How to Feed Baby Goats

The most important thing to remember about feeding baby goats is that the first milk from the mother will establish the proper stomach health and nutrition. Feeding baby goats can be challenging for the first-time goat owner, but once you have gone through these steps, you'll be able to anticipate the right course of action for feeding all your baby goats.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 pint of fresh cow's milk
• 1 tsp. of fresh cream
• 2 drops of cod liver oil
• 1 egg yolk (optional)
• Bucket

Instructions

Allow Your Baby Goat to Nurse Naturally

1. Know that from birth to about day 2, your goat should nurse from its mother.

2. Expect your baby goat to begin sampling adult feed between the second day after birth and one week. While it's fine to try out grain and seed mixtures, discourage your goat from filling up on grain and not milk by allowing it to drink its mother's milk.

3. Vaccinate your baby goat during the first week of life. The vaccine Probios will add important bacteria to the goat's stomach.

Feed Goats by Hand

1. Try to have your baby goat drink the first bit of mother's milk, or colostrum, which will protect the goat kid during the first few weeks of life. Even if you can't feed your goat with the mother's milk entirely, some will help.

2. Know that it is possible to feed a goat kid without this first meal of colostrum.

3. Prepare a colostrum substitute to feed a goat by hand. Mix fresh or pasteurized cow's milk, full-fat cream, cod liver oil and an optional egg yolk together.

4. Warm the mixture at the same temperature as a warm bath, or about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Choose how you would like your goat to feed. It can either feed from a bucket or a bottle.

6. Feed your goat three to four times daily for its first 2 weeks.

7. Aim to feed your kid three times per day for the first month, two times per day for the following month, and one time per day for the last month.

8. Plan to wean your goats by the age of 12 weeks. Offer fresh water and hay to your goat or concentrates like oats, barley, dairy meal and calf pellets.

Tips & Warnings

• Younger goats may find it easier to feed from a bucket, but some people prefer to give it a bottle. If you choose this method, get a bottle with a sturdy teat.

• Avoid feeding kid goats powdered cow's milk blends. They can hurt a kid's sensitive stomach lining and even cause the stomach to burst.

Resources

• Check out Fiasco Farm's pictoral description of feeding goats.
• Go to Goat World to learn more about rearing goats.
• Get a guide to caring for your goat at Little Cud Chewers.