Just like other mammals, the bond between a mother goat and her baby is a very important relationship that usually lasts a lifetime. For the baby goat, it is essential to their survival that there mother accepts them, and most importantly breast feeds him/her.

How do mother goats bond with their baby

The moment a baby goat is born, a mother goat typically sniffs the baby and licks him in an attempt to clean him. While doing this, the mother goat’s breast milk formulates in her udder. Next, the baby goat develops its natural suckling reflex and begins sucking the milk from the mother goat’s udder. At this point, the bond between the mother goat and her baby is established and the mother goat will typically care for the baby for the rest of its childhood.

Why Would a Mother Goat Reject Her Baby

Unfortunately, it is fairly common for a mother goat to reject her baby. Below are the main reasons a mother goat rejects her baby:

Multiple Goat Birth

If the mother goat gives birth to multiple babies at one time, she sometimes forgets to show all of the babies attention. When a mother goat gives birth to multiple goats, she moves around and drops each baby in different places. It is possible for a mother goat to get side tracked with some of the babies and forget about another baby goat that is in another place.

First Time Mother

The minutes following the birth of a goat are critical to the mother-baby bond. If it is the first time a goat is having babies, she might not realize how important it is to be with the baby during this critical time. Unfortunately, if the mother goat misses this window, it can lead to the mother goat rejecting her baby.

Handicapped Goat

Unfortunately, mother goats sometimes reject their baby if they sense the baby is handicapped or has other major issues. This is more common in births with multiple babies.

Stressed

If there is another animal nearby, or some other threat, the mother goat might become very stressed. This can have an effect on the way it cares for the baby, and can sometimes lead to the mother goat eventually rejecting the baby.

How to prevent mother goat from rejecting baby

Our recommendation is to make a small, makeshift pin where the mother gives birth. The pin should be big enough that the goats can walk around a little, but small enough that the mother cannot ignore the baby. In this way, the mother is forced to care for the baby and provide it love and care.