It's me again. Mae is a month old and she's drinking her 2 20oz of goat milk replacer a day. When and how do I start weaning her? thanks!

-- Wendy Hodorowski (wendy@express-graphics.com), April 17, 2002

Answers

About now she should be tasting hay and picking at grain, perhaps eating a leaf here and there. About 8 weeks she will really start eating, not just tasting. By 12 weeks when she is eating everything in site, just stop the bottles. Do not stop the bottles until she is eating all her calories in whatever her normal diet is going to be afterwards! Make sure she has water in a bucket and is drinking it, I use black ones so the water is warm, something kids and milkers seem to like better than cool water, you would think they would like. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Vicki,

Now why didn't I think of black buckets? This comming from someone who thought he was being clever using black plastic on a temporary shelter to help warm it up. Hmmmm! That's a neat idea.

Wendy, would only add giving ProBios when they start to eat instead of nibble to help the rumen fire up.

Dennis

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.