Sometimes a newborn goat’s mother die after giving birth of kids or she might unable to take care of her newborn babies. In such situation, you have to act quickly for saving the life of those abandoned kids.
An abandoned newborn goat care involves a lot of work for a few weeks. But if the kid is healthy, then you will have a good chance of success. Newborn goat kids need a draft free and warm environment.
You can keep the kids inside the house for a few days, so that they can get required warm environment. Bottle feeding system is ideal for this type of abandoned newborn goat kids. We are describing more about abandoned newborn goat care below.
Colostrum
Colostrum is very important for newborn kids. A newborn kid must receive colostrum within it’s first 24 hours after birth. Colostrum is life saving and full of protective antibodies.
A newborn kid may become sick, weak or suffer by various types of diseases, if it was not able to suckle off it’s mom at all (especially within first 24 hours after their birth).
If you are unable to feed the babies colostrum from their mom, then you can substitute bovine colostrum. Usually it’s available at any farm supply stores.
Feed the baby colostrum several times, during their first 24 hours. After that, gradually decrease feeding times.
Foster Mom
If you have other nursing does with kids, then you can try nursing the newborn baby by those does. Keep the baby to a foster mom, after ensuring that it consumes colostrum.
You can persuade a nursing doe with kids to take care of another baby. She will accept the baby if she is a good mom. But not all the moms are good mom.
Most of them will not accept a new baby for nursing. In such cases, you can fool the doe into thinking the abandoned newborn baby is her own baby.
Don gloves and rub the placenta of her kid to all over the abandoned kid, if she has just kidded.
She will accept the new baby and allow nursing, if the abandoned kid smells just like her own. But if there is no placenta available, then you have to fool her through other techniques.
You can place a menthol nasal product on all of the kid’s abdomens, heads, tails and in the doe’s nose.
This is a good way to fool the nursing doe. But if you have a good mom, then you are lucky! You don’t have to do anything like this. Just keep the abandoned kid to her and she will take care of the baby.
Goat Milk Replacer
You have to bottle feed the kid, if there is no nursing doe with kids available in your herd. Feed the kids milk replacer. This type of milk replacer must have to designed specifically for caprines.
You will find goat milk replacer at your nearest farm supply stores. Read the product specifications first and then mix a fresh batch daily. Bottle feed the milk replacer (a half cup to three quarters of a cup) for four times a day, for first three days.
Increase the amount of milk replacer to 1 cup to 1.25 cups, from the fourth day to the second week. During fourth day to the second week, feed the kids three times daily. After that, feed the kid 2 cups to 2.25 cups replacer twice daily, from their 2 weeks to 6 weeks of age.
Increase the amount of replacer to 2.5 to 3 cups, and feed them twice daily, from their 6 to 8 weeks of age. After their 8 weeks of age, most of the kids reach minimum 20 pounds of weight and have weaned.
Worm the kid just before it is finally weaned. Never forget to mix the goat milk replacer with clean and fresh water.
Starting Other Foods
You can offer small amount of grass, fresh hay or leaves to the kids, after their first week of life. If you offer them hay, then it must have to be fresh and good smelling. You can introduce the kid to a starter feed, after their 10 days of age.
This type of starter feed should contain 18 to 20 percent of protein. At the age of 4 weeks, the kids can start sampling pasture. Allow the kids to pasture, if the weather is good.
Never allow them to pasture during heavy rain or excessive cold weather. Always ensure fresh and clean water supply for the kids.
These are the step by step process of raising an abandoned goat kid. Always try to take good care of the baby, if you want to have a healthy and productive goat. Also see newborn goats nursing & raising orphan goats.
