Can you feed a baby goat cows milk


Bottle Feeding Goats - The Basics

This post may contain affiliate links, to learn more about them, check out our Disclosure.

Raising baby goats is probably one of my favorite things about living on our farm. They are adorable, and I could sit and watch them hop and jump around all day. If you are new to goats though, you may find that a lot of breeders sell their goat kids as bottle babies. Or, if you are lucky enough to have a doe kid on your farm, sometimes things do not go as planned. The mother may reject or the kid, or become unable to nurse them. If this happens you may find yourself with a bottle baby unexpectedly. If you have never raised bottle baby goats though, it can seem a little overwhelming. There are so many things I wish I knew before I got my first bottle babies though. Even though I have raised many of them, I still find myself learning new things. So, here are a few of the basic things to know before you get bottle baby goats.

What to Feed

When it comes to feeding bottle baby goats, fresh goat milk will always be the best choice. But, you may find yourself without access to goat milk. If this becomes the situation the best thing to feed your bottle baby is plain old whole milk from the grocery store. There are tons of formula recipes online for baby goats, but if you were to ask an experienced goat owner, they will tell you whole milk is perfectly fine.

They do sell powdered milk replacer at most farm supply stores, but in my opinion, I would stay away. I have heard horror stories of those replacers causing all kinds of different issues, plus they are expensive. Just stick with goat milk or whole cow’s milk.

How to Feed

If you keep a surplus of goat milk in the fridge or are supplementing with whole cow’s milk, there is one important thing you need to do. HEAT THE MILK! Never give cold milk to a bottle baby, you are just asking for a lot of issues if you do. You also never want to heat the milk up in the microwave, it kills all the good stuff in the milk that those bottle babies need.

When you heat up your milk, it is always best to heat it up on the stove. I like to keep a rack on the bottle of the pot to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom. When you heat it up, the ideal temperature for a goat bottle is around 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

Choosing a bottle it is really a matter of preference. When I got the 3 bottle babies we have right now, they were already on a regular bottle baby. I do prefer a goat and sheep bottle though, it is just less messy and I find that the kids waste less when using them.

When to Feed

When it comes to how often and when to feed bottle baby goats varies. Larger breeds of goats may need more milk or feedings more often, but the chart below is a good point of reference.


When feeding your bottle babies, underfeeding is always better than overfeeding. We also prefer to bottle feed our goats for 4-5 months since it helps them grow better and they tend to be more healthy when bottle-fed for longer periods.

These are just the basics for feeding your new bottle baby goat, there is still sooo much more to know before you get your baby. Be sure to check back soon for more bottle baby goat info! Check out our YouTube Channel for more goat care info! Also, be sure to check out the DIY section to learn how to make your own goat milk soap!

[web_stories_embed url=”https://threelittlegoats.com/web-stories/bottle-feeding-goats-the-basics/” title=”Bottle Feeding Goats – The Basics” poster=”https://threelittlegoats.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Raising-Bottle-Baby.png” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Can Goats Drink Cow's Milk? (6 Tips for Raising Baby Goats)

*This post may have affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclaimer for additional details.

Sometimes events happen that make a mother animal unable to care for her newborn young. If you have multiple species of animals on your farm, you may be able to use the milk of one animal to help raise the orphaned baby. Goats and cattle are two species that can aid each other and the farmer in times of need.

Table of Contents

Can goats drink cow milk?

If you’re bottle-feeding a baby goat, it is safe to feed it cow’s milk as an alternative to goat milk if you cannot get the latter. Purchase cow milk from your local store and use this to feed your goat.

If you have any issues, make sure you consult a vet to ensure the goat gets all the nutrition that it needs.

Here are some tips you should follow if you are planning on giving your goats cow’s milk.

1. Don’t Forget the Colostrum

A newborn goat will need more than just cow milk from a store. If it has been rejected by its mother at birth, it will need you to provide it with colostrum. It must be given this within twenty-four hours of being born if it is to survive.

If you raise goats, you should have a supply of this at hand. If not, try to find another goat that is feeding a youngster and has recently given birth. Milk this goat, and bottle feed the milk to the orphaned baby goat so that it gets the colostrum it needs.

This is a highly nutritious kind of milk that is very easy for the baby to digest and it is an important part of building the immune system. All mammals produce this, and it plays a variety of crucial functions.

This is the first tip for feeding a baby goat; if it is newborn or only a day or two old, make sure it gets some colostrum.

2. Prepare Milk in a Baby Bottle

You should warm some cow milk and then put it into an ordinary baby bottle with a teat to feed it to the kid. Make sure that the bottle is clean and sterile before doing so. Make sure that the milk is not hot, but gently warmed.

It may take a while for a kid to accept a bottle, but some will do so straight away. Be persistent and keep offering it, and hopefully the kid will eventually take it. Ensure that you are patient and gentle, and wait for the goat to feed.

If you notice that your goat is getting diarrhea, try watering the cow milk down slightly for a few feeds and see if this solves the problem.

3. Feed the Correct Amounts for the Goat’s Age

The amount of milk that the baby needs depends on how old it is. You do not want to be feeding too much or too little, because good nutrition in the early stages is vital to growth.

Use the table below to help you.

Age Of The KidAmount Of Milk Per FeedFeeding Frequency
Newborn (a few hours old)A couple of ounces of colostrumEvery four hours/when kid bleats
2-4 days old8-12 ounces of milk (some may be left over)Four times per day
5-14 days old12 ounces (or more if the kid is hungry)Three times per day
Up to 7 weeks old30 ouncesTwo times per day (or three smaller feeds)
8 to 12 weeks oldSlow reduction from 30 ounces over the time periodReduce the number of feeds gradually

(Source)

You can vary this table to fit your needs and requirements, and you shouldn’t worry if the baby does not stick exactly to this. If more feeds suit you, give them smaller amounts. Be aware that the kid can only drink so much at once, so you will need to feed it frequently when it is little.

Try not to give the baby too much in a single feed, because it may become bloated or get diarrhea.

On average, a kid should gain about ten pounds per month. You should start giving them water and hay at around the two week mark, but don’t worry if they don’t immediately eat it.

When the kid is around a month old, start giving them grain. Keep feeding them milk until they have begun to eat grain and hay (or grass) reliably, or you may end up with an underweight and very hungry goat.

4. Don’t Worry About Getting Goat’s Milk

You may wish to give the kid goat’s milk if this is available, but they should manage fine on cow’s milk. It is worth being aware that cow milk is slightly less fatty, so your goat may struggle a little to gain weight.

You can add a bit of buttermilk or yogurt to the cow milk if you are concerned about this, but talk to your vet if the issue continues. You do not want to be feeding the goat too much cow milk, or it may get sick and bloated, so if weight gain is a problem, seek expert advice.

Either cow milk or goat milk should be fine for raising a healthy baby goat, as long as you feed it consistently and keep an eye on its weight gain.

Many people successfully raise abandoned or orphaned kids on cow milk every year, and it contains everything that the baby needs.

5. Know When To Call an Expert

If you have a baby goat that consistently refuses to take a bottle, you will need to contact a vet. It is crucial to ensure the little one is fed, and if you cannot do this, you will need advice from a professional.

Do not try and give hay to a goat younger than two weeks old. Even if the kid will eat hay at the two week mark, ensure that you are still bottle feeding them so they are getting adequate nutrition.

6. Don’t Keep the Kid Indoors for Too Long

Goats are herd animals. It is okay to have a kid in your kitchen for a short while if it is underweight or vulnerable, but it should be in the barn with others as soon as this becomes safe.

Conclusion

Baby goats can drink cow’s milk perfectly safely, and will thrive on it. Make sure that the baby is getting enough, and water the milk down if necessary to prevent digestion issues.

If your baby goat seems to be struggling, get in touch with a vet for advice.

Resources:

  • https://www.wikihow.com/Bottlefeed-Goat-Kids
  • https://www.medela.co.uk/breastfeeding/mums-journey/colostrum
  • https://familycow.proboards.com/thread/50289/baby-goat-raised-cows-milk
  • https://www.hobbyfarms.com/raising-goats-bottle-feed-kid/
  • https://thriftyhomesteader.com/bottle-feeding-goat-kids/

Proper feeding of kids is a guarantee of high milk yields in the future.

-

The first feeding of a kid, video. How many times a day to feed the goats? What to feed monthly goats? Proper feeding of kids is the key to high milk yields in the future.

The high productivity of goats depends on how the future nurse was raised . Depends on WHAT she received and in what quantities.

This is especially important in the first three months, starting from the very first feeding . Keeping kids under a goat makes it impossible to control the amount of milk consumed if there are two or three kids under the goat.

Full control can only be obtained by bowl feeding the kids. We feed our kids from a bowl and are very pleased with the results. Kids grow strong, have a large belly and a strong digestive system capable of processing large amounts of feed, from which, as you know, milk is obtained. The more feed units an animal can process per day, the more daily milk yield will be.

Feeding kids from the first days of life.

The basis of our method is the abundant feeding of the kid in the first months of life.

Goat lamb. Birth of goats. Afterbirth." HERE.

In all the literature devoted to goat breeding, on the first day of life, the daily norm of milk for a goat is 500g.

Our goats drank up to 600 g of milk at the first dose (not colostrum, because the goat could not be started before lambing).

Per day (DURING THE FIRST DAYS ) a kid can drink up to 1900 g of milk . In this case, their intestines are quickly freed from the original feces (meconium) and the body receives a starting set for intensive work . This is a very important point.

By the age of 30 days, the books recommend bringing the daily milk intake to 1200-1400 g. Our monthly kids drink 2500-2600 g of pure goat milk per day.

How to feed newborn kids?

I want to focus on the soldering technique. "How to milk a goat correctly?" - HERE.

Milk is offered only from a bowl. This allows you to control your milk intake at each feeding. Milk is poured into the bowl so much that it remains after the goat itself moves away from the dishes. Not a single kid ever had diarrhea, even though he fell off the bowl, like a ball. For the first two or three feedings, care must be taken that the kid's nose does not sink deep into the milk, and he does not capture it with his nostrils. If this happens, then after two or three sneezes, the baby will then figure out what's what.

The bowl, first, should be brought to the muzzle and lightly press the goat's head between the ears with your finger. In no case should you put him on his knees, as is sometimes recommended in the literature, and poke his nose into a bowl. The kid will perceive all this as violence against himself and start a war with you. Then he will no longer have time for food, and he will remember this fear for a long time.

How many times a day should the goats be fed?

About the desoldering mode. The first two days the kid eats 6 times a day strictly after 4 hours. Milk should always be warmed up to 40 degrees.

Feeding a kid from a bowl.

On the third day, you can switch to five meals a day. The goat itself prompts such a regime, refusing the sixth feeding, or the last two or three feedings will drink sluggishly.

On the fifth or sixth day, his figure, after each feeding, will look like the letter "F". An abdomen will appear, which undernourished kids do not have.

On the 7th-8th day, you can switch to four feedings. Intervals between feedings must be equal. This is important because the goat should come to the next feeding hungry. He pounces on a bowl of warm milk and drinks heavily. Coming to his senses, he raises his head and looks as if he is saying: “What have I done? I ate again!"

When fed traditionally or kept under a goat, kids grow flat like a flounder. They have the sporty appearance of running animals. Dairy animals must have different dimensions.

Video. Baby goat's first feeding.

It happens that a goat runs up to a bowl and refuses to drink milk. The main reason for here lies in the underheated milk. Babies are very sensitive to this. It is necessary to warm up the milk and offer the kid again. I noticed that milk heated to 42-43 degrees, the kids drink faster and more than milk with a temperature of 40 degrees. In the cold season, if the kids are drinking in an unheated barn, the bowl of milk should be placed in another larger container filled with warm water. In this case, the milk will stay warm longer.

“Shed for keeping goats. Goat shed floors. Feeders for goats” — HERE

When a goatling drinks milk, it can (and should) be lightly stroked on its back. This procedure increases the amount of milk drunk. Apparently, he thinks that they want to drag him away from the bowl. After the kid has drunk, he needs to wipe his muzzle with a dry, clean rag or soft hay. After two or three “washes”, the kid will stand and wait to be rubbed on his face and said a few affectionate words. Everyone loves affection.

Another point: the literature recommends introducing decoctions into the diet from 10 days of age. We never do this, because cereal or flour broth is already “adult” food, and the digestive system of a 10-day-old kid is not yet able to digest it. Most often, after such food, goats get diarrhea , as a result of which growth and development slow down. And this is not the worst option.

On the third-fourth day of life, the kid should be offered a rotten stump, gnawed by wood-boring beetles. It will happily eat softwood and brown woodworm excrement. Thus, the kid populates its gastrointestinal tract with microflora, which, in the future, will process cellulose. Goats belong to trees and shrubs and cellulose (bark or twigs) must be present in their diet.

When to start giving hay to a kid?

From 10-11 days in the feeder should be good soft-leaved hay. The kid, at first, does not eat it, but only savores it, licking various kinds of fungi and yeast from the surface of the leaves, which will also, in the future, take part in its digestion. At first, he spits out the licked leaves, and after 15-17 days he can already swallow some of the leaves he likes. After the 20th day of life, you can already see him belching. This suggests that the abomasum (the fourth section of the four-chamber stomach of ruminants) begins to slowly "wake up" in order to then take "adult" food.

While walking, the goat is very interested in the moss that grows close to the ground on the trunks of aspen, young oak, blueberries.

Gradually, the kid is preparing to become an adult ruminant.

And in the literature, instead, it is proposed to make attacks with talkers and decoctions of cereals on the still unformed digestive system of a kid. This is fraught! The main food until the age of one and a half months should be pure milk.

All the rest - variants from handicap by the presence of milk, from ignorance , or from the greed of the owner, who prefers to drink this milk himself, or sell it.

The average weight of a 4-6 month old kid in the literature is 15-23 kg. Our monthly accelerating goats weigh an average of 13 kg. Monthly goats weigh 20 kg or more. A six-month-old goat weighs 50 kg or more.

The maximum weight gain in goats is in the first month of life. It is important not to miss this time and in no case limit them in nutrition . Then, with each subsequent month, the weight gain is slower, although the kids continue to consume goat milk in plenty.

That is why it is important not to restrict goats in milk in this initial period of their life, otherwise then they will never reach high levels in terms of weight and milk yield. They will not be able to consume large quantities of food, because their digestive system will be less developed than in an animal that has been fed ad libitum pure milk from the first hours of life until the age of six months.

Feeding kids according to the Sosnowski method.

Our feeding technology, at first glance, seems expensive and troublesome. But, I assure you, after 6 months, comparing the results, you will no longer want to raise kids differently.

Your pets will differ in all respects for the better from goats raised in a different way. You will look at the flattened neighbor goats with tears in your eyes, thinking about how she was underfed in childhood, trying to deceive the growing body with all kinds of talkers, knocking down the baby’s digestion and resorting to medicines to save her from diarrhea.

It must be borne in mind that in order to raise one kid using our method, you need to have two nurse goats in the farmstead, if your one goat is not able to fully provide the necessary amount of milk.

A three-month-old goat is able to drink up to seven liters of milk per day, but at this age three liters will be enough for her to eat adult food, which she is already able to process in large quantities. What to feed a goat in winter? - HERE .

“The goat's gum has disappeared - the scar has stopped. Tympania of goat rumen. - HERE.

At what age can a goat be covered?

Goats fed ad libitum from a bowl from childhood are ready to cover after 4-5 months. And not in a year and a half, as almost all literature recommends.

This late covering is due to the slow growth of due to the lack of normal food provided by nature , i.e. pure mother's milk. Now the representatives of the human race are all completely fed with mixtures that ruin the health of our future generations. But this is another topic and not for us to decide. Everything has been decided for us for a long time . ..

We covered our kids when they were four or five months old. At the time of covering, the goats weigh 40-42 kg. At 9 months they became mothers and a month after lambing (10 months old) we milked 4.2 liters of milk per day from such a goat.

One of our goats had her first hunt at 97 days old. This suggests that good feeding reduces the period of idle (unprofitable) keeping. The sexual cycle of a goat is 17-23 days. The hunt lasts 36 hours. Now goat breeders, who feed their kids from a bowl to their heart's content, also cover early.

Usually we skip the first hunt and cover the second. I think that goats grown according to our method should be covered without much delay, because. in them, all the energy produced by large amounts of feed can go into obesity. The ovaries can fail and the fertility of such an individual will be very problematic.

Comparison of feeding methods for kids.

Now some comparative arithmetic.

Sosnowski's method (ad libitum, pure milk from a bowl).

In three months, our goat drinks, on average, 350-370 liters of pure goat milk. Covered at 5 months. Starts milking at 9-10 months of age.

After the first lambing, her maximum daily milk yield is, on average, 4 liters. Brings healthy full-fledged kids.

After 4-5 lambing, our goat reaches a daily milk yield of 6-7 liters. How much milk does a goat give? HERE . The average life expectancy and lactation of our goats is 13 years.

Other method (keeping under a goat with complementary bait).

Calculation of the amount of milk drunk is not possible, because drinking goes blindly. Covering such goats at the age of one and a half years. The maximum daily milk yield after the first lambing is usually 1-2 liters. The maximum milk yield of an adult goat is 3-4 liters. Literature "voices" the average life expectancy of goats at 6-7 years.

Having saved milk for three months of feeding, it turns out a daily shortage of milk for 6-7 years.

Now is the time to count everything. The dumbest pencil is better than the sharpest mind.

Good luck everyone!

Belarus. Grodno.
©Alexander Sosnovsky (2017) — author's page.

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.

Ways of feeding

Depending on the direction of the female's productivity, feeding goats in goat breeding can be carried out in two ways: growing on suction under the uterus and feeding without a uterus.

Under the uterus

Feeding the 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 volumes of top dressing become larger and the goats begin to be given concentrated feed: a mixture of bran, oats and sunflower meal.

Upon reaching 3-4 months of age, 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 gradual, 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 benefits:

  • Thanks to the beneficial substances in goat milk, kids have a strong immune system and are less susceptible to diseases;
  • development and weight 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 following disadvantages are inherent in the method:

  • kids born in summer or late autumn completely suck out the goat when pasture;
  • damage to non-working (rudimentary) nipples by babies, 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 be fed to the goats. 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.

In case of artificial feeding, when the mother-nurse 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, just 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 in the dairy direction of 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 expensive and complicated, it 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 summer, young animals at the age of 1 month are recommended to walk on the pasture.

From the 31st day of birth, finely chopped root vegetables should be present in the diet of babies.

As a supplement of 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 keeping 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 the 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.

What else to read


Goat feeding at home: norms and diet


Goat feeders: requirements, DIY


How to milk and milk a goat: tips and description


Goat milking machine: requirements, DIY