Having baby goats in your backyard or farm can be extremely joyful. If you are an animal farmer, sooner or later you might want to raise a goat for milking. And while raising them, there can be several circumstances at which you’ll need to provide proper care and nutrition to the newborn kids and baby goats.
Some dairy farms separate baby goat from their mother to increase milking. Our responsibility increases if we are buying kid goat from such farms. It is fine to take the baby away from their mother after its birth and then bottle feed it. But is always best to feed the baby with mother’s milk at least for a few days to obtain that early milk (called colostrum). Colostrum provides a high source of nutrients and immunity for the newborn animals.
Baby goats require excellent care and nutrition for their growth. Raising goats essentially involve managing their birth, feeding, maintaining the shelter and proper health care. If you are planning to grow a herd of goats, you’ll need to know some basic instructions or guidelines in raising and feeding goat kids.
Caring for newborn babies:
If you are unsure about taking care, you may have the vet present at the place. Here are a few essential tips that a person can consider while taking care of newborn goat kids:
● You should provide a safe and warm space for the baby goat. The place should be both warm and dry.
● Allow the navel cord to break naturally. If it is longer than 3-4 inches, then trim the extra length after it breaks. Always use sterilized equipment for trimming. Dip the cord in iodine or betadine; it helps in
preventing infection.
● Now, if possible, leave the baby with its mother. Allow the mother to clean the baby by licking. It
creates a bond between the mother and her kid.
● Let the baby got get milk from its mother within an hour or two after birth. If the kid is refusing to
drink, then you’ll have to bottle feed colostrum. The colostrum needn’t be from its biological mother;
you may buy it from stores or get it from other goats. Colostrum bought from stores might require
refrigeration.
Feeding the baby goats:
Allowing the mother to feed the babies provides several advantages. However, there are circumstances
at which you’ll have to bottlefeed the kid using its mother’s milk for milk from another goat.
And also, in any case, if the mother goat is not available to nurse the baby, then you’ll have to bottle
feed it. Bottle-feeding helps to create a bond between human beings and animals. However, as the baby has never drunk from a bottle, it might refuse at first. So it requires a little time and patience for feeding
babies with a bottle. Here are a few tips for bottle feeding:
● Before feeding, always sterilize the bottle and other equipment if any. Hold the kid with one arm and poke your thumb in its mouth to make the mouth open. Pop the nipple in and squeeze a few droplets of milk in its mouth.
● Make sure that the milk is neither too cold nor too hot.
● With a regular schedule, the baby goat will start taking milk. Keep a good feeding schedule like at
least four times a day for the first month of birth.
● After a few days or at some point, the goat might not need to drink milk. At this stage, start offering solid foods like hay or pasture feed in small amounts. You may start offering grains at about one week after birth.
● After one month, slowly decrease the amount of milk so that it eats all other livestock feeds.
Always contact your vet if you are unsure about raising, feeding and taking care of baby goats as well as the adults. If you want a well bond with your goat, spend time to bottle feed the babies. To make them happy, allow them to bond with other goats or animals like cow, sheep and horse. Don’t forget to take proper vaccination and regular vet visits to make these adorable fluffy animals, more healthy and disease-free.
