When do baby goat’s need to be fed milk

The moments after a goat kid is born is very crucial to their health and development. When goats are born, they have a very low blood sugar, and thus it is essential that they are fed milk as soon as possible. Most vets say that newborn goats have around 30 minutes to consume their mother’s milk after they are born. If they don’t consume the milk in this time period, they may become too weak to stand and eventually die.

Why do you need to feed a baby goat a bottle

You need to feed a goat kid a bottle if the mother rejects him/her. There are two main reasons that a mother goat will reject a kid. The first is if the goat had multiple kids, and she is unable to tend to all of them. The second reason is when a baby goat is born prematurely. The mother will probably reject the goat because she doesn’t think the kid has a chance of surviving. You can save a goat’s life by giving it a bottle of milk if the mother rejects him/her.

How to get a baby goat to take a bottle

There are 3 main ways to get a baby goat to take a bottle.

1. Have a goat bottle ready

It is very important that you have a designated goat bottle on hand. Goat bottles are special because they contain a teat at the top that is the same size and texture of a mother goat’s teat. If the milk doesn’t come out fast enough, you can make the whole bigger in the teat that is at the tip of the bottle. We recommend filling up the bottle with the mother goat’s milk. If this is not an option, then you can always buy milk replacement formulas. However, you should know that natural milk from the goat’s mother is way healthier and has more nutrients.

2. Tilt up goat’s head and cover eyes

You need to emulate the natural process as much as possible. Therefore, you should tilt your goat’s head up because that is how a goat would naturally suck from their mother’s teats. Additionally, you should cover your goat’s eyes. This is because when a goat is sucking milk from the teats, the udder usually blocks their eyes. 

3. Wipe their butts

If you want to get a baby goat to take a bottle, it is essential that you wipe their butt with a damp towel while you are trying to feed the kid. A mother goat will typically lick a newborn kid’s but when it is born in order to stimulate him/her and cause them to come suck from the udder. Therefore, you are simulating the natural process when you wipe their butt with a warm, damp towel.

Other things to remember when trying to get a goat to take a bottle

It is important that you give the newborn kid a couple second breaks while they are taking the bottle. This allows them to catch their breath and also helps with digestion. After you are done giving them the bottle, we recommend taking them out to use the bathroom immediately after. You should feed a goat kid around 4-5 times a day. You should give them around 8 ounces of milk per meal. If your goat is still refusing to take the bottle, you should call a vet immediately.