Hello, my name is Julie, and I have a diapered goat in my house. When my mother finds out she will declare me luny but my kids (children) love it. Previous posts have answered most of my questions but one. Can I bottle feed my kid with a baby bottle or do I need to go to the co-op and get a different one? Since I'm here, I will introduce myself. Like I said my name is Julie, live in TN, 3 kids 7, 4, 1. homeschool 7 yr old. We have goats, horses, dogs Blue healer and Border collie, cats, chickens and holstein steers. Have learned a lot here and hope to be able to contribute some but don't know alot yet except about horses. Thanks, Julie

-- Julie (jdavis@vol.com), March 26, 2001

Answers

My family always think I'm nuts ! Get used to it .Is it drinking from the baby bottle ? My only concern would be animals nipples are made of a harder material and harder to chew off a piece and choke .I just got a heeler and love JAWS to death

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), March 26, 2001.

I've read that you shouldn't or couldn't use a baby bottle, but that's what I always used with mine. Bought a bottle at the Co-op that they just wouldn't take(guess I got the wrong kind) and I had baby bottles in the cabinet, sooo.:-)

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), March 26, 2001.

Problem, as mentioned above, baby nipples too soft and small. You should be able to get "lamb nipples" (black, pull-ons) and then you can use soda,beer or wine cooler bottles to put them on. They are longer and bigger around than human baby bottle nipples. Remember to put them in boiling water for a few minutes before 1st use. This softens them and sterilizes them. Worked well with the lambs and kids I've bottle raised.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), March 26, 2001.

I am using a baby bottle for the baby goat that we have in the house right now. The mom was a first time mom and had twins, this one was way too small and she was ignoring it.

I prefer special lamb nipples that are red with a yellow screw on cap that fits on the plastic pop bottles. They are softer and the babies do better. Unfortunately, I am unable to find them locally. I have never had good luck with the black nipples that fit on pop bottles.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), March 26, 2001.

The Pritchard Teats that Beckie was talking about are nice for small breed goats, and weak kids, but not durable enough to last a long time. They also will gum up for no reason when you put them away from year to year, course it may be just the curse of the Texas Humidity again. Using the lamb nipples from the feed store are fine, and will fit on any soda bottles like Doreen said. But..if you purchase Lambar nipples from Jeffers, Caprine Supply or just about any livestock catalog that has lamb supplies, you will once again roll your eyes that you ever put up with those blasted lamb nipples. Lambar nipples are tough, indistructable, and push right on to the bottle, no flipping it over the top, or collapsing from a big buck nursing it. I know lots of folks who start their infants kids on regular human baby bottles. I like using the Lambar nipples from the beginning, then when we move them to the bucket feeders with the Lambar nipples and tubes, they are already used to them, makes the transition easier. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 26, 2001.

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. I'm Bernice and live in VA, we raise Alpines and have a few chickens and beef cows and soon to get pigs again. As for getting those pritchard nipples, you can order them online from Furney register, his website is http://www.goatsupply.com He has a lot of good goat supplies and is reasonable too. He also has a 800 number too listed on his site. hope this helps.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 26, 2001.

I also much prefer the Pritchards. I NEVER can get a kid to accept the black ones. The Pritchards do gum up after awhile, but I always manage to get through the season with mine and then toss them. I noticed last year that even when new, some are thinner and softer while others are much sturdier. I now pick through the bin at the feed store and buy only the sturdy ones. I kept a few from last year and it looks like they may be usable again this year.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), March 26, 2001.

We've bottle fed dozens of kids with the pritchards nipples (red with yellow screw on cap). They fit just fine on a 16oz plastic pop bottle. Newborns need encouragement for a few days to take the nipple, but after that, no problem.

I would discourage against using a human baby bottle. Goat kids can really suck!

-- Skip in WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), March 26, 2001.

Hi Julie, welcome- I like to start with the lamb nipples on a small bottle (like worsteshire sauce or steak sauce bottle) for the first few days and then switch over to the lambar nipples on a pop bottle. I have had goats in the kitchen in a box for quite a few weeks. This last one really took the cake. She didn't like to "wet" her box and would cry to go outside. I would put her out and she would do her business and then run back up to the door to go in. She had a dry box for over two weeks until I finally couldn't get her to stay in the box anymore and had to put her out in the barn. Have fun!!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 27, 2001.

Hi Julie, I'm new too. We had a diapered goat in the fall when they kidded early with tripes and the mom did not have enough milk--works great on the girls, but tried it with the boys and didn't work as well--he spent his days in the bathroom till it warmed up. I generally get the lamb nipples at the coop, but have tried the black pull ons also--seems different babies like different things.

-- laura (glfarm@hilconet.com), March 28, 2001.