OK. I think I need to make the call to bottle feed little guy. How often should I be feeding?
Also:
How soon can I start milking for personal use?
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
This reply was deleted.
OK. I think I need to make the call to bottle feed little guy. How often should I be feeding?
Also:
How soon can I start milking for personal use?
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
Replies
Sandra, I don't see you having a problem with this. The fact is that it isn't usually hard to tell. I know that you can spot it in a baby and it really isn't so different! Just like with babies, a scale can tell you a lot about kids, if you are in doubt of what you are seeing/feeling. I am sure it can be tricky with a few but for the most part it is not so hard if you have wise-eyes in a similar field!
Sandra Hess said:
Thanks Rachel, I also take a look at their condition. Dont want any fat babies! :) The bigger two will sometimes want to take the bottle but most of the time not. I will have to say that all four would probably make it without my help but ever since mom joined the herd she doesnt let them nurse as much. Makes me feel better that the smallest two are getting their fair share (one is tiny compared to the rest).
Gotcha, that makes perfect sense now!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Sandra, you should be able to feel a full belly and witness peeing/pooping from those that are getting fed well. I also go by their body language. If they aren't moving around and playing with the others, I'd worry. Little man already associates me with food, even when all I did was hold momma so he could nurse, so I don't go by his reaction to me. If his stomach isn't empty, I don't feed him. So far, that's meant I DO feed him twice a day. Once in the morning, and once again later in the day. Usually when I'm out shutting everyone up for the night.
I'm wondering how that works. It would seem to me that the 2.5 wk old kids here would be "running up" to us if they knew they'd be fed! I feel their ribs and their brightness of eyes and legs ; ) and would love to have a wise-eye on them from years of experience (but I don't have those eyes) -- but would like to have any other way to measure them!
Sandra Hess
Heartland Midwifery
Fresno, Ohio
Rachel I am doing this with a FF that had quads. Now that they are older she is not allowing them to nurse that long. The two that are the smallest are missing out. They let me know when they are hungry by running up to me and in that case I give them a bottle (either moms or another goats milk). It used to be every other day but now they seem to want it 2x's.
That's what I've been doing, Deb. Not twice a day, but once a day before. I might switch to twice since he seems to eat so much when I feed him, and I'm not catching him with a full belly as often. I got some whole cow's milk for when I run out of mom's, but up until now, I've been feeding just what I milk out of her. I figure that she'd be feeding him anyway, so milking her out isn't an issue. I'm not stealing from the kids, I'm feeding it right back to one of them, and she'll let the doeling finish her out when I milk, so I don't have to worry about milking her out completely. I also figured with her being a FF, it's her training. lol I've gotten nearly a cup each time, out of one side. The other side seems to be the one the doeling gets the most out of, because I don't get as much from that side. If I did it twice a day, that would be 2c a day from one side on a FF WITH kids on her. I'm pretty happy about that.
Yes, but I would NOT be separating the kids from her, so they would be free to nurse as much as they want. You're only taking what the kids are not consuming. I'm actually doing this with a goat right now who is one of my best milkers and only nursing two kids. We're getting about 1.5 pounds (3 cups) a day from her without ever separating the kids. I'm also doing it with a rather wild first freshener and getting drops each time, but for her it's more training than anything else.
Margaret Langley said:
You would milk her out completely twice a day when she has 2 kids and one is doing fine?
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
In a situation such as this (somewhat wild doe, kid not getting enough), I'd be putting her on the milk stand twice a day and milking her out completely as possible. I'd leave the kid with her and offer him a bottle 2-3 times a day based upon what he seemed to need. With time, this may or may not change. I've had it go both ways with different kids. He might suddenly decide to just wait for you and be slurping down several ounces, or he might be able to get enough from mom at some point, so he won't be interested in more than an ounce of two from the bottle.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next