean cloth, the mouth and nose are freed from mucus. It is important that it does not get into the lungs of the baby, as it can infect and cause inflammation. In a newborn baby, the skin is not able to absorb or give off heat, therefore, in order to avoid hypothermia, especially if it is winter, the kid must be wrapped in a warm blanket and brought into the house.
From birth and first feeding, no more than 1 hour should pass: the protective functions of the baby's immunity are weakened, and the body is not able to resist bacteria and dangerous viruses. In order for the immune system to start actively producing antibodies that fight harmful microorganisms, it is necessary to provide the kid with access to the mother's colostrum as soon as possible. This fluid contains all the nutrients necessary for proper development.
Methods of feeding
Depending on the direction of the female's productivity, feeding goats in goat breeding can be carried out in two ways: rearing on suction under the uterus and feeding without a uterus.
Under the uterus
Feeding kids under the uterus is the most optimal and convenient way and is practiced only with goats of low milk production. The cubs stay with their mother until they reach 3-4 months of age and suck the udder provided to them in free access as many times a day as they like.
When growing kids naturally, it is necessary to take care of the mammary glands of a goat: although the kids feed on their own, they do not suck out all the colostrum, especially in the first days. The secretions accumulate and can lead to the development of mastitis. To prevent this process, the female's udder is checked after feeding, and in the presence of colostrum or milk residues, they are milked.
After 3 weeks, the diet of babies begins to feed: 5 g of salt, the same amount of bone meal or chalk. At 3 months, this norm increases by 2 times.
As they grow older, the amount of feeding increases and the goats begin to be given concentrated feed: a mixture of bran, oats and sunflower meal.
Upon reaching the age of 3-4 months, within 7-10 days, the kids are weaned from their mother (it is allowed to let the kids go to the uterus every other day). After natural feeding, it may be difficult to transfer to artificial nutrition. The first day the kids endure it very painfully: they worry, bleat and refuse to drink milk mixtures.
After weaning from a goat, the diet should not be changed abruptly: milk is replaced with oatmeal, mixtures and mash of bran and wheat flour. The transition should be carried out gradually, and after a week the kids should be ready to feed on their own.
Advantages
The scheme of feeding kids under the uterus has many advantages and advantages:
- Thanks to the beneficial substances in goat milk, kids have a strong immune system and are less susceptible to diseases;
- development and mass gain is faster;
- observing the behavior of the mother, the goats get accustomed to hay and concentrates faster;
- The breastfeeding process is simple and requires minimal effort on the part of breeders.
Disadvantages
The method has the following disadvantages:
- kids born in summer or late autumn completely suck out the goat when pasture;
- damage by babies to non-working (rudimentary) nipples, which causes their swelling, soreness and anxiety of the mother.
Queenless
This method of feeding is more troublesome and requires constant monitoring and care by the farmer. It is used in the breeding of highly productive dairy goats.
After the baby goat is born, it is immediately removed from its mother and fed with warm milk from a bottle with a rubber nipple or from a cup. The optimum temperature for warmed milk is around 38 ºC.
Even with this method of feeding, goat colostrum must always be fed to the kids. It cleanses the stomach from the primary feces and contains in its composition all the useful substances necessary for the further growth of the kid. Babies, in whose diet mother's colostrum is introduced from the first days, are less susceptible to diseases and infections.
A newborn baby goat should immediately be taught to drink milk from a cup. All utensils must be sterile to prevent contamination by germs.
For artificial feeding, when the mother is absent, for example due to death or if she has mastitis, goat's milk substitutes are used instead of goat's milk.
The composition of the mixture includes dry skimmed cow's milk, vitamin substances, fats of vegetable and animal origin, useful elements, emulsifiers and flavorings.
Advantages
Feeding without a queen, like natural feeding, has its advantages:
- from the first days of life of goats, the farmer can independently control the process of feeding and their diet;
- obtaining high milk yield from a goat for dairy productivity.
Disadvantages
The method of artificial feeding has significant negative aspects:
- kids weaned from their mother at an early age are more susceptible to diseases and infections;
- if breeders do not provide proper care for offspring, then the development of kids is slower and some of them may have a weak immune system and sickness;
- the method of rearing young animals without a queen is more costly and complex, requires financial investment and considerable effort on the part of the farmer.
Diet and feeding scheme during the milk period
Within a month after birth, it is recommended to feed the offspring first 5, and then 4 times a day every 4 hours in small portions, gradually increasing the amount of food.
Up to 10 days of age, only fresh goat colostrum is included in the diet of kids (the first 3-4 days), and then milk - first 200 g per feeding with a gradual increase to 300 g. After 10 days, they begin to give freshly boiled and strained liquid oatmeal . You can add it to milk for 1 tbsp. spoon, increasing its amount every day.
At the age of 2 weeks, goats are fed with roughage (hay) and green grass. From 20-30 days of age, they begin to accustom to concentrates, starting from 20-30 grams.
In the summer, young animals at the age of 1 month are recommended to walk on the pasture.
From the 31st day of life, finely chopped root vegetables should be present in the diet of babies.
As a top dressing from minerals and instead of green grass, for the prevention of vitamin deficiency, babies are given fresh needles, fish oil 4–8 g per day, table salt and chalk with bone meal.
At the age of 5 months, the grown offspring are transferred to the content in the stall. In order for the body to receive all the substances indispensable for growth and development, the diet includes 1.5 kg of hay, 300 g of concentrates and about 1 kg of root crops. Feeding babies according to this nutritional scheme will provide them with a monthly weight gain of up to 4 kg.
Regardless of the method of feeding, clean and not cold water in large volumes should always be freely available to kids.
If you provide kids with proper care and feeding, balance their diet, then with any of the methods of nutrition, they will grow up healthy and prolific. It is only necessary to show attention and surround them with care, and they will definitely thank you in the future with delicious milk or fresh meat products.
More to read
Feeding goats at home: norms and diet
Goat feeders: requirements, DIY
How to milk and milk a goat: tips and description
Goat milking machine: requirements , DIY
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Feeding kids from the first days of life: table and video
Feeding kids from the first days of life is of great importance. An approximate diet table for them helps to understand what proper nutrition should be. If babies have enough food and useful trace elements, they grow up healthy. Therefore, the owner must take care not only about the comfort of the kids, but also about their feeding. The menu for them is selected depending on age.
Root crops - a favorite delicacy of growing kids
Content of Article
- 1 Preparation for the first feeding
- 1.
1 - 3.1 Prices for goat milking machines
- 1.
- 4 Baby feeding table
- 5 Baby rearing methods
- 5.1 Natural feeding
- 5.2 Video - how to excommunicate a goat from a goat
- 5.3 Growing goats without uterus
- 6 How to feed a goat without a goat
- 7 What will be the goat menu after three months
- 7.1 prices for felutes Mineral Lizun for goats
Preparing for the first feeding
It must be carried out in the first half an hour after the birth of the kid. Then the young animals develop strong immunity. There are no problems with lambing in goats - most often it passes naturally, without the intervention of the farmer. His help will be needed only after the immediate birth of the baby.
You can read all about goat lambing in our article here.
What to do before the first feeding
The owner needs to perform certain actions:
Step 1.
Cut the umbilical cord with a sterile instrument. To do this, the scissors are treated with alcohol.
Umbilical cord
Step 2.
Wipe the kid with a clean towel. Remove mucus from mouth and nose. If it enters the lungs, it can cause illness.
Take care of the newborn goat
Step 3.
Cover the newborn with a soft cloth or dry towel to maintain normal heat exchange.
Newborn kid needs warmth
Step 4.
Wash the goat's udder. Milk the first jets of colostrum. They are considered unsuitable for eating due to the presence of harmful bacteria.
The first streams of colostrum are not suitable for food
After that, you can start the first feeding. Goat colostrum contains a complete set of trace elements that help activate the newborn's immune system. It contains easily digestible protein, fats and a group of enzymes, thanks to which digestion is improved in the baby's fragile stomach.
Thanks to colostrum, the intestines of the young are also cleansed of the original feces.
First feeding
Feeding devices
Before you start feeding, you need to prepare special dishes. For feeding animals use buckets with nipples or bottles.
Newborn bottle feeding
Important! Do not feed young animals from troughs or cups. Their body is not yet ready for this way of eating. If the kids immediately swallow milk in large doses, a curd mass will form in the stomach. Then the kids will have diarrhea, exhaustion.
It is undesirable to let them near a goat in the first days of birth for several reasons:
- babies can overeat;
- the goat will become nervous, overexcited;
- milk will be less or its quality will change.
A few baby bottles are enough to feed a small number of animals. These can be bought at the pharmacy.
If the livestock is large, it is recommended to use special buckets. They are joined by nipples, through which the cubs receive food in small portions.
Thanks to special buckets with nipples, the suckling reflex develops faster for young animals.
If the farm is large, then it is better to feed the babies using automatic machines. These are special tanks with tubes connected to cages with young animals. In them, the food is first heated to the required temperature, and then the feeding process begins. Thanks to the use of this type of professional equipment, food is delivered to newborns according to a certain schedule, and its volume is also regulated. As a result, the kids have no problems with the digestive system.
Video - Feeding kids
Diet and feeding scheme during the milk period
For 3-4 weeks from birth, babies are given food several times a day, gradually increasing portions.
The milk period in goats lasts up to 30 days from birth.
Appearance of babies in the milk period
Table №1. Approximate nutrition scheme for cubs in the milk period.
| Age | Number of meals | Recommended amount of milk for one feeding | Recommended amount of milk per day | Oatmeal | Concentrates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 days | 5 | 150 ml | 750 ml | - | - |
| 3 days | 5 | 225 ml | 900 ml | - | - |
| 4-5 days | 4 | 250 ml | 1000 ml | - | - |
| 6-10 days | 4 | 300 ml | 1200 ml | - | - |
| 11-20 days | 4 | 300 ml | 1200 ml | 200 g | - |
| 21-30 days | 4 | 300 ml | 1200 ml | 300 g | 30 g |
Newborns are fed fresh colostrum for the first few days.
And only for 5-6 days they are given whole milk. Liquid oatmeal on the 11th day begins to be added to milk. It is not as nutritious as colostrum, but it contains antibodies that form resistance to infections.
Goat milk is the basis of the diet
Prices for goat milking machines
Goat milking machine
Important! In a goat, the most nutritious colostrum is excreted 1-2 days after lambing. It can be milked and frozen to be given to pups for 3-7 days to improve their health.
Calf feeding chart
Newborn babies are under stress. This is caused by a sharp change in the form of development - the intrauterine period passes into the postnatal. At this point, babies are very susceptible to the influence of the external environment. To reduce the negative impact from the outside, you need to carefully monitor the diet.
Table #2. Feeding kids at 31-90 days of life.
| Age | Number of meals | Recommended amount of milk per feeding | Recommended amount of milk per day | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-40 days | 3 | 350 ml | 1050 ml | 500 g | 50 g 903 40344 | |
| 41-50 days | 3 | 250 ml | 750 ml | 700 g | 100 g | 60 g 903 |
| 51-60 days | 3 | 150 ml | 450 ml | 800 g | 120-150 g | 100 |
| 61-70 days | 3 | 150 ml | 450 ml | 800 g | 200 g | 150-204 |
| 71-80 days | 3 | 150 ml | 450 ml | - | 250 g | 250 g |
| 81-90 days | 3 | 150 ml | 450 ml | - | 300 g | 250 g |
On the 5th week, crushed root crops are introduced into the menu.
Feeding for babies is young needles, fish oil. In small quantities, bone meal can also be given - up to 5 g per day. As roughage, animals are also given hay or fresh grass. If you feed them according to this scheme, the monthly growth of each individual will be 3-4 kg.
Hay is an additional source of vitamins
Methods for growing kids
There are two types of feeding of young animals - under the uterus and without it. You can choose one method or combine them.
Natural feeding
This method is considered optimal for animals with low milk production. As part of this type of feeding, babies are left with their mother until they are 3-4 months old. All this time they freely suck the udder, getting milk as many times as they want.
Natural nutrition is the key to healthy baby
Important! Breastfeeding requires good care of the mammary glands of the female. Young growth is not able to suck out all the colostrum completely.
Especially for 1-3 days old. Then the discharge accumulates, which can cause the development of mastitis. To prevent this from happening, the goat's udder should be checked regularly. If there are milk residues after feeding, they are milked.
At the age of 3 weeks the cubs are fed 10 g. It contains salt and chalk in equal proportions. After 2 months, the rate is doubled. As they grow older, mixtures of sunflower cake and oats are introduced.
When the young are 3-4 months old, the process of weaning begins. It lasts from 7 to 10 days. During this period, kids are allowed to visit it once every two days. The transition is carried out gradually. It is impossible to abruptly tear off babies from the uterus.
Important! They perceive even a smooth transition to artificial feeding painfully - they behave restlessly, bleat. At first, the cubs refuse to use milk mixtures.
Video - How to wean kids from goats
New ingredients are introduced into the diet immediately. They are added to mashed bran or liquid oatmeal.
The natural method of feeding has its advantages:
- milk that enters the stomach of goats directly contains more nutrients than the product that first enters a separate container, and only then is fed to animals;
- in young animals, the immune system is strengthened, resistance to diseases increases;
- development is proceeding at an accelerated pace;
- accelerates the process of weight gain;
- babies imitate mother's behavior and learn to eat hay or concentrates faster;
- does not require large energy and time costs on the part of the farmer.
This method has only two disadvantages. If babies are born in summer or early autumn, then in the process of walking in the pasture, they can completely suck out the goat, causing her exhaustion.
In addition, babies can damage non-working nipples. Then they swell and hurt, causing discomfort in the goat.
Raising queenless kids
This type of food is more of a hassle, requiring constant supervision from the owner. You also have to spend time and effort on additional care for animals. Rearing without a queen is practiced mainly when breeding goats with high milk production.
After the birth of a kid, he is immediately weaned from his mother. Milk is given to a baby in a bottle with a nipple. Before feeding, it is heated to 38 degrees. Feeding utensils must be sterilized, otherwise the infection will enter the body of newborns.
Weaned newborn goat
Important! Colostrum should not be withheld from formula-fed babies. Together with it, young animals receive useful trace elements that contribute to normal growth and development.
There are few advantages of artificial feeding - it is the possibility of self-control over the diet of cubs and getting a large milk yield from females with a dairy direction of productivity.
The disadvantages of this method include:
- exposure of young animals to infectious diseases;
- slow development of kids;
- difficulty;
- the need for large financial costs.
Regardless of the choice of feeding method, one should not forget about the drinking regimen. Animals should always have access to warm and clean water.
How to feed kids without a goat
If you have to raise babies without a uterus due to the lack of a nursing mother, then goat's milk is replaced by its analogues. The composition of such mixtures contains low-fat milk, vitamins and emulsifiers. You can also use milk from other goats. If this is not possible, you will have to feed the young with the help of milk replacer - milk substitutes. Mixtures are given in accordance with certain rules:
- the portion size should correspond to the age of the individual, its daily needs;
- the specified norm cannot be exceeded;
- with increasing portions, the number of feedings decreases;
- the older the calf, the longer the intervals between meals should be;
- if the goat died, you need to give the babies heated colostrum from another goat.
Important! If you can't feed your kids colostrum or milk replacer, cow's milk will do. But individuals fed with such food will be inferior in productivity and weight to their relatives.
Table #3. The daily rate of the mixture.
| Age of kids | Total servings per day |
|---|---|
| 1-7 days | 900-1200 ml |
| 7-20 days | 1300-1600 ml |
| Up to 9 weeks | 1700-1900 ml |
Milk replacer is prepared according to a certain recipe at the rate of 5 liters of water per 1 kg of dry product. To make baby formula you need:
- Combine dry product with water.
- Heat the mixture over low heat to 45 degrees. Stir continuously while heating.
- Strain until there are no lumps.
After 9-10 weeks they are switched to adult food.
Milk replacer for kids
What will be the menu of goats after three months
Animals are accustomed to it gradually. Give new feed start in small doses, gradually increasing them. The new menu will include the following products:
- fresh herbs or hay depending on the season;
- young branches of shrubs;
- silo;
- root vegetables and cabbages;
- compound feed;
- straw;
- ground grain;
- vitamin supplements.
Due to the diversity of the diet, goats receive all the necessary substances for active growth. To provide the animals with green grass, they are kept on a leash in the pasture or allowed to graze freely in a separate paddock. While walking in the meadow, lick salt can be decomposed as a source of additional minerals for young animals.
Salt lick for kids
Prices for felucene mineral lick for goats
Felucene mineral lick
With a change in diet, the cubs are accustomed to a bowl and a trough.
In order for the kids to understand what the owner wants from them, you need to perform the following actions:
- pick up the baby;
- bring a container of food to his muzzle;
- dip your finger in it;
- let the kid lick it.
Hay can be given not only in winter. It is also suitable for evening feedings in the summer. Goats are fed with straw only in winter, so that there is no shortage of useful trace elements.
Metal trough - the most comfortable and stable option for kids
Important! Vegetables are first washed and then finely chopped and poured into a feeding container. For young individuals it is a valuable source of proteins and carbohydrates. Compound feed and cereals improve digestion. For the day of each individual, it is necessary to eat up to 1.5 kg of grass, 300 g of feed and 1 kg of root crops or silage.
In order for babies to get stronger and grow up healthy, they are provided with good care and quality nutrition.
