Why do you have to bottle feed Nigerian Dwarf Goats?
You need to bottle feed a Nigerian Dwarf Goat if the mother rejects the kid. When this happens, the mother completely ignores the baby and refuses to breastfeed him/her. Mother’s reject kids for multiple reasons, including not having a lot of milk, or if the kid appears to be disabled.
Bottle feeding is a great way to help a kid survive if the mother rejected them. Some people prefer to bottle feed their kid no matter what. However, we advise against this because nothing is healthier or more natural for a baby goat than their mother’s milk.
Bottle Feeding Nigerian Dwarf Goat
If you are bottle feeding a Nigerian Dwarf Goat, we recommend using a bottle with a screw on teat. This simulates the act of the goat sucking on its mother’s teat. It is also great because it easily allows the goat to drink as much milk as it wants and prevents choking. My favorite bottle for goats is Goat Kit Bottle.
Nigerian dwarf bottle feeding schedule
Below is our recommended bottle feeding nigerian dwarf goat schedule.
First 2 Days
In the first two days, it is important that you feed feed your newborn nigerian dwarf goat Colostrum. This is the first milk that a mother produces right after giving birth. You can even take this from the mother and put it in a bottle, or you can buy a colostrum replacement powder. Colostrum is essential for a newborn Nigerian Dwarf Goat because it provides their immune system protection from harmful bacteria and gives them antibodies to protect against certain diseases.
In the first 2 days, you should give the Nigerian Dwarf Goat 1-2 ounces of Colostrum every 3 hours. While 1-2 ounces is a good baseline, you should let the goat drink as much as they want in this period.
Day 3 – Week 2
Starting Day 3, you should switch to regular goat milk preferably from the mother. If you are unable to milk the mother, you can get a goat milk replacement.
During this period you should bottle feed your goat around 3-4 ounces per feeding. You should feed them around every 4 hours. You should still let the goat drink as much as they want.
Week 3-4
During this period, you should bottle feed your Nigerian Dwarf Goat around 7-8 ounces per feeding. We recommend feeding your goat every 6 hours during this period.
Week 5-7
At this point you should only be feeding your goat every 8 hours, and around 8 ounces per feeding. Your goat should start interacting with the other goats and will probably be pretty energetic.
Week 7
During week 7, you should still give your goat around 8 ounces per feeding, but you should only bottle feed him/her twice a day. We recommend feeding them once in the morning and once at night.
Week 8
Week 8 can be a monumental period for your baby Nigerian Dwarf Goat, as this is when many of them will start weaning. Weaning refers to when you goat switches form liquid food to solid food. You will know a goat is ready to start weaning when they start nibbling on hay or grain.
Week 9-12
Some Nigerian Dwarf Goats might not start weaning until the 12th week mark, and that is perfectly okay. You should continue to feed your goat around 8 ounces of milk per day until they start weaning.
Nigerian dwarf bottle feeding chart
Below is a Nigerian dwarf bottle feeding chart from Little Avalon Farm.
Related Article: Why do baby goats jump all the time?
Closing
While there are certain weight and size marks that generally indicate how much to bottle feed and when to start weaning, the ideal amount to bottle feed a goat varies from goat to goat. This is why it is important to closely watch and observe your baby goat’s behavior during its first 3 months of life. You want to make sure they are active and are social with the other goats. If you notice your baby Nigerian Dwarf Goat is not very mobile and displays signs of weakness, it is usually a sign that you need to give them more milk.
