# Getting a baby goat to eat hay and grain



## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

Peachy has NO interest in hay or grain at all. Just milk. She's 4.5 weeks old and I'm a little concerned that she won't even try it since i think it would help her loose poops. She has plenty of interest in chewing EVERYTHING that isn't edible. Was outside today standing next to the hay feeder but chewing on the cattle panel, plastic bucket, tarps, ect :stars:


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## ajneal30 (Dec 19, 2013)

My bottle babies just started showing interest at that age. They are now six weeks old and even with me reducing their milk, they are still plump and healthy. I just started giving their morning bottle an hour or so late, they got hungry enough to try the hay. Then they got a taste of the grain and loved that.


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## Clovers_Clan (Jul 17, 2012)

Is she being bottle raised? Maybe needs a goat mentor?


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

I will be getting her a kid buddy her own age this weekend but from the same breeder that fed them 3 big bottles a day so don't know how much that will help encouragement wise. I've cut it down to 2 in the hopes of getting her to nibble on edible stuff.

Toast will be back around the 12th. She's a serial baby stealer though and convinced two 4 month old bottle raised kids and even a yearling to nurse on her so she may or may not be a good example. Lol

Do you think a familiar smell in the bucket might help? I could mix a little of her formula powder in there. Don't have much other use for that stuff.


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## Frosted Mini's (Nov 29, 2012)

I think she'll get it eventually, especially with a buddy, they learn things from each other. Is she on just milk now, or still milk with replacer? Has she had cocci treatment yet?


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

I still put a tiny bit of replacer in there. I have it down to less than 1 ounce but when I took it away completely she wouldn't take a bottle for 2 days and stopped going potty. I think she likes the taste (I can vouch that it does in fact taste good, I licked my finger out of habit when some spilled on me, lol) 

She pooped in the bathtub today when I was wiping her back end off before putting her to bed. Her poops are solid now but not regualr goat berry solid...more like overripe peas.

Will pick up some cocci meds when in IF. Checked the local feedstore and they will only sell it in bulk for the amount of a small car payment since it's the huge cattle ranchers that usually buy it.

I have a question about that...if one is say highly allergic to sulfa antibiotic drugs, should one avoid using sulfadimethox or whatever the sulfa one is on their goats?


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## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

I would definitely make sure you don't breathe in or touch the sulfa if you are allergic. There are othet meds you can safely use.


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## Frosted Mini's (Nov 29, 2012)

Maybe you should try corid instead. Or, what I use on the bottle kids is Deccox-M, active ingredient is Decoquinate, and I order online. It is a tsp a day in their bottle, and I start around a week old. But yeah, I probably would try to avoid sulfa's if possible if you're allergic. They do get rid of cocci the best though if you have an actual outbreak of it, so still good to have on hand "just in case", and then just handle super carefully. Goats hate both the Di-methox (sulfa) and the corid, so hiding it in a bottle that you know they will drink the entire thing down (so maybe a slightly lower amount than usual meal) might be helpful.

I love the SMELL of milk replacers (I've used for lambs)! They have a sweet smell. She's probably addicted to them. LOL


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

I know I saw Corid in those gallon bottles at CAL ranch so that's what I had in mind.

I picked up some rolled barley the other day and have been putting a little bit in her mouth before she gets a bottle. She isn't pleased and sputters it everywhere :lookout: but didn't resist as much last night. Still prefers to chew on plastic and cardboard though. She likes plastic baby keys so that's kind of cute.

She headbutted my brother-in-law between the legs yesterday trying to get him to feed her. I contained my laughter :teehee:


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Cut out a feeding or reduce the feedings and see what she does. When they are getting all they need from rich milk, why eat the grain/hay?


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

She was on three 16 oz bottles a day and I have her on two 12 oz ones


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## KathleenElsie (Sep 28, 2013)

LOL would you give up milk shakes for water?


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## Buckhuntr (Oct 4, 2012)

I noticed one of our kids nibbling at a piece p hay this evening, at 5 days old. :huh:


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I bet with dropping her to 2 bottles a day & a Buddy to show her what to do that may do the trick. I think bottle babies just take a little longer to figure it out when they don't have a mamma to show them the way.


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## lovinglife (Jul 31, 2013)

My two week old kids who were out with Mamma, were chewing their cuds. When I have bottle babies I usually put them with the herd at a month or so, they still come for the bottle but they learn how to be a goat from the herd. Of course I have a very small herd and they all did great.


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

My two older does are on a month long date and will be back around the 12th. Toast loves babies but Cocoa will beat them to death. The gate to the backyard is also frozen open (I'm pregnant...having to break ice to get it open with a sledgehammer 2x a day was no fun) and I'm pretty sure they can still squeeze through the cattle panel pen the big girls live in. So no unsupervised trips out there until they're bigger and Cocoa is moved.

She does chew her cud...not sure how an exclusive milk diet ends up as cud though. Lol Hopefully it isn't one of the random plastic bags or pieces of cardboard she has managed to swallow. She's been chewing a cud since she came home though. I have seen her mouth the straw, but not eat it, so I know she'll decide to eat something eventually. But a pound of feed is cheaper than a pound of milk so I would prefer that she decides to eat solids sooner rather than later. She has started to get a little thinner since I got her about 2 weeks ago


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

Hmmm...she just stole a marshmellow and now wants more marshmellows. Don't really plan to give her many of those though! But I did give her a taste of some cereal to see if she has a sweet tooth. Yep she does. She will only take it from my fingers though, not from my flat palm or a dish. She dosen't like molasses, I already tried letting her suck some off my finger and she wouldn't come near me again that night. Lol.

Maybe if I can convince her to take some from my palm I can eventually get her to eat it out of a dish and then mix in some feed...kind of wondering if she might prefer a pellet now though. Someone mentioned kid pellets being sweet? I might pick some up when I get her little friend.


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## punchiepal (Oct 11, 2008)

If you have the small stuff that falls out of your hay scoop up some of that and put it in with her. Most goats HAVE to investigate everything via their mouth so she may get some.


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