Proper Care for Goat Kids

It seems like the popularity of goats just keeps growing, and it is becoming a large part of my business here in Milo. I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about getting your kids off to the best start possible.

To start with, colostrum, which is the first milk a doe produces, is one of the most important meals a kid can receive. You can bottle feed colostrum replacer if you don’t think a kid got enough from the doe. This needs to be fed within the first 18 hours of being born. In that time, they need to consume 10% of their body weight in colostrum or about 6.5 oz for a 4lb kid.

After the first day you can switch from colostrum to bottle feeding milk replacer. Kids need to be kept on a proper schedule and restrict their intake. Overeating can lead to bloat, or death caused by “overeating disease,” which is an imbalance in the digestive tract. Kids can be aggressive eaters and it is tempting to give them more than they should have.

By the time a kid is 2 weeks old they will start consuming hay or pasture. This intake of fiber stimulates development in the rumen. This development is critical for future digestive health and function. Shortly after this is when they can begin to be offered a pelleted creep. By 6 weeks they can be weaned and on a full creep ration.

Contact Smith Fertilizer and Grain for all your goat needs. We have colostrum and goat specific milk replacer. We also have pelleted creep feed and bagged or bulk grower rations.