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## Bottle Baby Care

Written by Tara Tickel and Sunni Florence

## Supplies:

Pritchard Nipples: These are the nipples I prefer, but check with your breeder to be sure that you are using the same type as they are or your kid may refuse to eat. HINT: these nipples must be clipped off at the tip!! A little bit funny to forget to do this, but the kid certainly doesn't appreciate it!
www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07B54-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5
Any brand soda bottle: preferably the 12 ounce size, so you don't have to measure, but any soda bottle will do

## Bottle Feeding Schedule:

A goat bottle should be heated to slightly warmer than you would for a human child. NEVER give my kids more than 12 ounces per feeding.
Birth to 7 days old: 2-4 ounces of goat’s or whole cow’s milk four times a day. A typical day looks something like this: 7am, 1pm, 6pm, 11pm. We do not feed newborns during the night. If you spend some nights in the barn you'll know why, the does don't feed them at night either
1 week to 4 weeks old: As much as they want of an 12 ounce bottle 3 times a day. (at one week they may be only eating as little as 4 ounces, that’s ok.. by 4 weeks old they should be finishing a 12 ounce bottle & possibly begging for more – do NOT give them more than 12 ounces.)
At 3 weeks old, they should begin nibbling grain & hay - from day one to 6 months our kids have access to a creep feeder with a basic goat pellet and grass hay 24/7/365. No they won't overeat.
(when changing feed from my grain to yours, do it VERY slowly, just as you would for a new pup in you kennel, they may get "clumpy poop" as they adjust to the new feed, or not. This is normal, just give Probiotic gel and watch to make sure they don't begin to scour).
4-8 weeks old: As much as the kid wants of a 12 ounce bottle 2 times a day. They should be able to finish a 12 ounce bottle at this age. If a kid refuses to finish his bottle for 2 consecutive feedings, please contact the breeder or your mentor.
8 – 12 weeks old: One 12 ounce bottle a day,
​12 weeks old: stop bottle feeding altogether. Goat Pellets and grass hay are offered free choice until 6 months of age.

## Bottle Kid Care and Warning Signs:

21 days after they arrive: Administer worming medication to all kids you received from me. Use whichever wormer you prefer - this is to catch any worms that were picked up during the stress of moving farms.
- I prefer Valbazen (1 ml per 10 pounds given orally)
if Ivermectin injectable or Noromectin give 1ml per 20 pounds ORALLY
If a kid develops scours (Diarrhea), give 5 ml of ProBiotic and CONTACT the breeder or your mentor for instructions. If the kid is over 3 weeks old, it is most likely a small worm load, and if this were my kid, I would recommend giving a wormer. Occasionally, it will be a cocci load, for which I would recommend sulfadimethox solution for 5 days. If they are less than 3 weeks old, the most likely culprit is ecoli (for which I would recommend scourhalt given 2 times daily, which usually clears it up in a day). But, CONTACT the breeder or your mentor if you have any questions.
Warning signs that something is wrong:
when they refuse food! A goat that won't eat is a sick goat (give probiotic gel and if they aren't eating by the next feeding, contact the breeder or your mentor)
Scours: see above
Green mucous in the nose - give Biomycin (1ml, SubQ, then again in 48 hours)
anything else you think may be wonky or odd, call or message the breeder or your mentor, and they (or I) should be able to help you figure it out.

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