Baby "Star"...

There are three little does in the last set of kids born, "Scout", "Socks" and "Star" (on the far right). Their mother is "Goldie," a first time mother. She is doing well but we have encountered a common problem with first time mothers and animals in general. "Goldie" has decided to do some "culling" of her own and is not taking care of "Star" as well as she is taking care of the other two little does. We have been lucky this hasn't happened before now (knock on wood). "Goldie" will let "Star" nurse if the other two are nursing but otherwise will butt, wiggle and hop out of the way of little "Star" whenever she comes looking for a snack.

I think there are a couple of reasons this has happened. One, three kids are a lot for any mother but especially a first time mother. Two, on one of "Star's" outings she fell in the chickens' water and no longer smells like she used to.

While on Spring Break, I decided to help "Star" out a little. So, now I am "Star's" new best friend because three times a day I bring her joy and happiness in the form of a bottle. Luckily I had made some preparations if the day would ever come that I needed to bottle feed or supplement a kid.

My preparations started last year when "Sadie" had a single kid. After reading about "floppy kid syndrome" (a metabolic/bacterial imbalance that is caused from the kid getting too much milk) and noticing that "Curly" preferred one teat over another I decided it would be best to milk "Sadie" so "Curly" wouldn't eat too much and get sick and "Sadie" wouldn't ruin her udder. I had read some where that another goat breeder froze milk in plastic pop bottles since the preferred nipples would either screw on or fit right on the bottle. I'll be the first to admit I drink too much pop but now I had a new found purpose for my "addiction" and started drinking pop from plastic bottles.

I then set out measuring and marking 12 oz pop bottles with the important information: doe name, date, amount and "day" (after birthing that the milk is collected). Now I have a nice little "stockpile" of milk to use as needed. Everything I have read says the milk is good for 2 years.



For premature kids and newborns, most breeders will tell you they prefer the "Prichard nipple" (red nipple). Since "Star" is older and nurses off her mother too, the gray "lamb nipple" works well. To be prepared we have both.

Since I am just supplementing "Star" I am using milk I froze last year and using the later "day" milk. In other words the milk with the least amount of colostrum (the all important antibody-rich "first milk") in it. I will save the "first milk" for an emergency. I started feeding "Star" about 4 oz of milk 3 times a day and I have now progressed her up to about 6 oz. Over the next couple days I am going to start giving her milk replacer mixed with real milk so I can save the "good stuff" for a real emergency. I am also hoping to work "Star" up to two feedings a day since I go back to work next week. That schedule should work out fine since "Star" and her sisters are starting to eat grain and hay now too.