# momma goat who won't feed her kid



## bevsdogs (Jun 3, 2008)

Hi,
I have had 2 goats this season who won't feed their babies. I have ended up bottle feeding the wee ones but I was wondering if this has happened to others? the one would feed the baby buck but not the doeling and the other lost her buck in childbirth and then would not feed the doeling. any suggestions of why? they are nigerian dwarfs. I only have the 2 and they kidded about 6 weeks apart so I didn't mind bottle feeding and the little ones that I have are just the friendliest and I only have my goats for pets anyway , but I was just wondering? Bev


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Welcome, I also have nigerians & this has never happened to me before but I have heard of it just can't remember the reasoning that came with it.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Are they themselves bottle babies or first fresheners? Were the birthings traumatic?


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Bevsdogs are these FFs? Sometimes they dont know what they are suppose to do with those kids.
I have Boers. One mama always rejects the smallest. She has trips. The first yr I bottle fed a doeling, who kidded this yr with twins and was terrific mom. 
2nd yr mama tried to reject smallest. I worked with her for a week...holding her so that little doeling could nurse. It got so that when she saw me coming she would let that little girl nurse.
3rd yr had a buyer who wanted doeling disbudded. Guess where that went? Any excuse to reject...this doeling was the biggest. 
Dont know if this helps but that has been my experience.


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## HilltopDaisy (Feb 26, 2003)

I also have Nigerian Dwarf goats, and the only time I had a doe reject a kid was when I cleaned it off, instead of passing it straight to the doe.


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## hippiehill (Feb 5, 2006)

Both my does wouldn't nurse - nubians. I was told it was probably because they were bottle babies and the previous owners only bottle fed my girls kids. Bottle feeding 5 at once was a real challenge!


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

For feeding multiple kids easily, try the lambar bucket.

Whenever you raise any animal I think you should always be prepared for hand raising any of the offspring, be it goat, cow, horse, or dog... You just don't know when they will refuse them!

I've never had a doe refuse a kid for any reason. I've had some leery FF that didn't like their udder touched at first but their mothering instincts took over with a little urging from me. I take my dairy doe's kids at birth but they all tried to steal their kids back, hehe.


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## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

I have a doe who most always has trips and every year she rejects one. She has a good, full udder so feeding 3 isn't the issue. I think she simply doesn't like the feel of 3 competing for two faucets!


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Moonspinner, thats why I like having four teats on the Boers. More room at the table. The one doe who always rejects a kid has two teats. 
On the other hand the four teated dam takes care of her kids, she usually has trips. 
As for the one Nubian...had trips first time did great. The last two yrs had quads and tho she never rejected, I had to supplement the smaller ones.


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