Need Help. Have a kid that was born early and weak. Was able to save her by feeding her with feeding tube. Now cannot get her to take a nipple for feeding. Have used the Pritchard nipple without success. Tried soft nurser baby nipples and this little doe remains resistive. Am using milk replacer for goats as the formula. Have tried feeding her in standing position under my knee (as goat book suggests), holding her on my lap as I did when I had to place the tube but so far this little doe remains resistive. Patience is wearing very thin so goat experts please rescue both of us. Neal

-- Neal Brewer (brew@cpty.net), January 29, 2001

Answers

I use the lamb nipples on lemon juice bottles. It's always hard at first, they resist some, but keep trying. I would hold them in my lap and hold their head with one arm and the bottle the other. Some do want to fight it. Good luck.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), January 29, 2001.

Some resist because of the feel of the nipple...If she has a good sucking instinct you can cover your (clean) finger with the milk and then switch to the bottle. I noticed that the fresh lamb nipples seemed to be a bit of a struggle with my kids at first. I widened the orifice and they did okay after that. Best of luck and keep us posted.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), January 29, 2001.

I have done as Doreen has done. Also, if the orifice is big enough you can squeeze milk out by pushing down on their tongue and they get the idea milk is coming from the nipple and begin sucking. Question, why are you using milk replacer??? If you have access to goats milk, it would be the best choice for a kid. Even the goat's milk replacer is not as good as regular goats milk. Were you able to feed colostrum? If she is not too weak, I would let her get a little hungry and then put the milk on my finger and see if she would suck the finger. Sometimes if they are to early, they won't even have a sucking instinct. Human infants are the same way. How early?? You may just need to tube for a while until she will suck. Good luck

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 29, 2001.

I agree with both Doreen and Diane.But would say that I believe the kid milk replacer is better than UNPASTEURIZED goat milk. If you can pasteurize then use the milk. We use a soft pop bottle and lamb nipples.With a slightly widened orifice,gently squeeze milk into the kids mouth. When patience wears thin here Ann and I switch off on feedings.

-- JT in Florida (gone2seed@hotmail.com), January 29, 2001.

Neal, if you stick your sweetened finger in her mouth will she suck at all? Kids born without a sucking reflex are usually brain damaged. She may have not breathed soon enough or the placenta or umbilical cord detached to soon, oxygen deprived. If she will suck on your finger than stop the tube feeding, put the pritchard teat on a plastic soda bottle, get the goats milk, grocery store vitamin D milk or milk replacer (yuck) to her body temperature 102, and then seal her mouth on the bottle, squeeze slightly on the bottle, and then with your pointer finger and your thumb make mouthing motions on the nipple with your hand over and under her mouth. If she is hungry enough and has any sucking reflex at all she will suck, but with a full tummy of tube fed milk, she probably isn't hungry. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 29, 2001.

I don't have a goat but we have sheep. We have bottle fed several as that is how we got started. I agree with Vicki, you have to sometimes "show" them how to suck. With our bottle lambs, sometimes we have one that has no interest and we have given them liquid Vitamin B Complex - 2cc per 5# to give them a boost of energy. Sometimes this helps. You can find the Vitamin B complex at your veterinarian or at feed supply stores. Good luck!

-- JoAnn (jonehls@excite.com), January 29, 2001.

I used the black plastic goat nipples from the farm supply place, and old clean pepsi bottles. I agree that the milk should be warm and you'll have to hold the nipple in her mouth. (I'd stick the end of the bottle between my body and uppper arm to hold it and leave free hands) I would squeeze her mouth shut a few times, while rubbing the undersie of her neck to get her to swallow, and hopefully suck instinctively while the nipple was in her mouth. If the new nipples are too hard, try boiling an extra 5 minutes. Sometimes starting with a gentle licking type body rub comforts the kid, and helps them relax for nursing practice. Hungary helps, I agree. I used milk replacer, as we wanted all of the goats milk at the house.

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), January 29, 2001.

Thanks everyone for your informative and helpful answers. The little critter finally took about 3-ounces at two different times tonight. I also gave her about and ounce of plain yogurt and karo syrup via tube. Hopefully she is now out of the woods. She was born a couple weeks early to a doe which had been injured. Thanks again for your help, Neal

-- Neal Brewer (brew@cpty.net), January 30, 2001.