Hi. I think I've got a problem, but I'm not sure. My pastor raises goats and one of his does had triplets about 3 days ago. He said that the mother could support only two of them, so we took the third and are trying to bottle feed. I bought milk replace (but have since read in this forum at whole cows milk may be better). We've had him about 8 hours now, since 4pm this afternoon. When we first got him, he walked around a little, hopped a little and then lay down. We fed him a little bit but he didn't seem very hungry. Then, he woke up crying (I think he's consipated; he seems to make a lot of noise trying to "go" but he does actually "go."). I fed him 6 cc of milk replacer (from a syringe) at 8 PM. He woke up at 11:00 PM and he was staggering and shaking his head repeatedly. He just wanted to lay down. I fed him 15 CC of milk replacer. I doubt I'm feeding him enough but am afraid to give him too much, too. I read about Floppy Kid Syndrome and am worried he has that. However, my pastor didn't mention any other kids having any problems and some were a few days older than this one. Could he not have gotten enough colostrum? I'm at a loss. I really don't want him to die. And, I know nothing about goats. If you can help me, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks, Vicki in McMinnville, TN P.S. Feel free to email me directly, too.

-- Vicki Beaver (vickibeaver@netscape.net), April 19, 2002

Answers

What kind of milk replacer are you feeing him? The first thing I would do is to switch him to milk, preferably goat milk. I don't think he is eating enough, will he not suck from a nipple?

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 19, 2002.

He definitely needs more food, and are you warming it? If it is cold it will really upset his belly. He should be getting at least 4oz several times per day from a sheep nipple on a bottle or a Pritchard nipple. The milk should be at approximately the goats body temp. 100* is good. I always check it just like a bottle for a human baby. Let us know, and good luck!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

Many of you were very kind and emailed me directly. The next morning, I ditched the milk replacer formula and bought fresh goat milk from the grocery story. That and a regular baby-sized nipple seemed to do the trick. He ate four or five ounces. After that, his consumption increased dramatically and he's now doing great! I tried swapping out the small nipple for a goat nipple and he'll have none of it. So, I guess I'm not going to fight with him about it. Thanks to everyone who emailed me with advice. That was a rough 12 hours. I was so relieved when he finally started eating.

Thanks again, Vicki

-- Vicki Beaver (vickibeaver@netscape.net), May 29, 2002.