How to Bottle Feed Your Baby Goat - Bottle Feeding Instructions

Are you wondering if bottle babies are right for you? Below is a detailed overview of feeding schedules and requirements is a good place to start to see if bottle babies are a good fit for you.

Bottle-feeding your baby goat is going to give you a huge payback in their temperament. For the time you put in with bottle feeding, you will gain trust and attachment. We bottle-train all of the kids, but unless there are special circumstances, they stay with their moms until they wean/go home. This "hybrid" approach to bottle-dam raising kids has proven to be the best of both worlds and ensures that babies have the smoothest transition possible when going to their new homes.

The ideal age to get your new baby goat is between three and four weeks old and feeding bottles 3 - 4 times per day. This makes for very friendly but well-mannered goats. By three weeks old, the baby's rumen is beginning to function and they can digest hay in addition to their milk. This means they can go a little longer between bottles.

Some people want them while they are fully dependent on bottles, less than 3 weeks old. In this case, we usually wait about a week after they are born to make sure they are developing well and really ready to go home. These kids grow up to be super sweet and attached to their human family. The temperament is even sweeter than the typical bottle baby who goes home at 3-4 weeks.

A Note Before We Get Started

When this article was first written, our experience with full-time bottle babies was very limited, and we resourced our guidelines from online observations and official guides posted by reliable veterinary sources.

However, we have since gained a lot of our own experience as well as broadened our observations and now have our own routine for our bottle babies. I have left some of the "recommended advice" and noted it as such, but have updated it with our practical experience

How Long Do Babies Need Bottles?

Weaning age is the most common question and a good one to ask when deciding if you're ready to commit to bottle feeding your baby goats. Some breeders wean at 8 weeks, and this is fine for wethers. (We suggest at least 12 weeks even for wethers)

However, we strongly advise giving milk to breeding stock for at least 16 weeks. We have seen the difference in our kids left with their dam vs kids weaned at 8 weeks, and the rate of growth is substantial in the kids who get milk long-term.

A common practice is to go by their weight, not their age. A breeding doe, especially, should receive milk until she reaches 30 - 35 lbs. If you want to be able to breed for yearling first fresheners, this is a must. This can be as long as 7 months, but is well worth the time and investment for strong and healthy yearling mothers.

To summarize, here is our suggestion for the minimum weaning ages:

Wethers: 10-12 weeks

Pet does: 12-16 weeks

Bucks: 16-20 weeks

Breeding does: 30 - 35 lbs

What to feed my baby goat?

Let's start with what to feed your bottle baby. The type of milk used is a personal preference. The official and vet-recommended replacement for fresh, raw goat milk is goat milk formula. However, many breeders have had horrible results (sick, weak, and failure to thrive kids) using formula. We have never had to use formula, so we can not give any advice based on personal experience.

We suggest using milk in the following order of preference:

1. Fresh, raw goat milk from a store, farmer, or co-op

2. Store-bought pasteurized goat milk

3. Fresh, raw cow’s milk from a store, farmer, or co-op

4. Store-bought, pasteurized WHOLE cow’s milk (for kids older than 3 weeks)

5. Goat Formula

How much do they eat per feeding?

We have found that a typical Nigerian Dwarf baby goat will consume about a quart of milk (32 oz) per day, and that is our goal regardless of their age. As they get older, they require more food, but that calorie need is met with hay and not by increasing milk consumption.

Newborns will not eat a full 32 oz, but will work their way up to that amount at different rates as individual sizes and appetites vary. Males will almost always eat more earlier, as will babies with higher birth weights. As they get older and have fewer bottles per day, the amount per feeding increases to meet this 30-32 oz per day goal.

It is crucial to note that goats CAN OVEREAT, and this can cause life-threatening complications. When goats overeat, it can cause a serious bacterial infection known as "overeating disease" or Enterotoxemia. Another complication is acidosis aka "floppy kid syndrome," where there is too much milk for them to digest at once and the milk ferments, causing acidosis.

Baby goats older than 1 week often act STARVING! If they are peeing and pooping, growing and acting like normal, healthy, active baby goats, then they are just fine, and 8 oz per feeding is plenty of food for them. DO NOT OVERFEED YOUR GOATS!

Old advice based off of the official bottle feeding guides:

The amount per feeding is based 20-30% of their body weight but babies have tiny stomachs so this has to be spread out among feedings. You may need to increase the number of bottles in a day to get enough milk consumed.

The amount recommended to feed is 3 to 4 oz of WARM milk per 5 lbs of body weight. Note that this means as the kids grow, their consumption per feeding will increase. Do not feed kids until they are full as serious complications can arise. Stick to the % guide and use good common sense.

How We Do Things

We start out by giving everyone a 4 oz bottle and let them eat as much as they want at each feeding. As they grow and get used to eating fewer but bigger meals, they will gradually eat more. We increase the amount of milk per bottle to try to match this growth and then exceed it by about an ounce. If we think she will drink 5 oz, we will give her 6. This always allows for growth spurts!

Note that kids who have been with their mom are used to constant snacking with small amounts of milk all day and all night. It can take them a day or two to realize they need to eat on a new schedule.

Feeding Schedules

The First 24 Hours: 2-3 feedings in the first 12 hours; every 4 hours after that.

Sample Schedule: At birth, babies are fed every 15-30 minutes as much as they will eat.

Every 2-3 hours until 3 feedings are fit within the first 12 hours, then every 4 hours within reason. Ie, a 6 AM to 11 PM window. You can let them go 6 hours overnight if it is a late kidding.

The first 24 hours of a goat's life are critical and can mean life or death, quite literally. Goats require colostrum within 24 hours to acquire immunity. Colostrum contains antibodies from the mother (or donor goat) that the baby requires to stimulate her own immune system. After 12 hours, her gut begins to close up, and by 24 hours, she can not absorb any more antibodies. Therefore, we treat the first 24 hours with great care to ensure that each baby receives enough colostrum.

2 - 7 days: 5 Feedings/24 hours

Sample Schedule: 6 AM - 10 AM - 2 PM - 6 PM - 9 PM

Amount of warm milk: As much as they want, up to 6 oz per feeding.

Healthy babies do not need to eat throughout the night. Small (under 2 lbs) and/or weak kids MUST have continuous feedings throughout the night, and we would add in 1-2 feedings to the above schedule.

1 - 4 weeks: 4 Feedings/24 hours

Sample Schedule: 7 AM - 11 AM - 3 PM - 7 PM

​Amount of warm milk: As much as they want, up to 8 oz per feeding. We work up to the 32 oz/day goal during this time period.

Between 3-4 weeks, kids will start to be able to eat AND digest hay. Before 4 weeks, they cannot digest and absorb solid food despite their attempts to nibble. Be sure to begin offering hay and fresh water even if they are under 3 weeks, as they will need to practice.

*Some breeders go to 3/day right after their first 24 hours. We have never felt comfortable doing this, and we have the time to offer them a fourth bottle, so we do.

4 to 8 weeks - 3 Feedings/24 hours

Sample Schedule: 7 AM - 2 PM - 7 PM

​Amount of warm milk: 10 oz per feeding (You can do 2 feedings of 11 to reach exactly 32 oz/day)

Once kids are eating hay and drinking water regularly, you can be much more flexible with this schedule. They still require the same amount of milk per 24 hours, but it can be spaced as needed for your own scheduling needs.

8 - 12 weeks: 2 feedings/24 hours

Sample schedule: 7 AM - 7 PM or 7 AM - 2 PM (second bottle should be at least 6 hours later.)

Amount of warm milk: 12 - 16 oz per feeding.

12+ weeks – 1 feeding/24 hours

Sample Schedule: 7 AM or 7 PM

Amount of warm milk: 12 - 16 oz per feeding.

Some breeders may continue with 2 bottles per day. This is common in herds that are on milk test and thus are swimming in milk and are out in the barn 2x/day already.

For us, we go to 1 bottle per day at 12 weeks, mostly because this calms the crying every time they see us! Teaching them early that they do not get a bottle every time they see you goes a long way for the screaming that most bottle babies get in the habit of. Most eventually outgrow this, but sometimes it takes a few weeks or months after they are fully weaned.

Heating up the milk

DO NOT MICROWAVE: This kills vital nutrients in the milk!

Here is our method:

1. Fill each bottle with the desired amount of milk.

2. Place cold milk bottle(s) in a medium saucepan filled 2/3 with cold water and heat on high until water is hot to the touch.

3. Once the water is hot to the touch, turn off the heat and leave the bottles to come to the desired temperature.

4. Another less accurate but faster method is to put the bottles in a bucket and pour hot water high enough to cover the milk line. Let the bottles warm for 5-10 minutes.

Always test milk! Remember, goats run a 102-103 body temperature, so they will like their milk warmer than a human kid but still do not offer super hot milk as it can burn their mouth.

TIP: If you are headed to the barn in cold weather and or have multiple kids to feed, use a small bucket or bowl filled with the warmed water and continue to submerge the bottles in the warm water right up until the kid(s) is fed.

What bottles are best for baby goats?

Regular baby bottles can be used but most kids prefer a more natural shape and size like the Pritchard Teat. These screw onto small soda or tea bottles. We suggest using these goat kid bottles that are easier to clean. We usually buy these bottles in bulk and have some on hand to sell for $10 each. Be sure to let us know if you plan to purchase bottles from us so we can set some aside for you.

The following sources provide additional information on the importance of bottle-feeding baby goats:

• Michigan State University Extension: "Bottle-feeding kids." (https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/bottle_feeding_kids)

• University of Maryland Extension: "Feeding Kids." (https://extension.umd.edu/goats/goat-kids-feeding-kids)

This information is not intended to replace or override advice and/or instructions provided by a licensed veterinarian. We are simply sharing what has worked for us.

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