# how much should I be feeding my baby goat?



## goat newbee (Feb 15, 2009)

It's a month old nigerian dwarf. Giving him vitamin d milk. He weights 5 pounds. Just want to get some opinions on how much and how often. Thanks.


----------



## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

At that age it should be a 8 oz bottle 3x a day. Is it eating hay and grain? When I had mine and was bottle feeding the most they got up to was 10 oz 2x day. Try it on 8 oz and see how much it will drink and offer hay and a little alfalfa pellets or hay. The most feed and hay they eat the less they will drink.


----------



## Goat-Link (Mar 4, 2009)

I have an article on bottle feeding baby goats on my website- here is a feeding schedule from which to start - feed according to your situation but this will help you:

*Guideline for Bottle Baby Dairy Goat Feeding Schedule*
Pygmy and Nigerian Goat Baby Amounts in []:

* * Day one- 2-4oz. [1-3] (per feeding) colostrum, every 2-3 hours.
* * Day two- 3 oz. [2-3] (per feeding) whole milk, 6 times a day
* * Day three- 4 oz.[3] (per feeding) whole milk, 6 times a day
* * Day four- 6oz. [4-5] (per feeding) whole milk, 5-6 times a day.
* * For the next 2 weeks-6-8oz.[4-6] (per feeding) whole milk,5 times a day.
* * For the next 2 months-10-12 oz.[6-8] (per feeding)whole milk, 4-5 times a day.
* * For the next 1 month or 6 weeks-10-12 oz. [6-8] (per feeding)whole milk, 3 times a day.
* * 10-12 oz. [8-10] (per feeding) once a day for the next 2 months.

Feeding Baby Goats Grain or Goat Feed
Remember that concentrated feeds such as sweet feed, COB, goat chow, or any pelleted concentrated feed is difficult for a baby goat to digest because the rumen is not yet fully developed and will not be fully functional for the first 6 months of life. If you must feed grain or sweet feed below is a chart to use as reference but must be adjusted accordingly. If you baby goats begin to have scours - cut back. Personally I feed my baby goats their bottles or allow them to be dam raised until weaned which is usually around 4-6 months of age and they are offered and eat fresh high quality hay, which they will begin to pick and chew sometimes as early as a few days old. This picking at and chewing the hay begins to develop the rumen for future digestion. Adding too much sweet feed or concentrated feed such as pellets or goat chow can throw a baby goat into digestive upset. There is a chart on the same web page- (a 5 lb kid should eat no more than 1/2ounce per day of grain or concentrated feed)


----------

