After the birth of a new animal, you become increasingly aware of the knowledge you are lacking to help it grow and have a great beginning to its new life. Baby goats are called kids and bring a lot of joy and energy to a farm. Baby goats will also need to be exposed to other foods like hay, grain, and water within their first couple of months of life.
Baby goats can start drinking water as early as 30 days after birth or sooner. It is recommended that baby goats are fed milk for the first 6 to 8 weeks of life but freshwater can be made available to the baby goat from the beginning so that when it is ready, it may drink it.
To fully understand when and how often a baby goat should drink water we can discuss a baby goat’s diet as well as how to help it in its diet transition as it grows older. There are also a variety of other ways we can discuss in order to better care for baby goats and help them to grow and get used to adult life. Baby goats will start jumping and hopping after only a week of life and most commonly arrive with a sibling who they play around with. It is incredibly important to understand the best way to take care of them and help them to grow and create a healthy foundation for their future.
A Baby Goats Diet
As mentioned previously, baby goat’s main source of nutrients for the first 6 to 8 weeks of life is their mother’s milk or bottle-fed milk. It is essential that they have this as it gives them the needed nutrition and helps to strengthen their immune systems from an early age.
As a matter of fact, if at all possible, baby goats should drink their mother’s milk for at least a couple of days before being bottle-fed, or throughout the entire 6 to 8 weeks. A mother’s milk is specifically designed for the needs of its kid and will be most beneficial to the goat. It contains colostrum, which is sometimes described as a ‘pre-milk’ and is full of antibodies and nutrients. The first few days of nursing will provide this to the baby goat.
Even though this will be their main source of food for the first 6 weeks of life, it is important to start introducing other foods early on to aid in the eventual transition. This can begin with clear clean water and a little hay and grain. If the goat is in the same pen as its mother, this should be a little easier as you fed and water the mother goat and it will watch its mother eat and try it as well.
Even if it is not with its mother though, it will be helpful to have hay and clean water available so that when it decides to be curious it will be there for it to try it. If it drinks the water and the hay earlier on, that is totally fine, just ensure that it is getting mainly milk for the first 6 to 8 weeks of life.
Weaning a Baby Goat
Eventually, the goat will no longer drink its mother’s milk at all and will completely rely on water, grain, and hay for its nutrition. This happens through a process called weaning. Gradually there diet shifts, which is why the introduction of hay and water from an early age is important. In order to wean a baby goat, you would gradually quit giving it bottles of milk, less and less each day until it no longer needs them. Oftentimes, mother goats will wean their kids, and if needed you may need to aid in the process by separating them occasionally.
A goat can be weaned after 6 to 8 weeks, or when it is about 30 pounds in weight. Once it reaches both of these thresholds it should be able to maintain a healthy immune system through the transition, and if needed you can also give the goat extra probiotics during this time to help its body acclimate to solid foods.
Once the baby goat is weaned its diet should consist of about 80% hay, 15% pasture weeds or grass, and 5% grain. Ensure that they also have water freely available to them at all times and is clean and fresh and that they are not given grain in excess as it will be hard on the goat’s diet.
Other Ways to Care for Baby Goats
You may also find that there are other common procedures you can follow to help care for a baby goat or kid. Some of these include de-horning a baby goat, getting it vaccinated, and providing it any additional medical needs. Goats are also very social animals and will enjoy exposure to other goats including its siblings and mother after it has been weaned. Allowing the goat to have others with it in the pasture or pen will be helpful to its health.
Provide them with a clean and dry space as well as a clean pasture for it to play in. These suggestions and giving your kid the right feed and water will be a great overall help. It is recommended that goats are each given 10 square feet of space in a shelter, to ensure they are not too crowded with other goats.
Right after the birth of the goat, it is also important to allow it time to bond with its mother and give it time to learn how to nurse. Baby goats should start nursing within the first 2 hours of their birth. You can also clean off the umbilical cord and ensure it is not longer than 4 inches. If it is, you can cut it off to about 4 inches with sterile scissors and clean it off with iodine. Ensure the baby gets colostrum, either from its mother or through a colostrum replacer.
Baby goats provide such a fun farm adventure and allow you to foster life. If you need any help as you provide and care for the baby goat be sure to reach out to the local veterinarian and they should be able to help you find the best way to care for the baby.