How to Care for a Baby Goat

There is nothing more fun on a family farm than a baby goat. A baby goat is cute, sweet, friendly and playful. A baby goat is also a hardy barnyard creature, strong and curious. When you're raising a goat from baby to adulthood, the earlier the goat is handled by humans, the friendlier the goat will be into adulthood. A male baby goat, once neutered, makes the ideal pet goat.

Instructions

1. Watch the goat being born if possible, making sure it gets up on its own. Once standing, immediately touch and caress the goat to begin the process of imprinting--assuring the goat that humans are part of his herd. The umbilical cord should have broken during birth. You can soak the end in iodine to ward off infection.

2. Allow the mother and baby to bond. The baby will nurse shortly after birth. The first 24 hours offers the baby colostrum in the mother's milk which aids immunity. Set aside a roomy stall or pen with shavings for the mother and baby to be comfortable and safe from other goats or animals.

3. Provide fresh hay and water daily. The baby will begin to sample hay at about 1 week of age, but mother's milk will be his staple for months to come.

4. Have the goat debudded in the first two weeks of life. This veterinary process burns away the start of horns on the goat's head and makes a more child-friendly pet goat. The earlier the debudding happens, the easier it is on the goat.

5. Have a male goat banded. This is a band that is placed around the testicles of the baby goat, cutting off blood supply and causing the testicles to shrivel, neutering the goat. The process is painless for the baby goat. The goat will become a wether, which is a neutered male goat. A wether makes the most friendly and fresh smelling pet goat.

References

• Fias Co Farm: Goat Health and Husbandry