# First Bottle Baby



## Sheri S. (Nov 29, 2018)

Okay so I picked up my first bottle fed baby buckling last Friday. I have had goats before but in Arizona and now I’m in Mississippi... completely different ballgame when it comes to parasites... I know but my question is:

This buckling sucks down an 8 oz bottle like there’s no tomorrow! I was told by a friend that you cannot let them do that, it will ruin their rumen. 
Then I got the bright idea to add rice baby cereal... BAD BAD IDEA! Now the poor baby has scours! He’s gonna be 4 wks old this Friday. 
Should I throw away the baby cereal, get some Pedialyte and give it to him until his scours clears up and resume to just replacer like he was?

How often and how much should he be getting per feeding? He’s a boer and I am guessing he currently weighs about 7 lbs. 

Please no nasty or mean comments. I want to do everything right and I could really use some solid knowledge from some of you. Please???

TIA

SINCERELY,
Sheri


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Drop the cereal immediately. I feed my babies a pint at a feeding four times a day. Their rumen won't even start developing four a few weeks when they start eating solids.


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## Sheri S. (Nov 29, 2018)

Goat Town said:


> Drop the cereal immediately. I feed my babies a pint at a feeding four times a day. Their rumen won't even start developing four a few weeks when they start eating solids.


I surely did and stocked up on Pedialyte. He's not dehydrated though but it's best to have if I need it. 
He was recently disbudded and bumped his head today and almost bled to death. I have him inside now. Poor guy.


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## LittleDairyAcres (Nov 7, 2018)

How is he doing? I know it's an slightly older post but I hope he is doing well. Yep, big no for baby cereal. For future reference when you add something to a bottle (or just a diet) goats tend to get scours from too quick of a change. For example. Im feeding a bottle babies 12 oz of milk replacer. If I were to change it to real goats milk in just one day scours are almost guaranteed among other problems. Even with adults. Another example. Im feeding my goats grass hay all winter and for the first month of spring. My pasture is full of weeds and grass and trees and is very luscious. If I just turned them out they would likely end up with scours. Same goes for if they get into too much sweet feed, chicken feed ect. But that can also cause bloat as well as acidosis. If you do happen to come back please share pictures! I love me some baby goats!


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