# Can't get new baby to take bottle.



## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

I just picked up my new babies Sunday. One wether and one doe. He came fat and she is a bit thinner. She is sweet natured and laid back , he is nosey and more affectionate. Both are from a DGI breeder who follows DGI closely and has nice looking goats. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201521608707991&set=t.1019798458&type=1&theater These are picts from right after we got her home. I had milk and nipples on hand that looked like this. http://www.amazon.com/PACK-BOTTLE-LAMB-NIPPLE-Color/dp/B0071CQT82/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372692040&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=black+lamb+nipple and she came with a nipple on a soda bottle (she had been drinking from the DGI member/owner) and that nipple looked like thishttp://www.jefferspet.com/lambar-feeding-outfit/camid/LIV/cp/16743/ and the breeder used the same labar for lambs at home.

She is the tan and the wether is the black and white.

She will not take the bottle from me and has been drinking milk up to now.
Even if I order this lambar system it will not get her for 3-5 days.

I have tried getting her to suck from my fingers and then slip in the bottle. I can not even get her to suck from my fingers. 
I took the grey nipple and drilled a hole in a white bucket and tried to get her to take that. She has refused all attempts. HE on the other hand is piggy and has taken the milk from bottles with no problem.

Now I am very concerned. BTW she is 11 weeks.
I really would feel more comfortable if I could see her belly full. She will eat alfalfa pellets from our hands. (she was eating some pellets from the breeder too) and seems to love our honeysuckle. 
She is up and running around and seems happy and bright. Just not eating like she should.

Back story my family raised goats when I was young. We did not know anything about CAE, and our goats fed from the mom. I don't remember a mom not feeding a baby.

What to do???


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## Junkscouts (Jul 18, 2010)

I wrote the following for a different thread, but it might help:

"3 times a day I would sit with them on my lap and force the nipple in their mouth and would just keep them from spitting it back out by using my empty hand over their head with my fingers on either side of their mouth. In the process of trying to spit the nipple back out they will cause milk to leak into their moth and they will swallow it. Sometimes they would just give up and sit there with the nipple in their mouth at which point you can squeeze the bottle or slip the nipple in and out of their mouth slightly or twist it. It takes a while and can be frustrating but if you are patient they will drink a fair bit that way, maybe 15 or 20 minutes per goat to get half a bottle in them. Doesn't matter if they are hungry or not, keep their heads pointed up and they will swallow in my experience.

I did that 3 times a day and one of the feisty ones started nursing after two feedings but the other took like 4 days, I was close to putting her back on her dam but she finally got it. I also tried skipping a feeding here and there which did seem to help, but they got at least 2 feedings a day."


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## Horsehair Braider (Mar 11, 2011)

At 11 weeks old she is old enough to wean herself if she wants... she will not die of starvation, so don't worry about that. Now, I too would want her to keep drinking milk at that age, so try the tips above from Sven. However, even if she still absolutely refuses after you've been trying for a week or so, she will be fine. As soon as a kid can chew cud they are technically old enough to wean, although there is no question they grow better on milk... so she is not going to die if she stops drinking the milk. Sometimes they just do, despite what your efforts may be to get them to keep drinking milk.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Ok, thanks for both input. I have alfafa, good hay and rolled oats. She just about mauled me for those. I need to know how much to feed her. free choice or a certain amount or ratio of the two. I will keep trying. I would like for her to be as healthy as possible.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

What breed are the goats? The link for the picture doesn't work. I would offer them free-choice alfalfa, and the rolled oats once or twice a day, amount depending on size of goat. When was her last cocci treatment? Either way, I'd probably do a round of di-methox, which I have decided to do on every outside purchased kid I get. Stress of moving can bring on a cocci load quickly, and the di-methox also helps kill any bad gut bacteria, which may also overgrow in a stressed-out kid. I would also offer both of them some probiotics. It seems like off-feed kids are usually having some kind of gut issues.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201530738936241&set=a.10201422289945084.1073741826.1409963314&type=1&theater They are alpine, one black(boy)and one tan(girl) here is a pict of her neck. Is it swollen? right under her jaw. Here is his for comparison.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201530737576207&set=a.10201422289945084.1073741826.1409963314&type=1&theater


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

removed link, it would not work.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

I will have to upload the pictures, not sure why the link is not working. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201521608227979&set=a.10201422289945084.1073741826.1409963314&type=1&permPage=1I am trying again. This is how I tried to get her to eat. She seems to have a lump in her throat. Is that normal? Am I just being a worry wart? Is it milk?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

The last link you posted is trying to get me to sign up, and the others don't work. If you can, just post the pics directly on here. You do that by clicking on "manage attachments" under the reply box on here, or you can use an account like photobucket and copy and paste the "direct link", which should start with


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## Junkscouts (Jul 18, 2010)

The links just have one too many HTTPs at the begining, if you delete one after you paste the link they work fine.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Babies go through a lot of stress with moving. It will take a day or two for them to get accustomed to their new surroundings. I would give her a pinch of baking soda right in the mouth. And as long as she is drinking clean water and eating hay and kibble then she will come around. I do not think this is need for alarm.

I have had many a kid come in from long distances and do this, give her time. If she weans herself she weans herself. Concern is fine but force feeding a kid unwilling to drink may cause aspiration and that does cause problems.
Tam


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes I see, thanks. Ok, the problem was too many HTTPS Please try the links again. We think it may be a milk goiter.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Could be a milk goiter.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

The swollen area under her neck looks normal to me (milk goiter) but of course without putting my hands on her, I am just speculating.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Ok, so she seems to be doing fine (The more I read, the more I realize I don't know what I am doing) She just about knocks me down when I open the barn door to get feed. Feed is rolled oats, good hay and alfalfa. There is always left over rolled oats and alfalfa in the evenings. We see her eating grass and brush, I see her peeing and pooping. She is thinner than HE and (who is piggy and loves his bottle in the AM and PM). How do I know if she is getting the proper nutrition? How much mineral should they be getting each day. They are 11 weeks. I have not weighed them yet. But, how much should alpines weigh at 11 weeks? My neighbor (who is a retired vet tech) says I should not have allowed her to wean and now I am doubting. Worried about the girl to get enough nutrition?


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

11 weeks is fine to wean. I pull my bucklings off their dams at 12 weeks, and they get no additional milk. They get alfalfa hay and oats - pretty much as much as they will eat. Just keep food in front of her all the time. Minimize competition if you have older goats that might push her away from the food.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

i have alfafa pellets, good hay and oats. So I have been mixing the alfafa and oats (about a quart each) and throwing in a handful of minerals. AM and PM. He gets a bottle AM and PM. Is this ok? Should I throw out the uneaten portion the next day? There always is some left over.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I don't throw out the left overs. I just put less fresh out for them (on top of the leftovers) if they didn't finish the day before. Obviously, if it got wet or dirty, I would throw it out. I think she will be just fine. The food you are giving them is great. Just make sure to stay on top of cocci and worm prevention so she doesn't have to fight that on top of the move and everything.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Baby girl Delilah has decide she will take WATER from a bottle. Could I gradually add milk. She is 13 weeks and 34 lbs and the boy is 12 and 43 lbs. He is quite the milk piggy.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

You certainly could gradually add milk to the bottle. Your doe kid sounds like she could use a little more groceries.

Are they getting prevention meds for cocci and worms? Besides nutrition, that is the what will affect growth the most.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

MF-Alpines said:


> Your doe kid sounds like she could use a little more groceries.


??? I don't understand this?



MF-Alpines said:


> Are they getting prevention meds for cocci and worms? Besides nutrition, that is the what will affect growth the most.


 This is how I found out she would take the water. The corid, I mixed with water and she would drink that. I have put 1/4 cup of milk into water this AM and will see how it goes.

I still need to give her the wormer.


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## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

Cindy's just saying Deliliah should eat a little more and fatten up! I wish I had that problem.  Getting milk into her will help. Sometimes those picky goats don't eat what we want them to!


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Oh, ok. Well I put her cocci meds in her water +1/4 c of milk. She drank it down. I still had to coax the nipple into her mouth but once she had a grip, she hung on. I am thinking about adding a 1/2c of milk this evening and maybe some pancake syrup. I am just scratching my head about this? This is after three weeks of refusing to take the nipple at all.


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## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

I have 1 doe that I still have to cover her eyes and lead her to the nipple on the bucket feeder. She's been on a bottle her whole life and she's 8 weeks old and 35 pounds! Dippy goat!

Maybe now that Deliliah has warmed up to you, she'll take the bottle better.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Why pancake syrup? I really don't think that's necessary.


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

At 13 weeks I don't think she needs milk at all. But if they were mine, I'd be giving them a high-quality medicated feed. This year we had great success starting our kids on a textured medicated 18% calf starter feed and then switched over to our regular 16% medicated pellet as the weather got warmer and the flies really started to take a liking to the textured feed. The medication to look for is either deconquinate (a/k/a Deccox) or monensin tartrate (a/k/a rumensin). Both are coccidiastats. Monensin is an ionophore antibiotic and in addition to keeping coccidia in check, it also helps the goats get more nutrition out of the feed that they're eating and helps prevent bloat. The downside to rumensin-medicated feed is that it is toxic to non-ruminating animals such as horses and dogs.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

tlcnubians said:


> . The downside to rumensin-medicated feed is that it is toxic to non-ruminating animals such as horses and dogs.


The whole purpose for getting the goats (one is a wether) is to start training my LGD anatolian Jonah. I certainly don't want to poison him. I have read that some bottle feed till 4 months. I guess Delilah's weight of 34 lbs was a concern. The wether, Samson, was 43 lbs at 12 weeks. There is a noticeable difference in the size of the two.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Second morning in a row of her/him taking a bottle with no problems. They just walk up and start the bottle. 14 and 15 Weeks old. When should they STOP taking a bottle?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

You can wean them any time now, but this year I have been weaning mine at 4 months old. At that age, I'd switch them to once a day for a week or two, then stop bottle feeding.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Instead of pancake syrup use Karo, and I only suggest doing that for younger babies that are constipated. I have found that if you DO use Karo to always put a pinch of baking soda in the milk to keep acidity levels down. Goat milk is extremely sweet as it is and the sugars create the acidity.

Weaning is entirely up to you and how your kids are growing. As long as they are eating hay, some sort of goat food, and drinking plenty of water they will be fine off the milk. 

Tam


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