Courtesy of Danielle Langloism, Wikipedia CCLAdventures in Bottle Feeding
Not enough hands, not enough pockets, and didn’t I used to live in a house instead of a barn? Bottle feeding a baby goat seems like such a fun and touchy-feely way to spend 20 minutes or so. Then add a second baby, and a third. What do you have? Lots of hungry tummies and not enough pockets.
With one doe who isn’t producing much and another who thinks her kid wants to kill her and eat her, it’s an adventure. I’ve become the surrogate mama who also doubles as a jungle gym. I smell like goat milk, have hay in my hair and have given up washing my Carhardtt’s. I live in coveralls and knee high, manure covered farm boots. And it’s fabulous.
Mix up a quart of powdered goat’s milk, add some grocery store goat’s milk for good measure. Now that my powdered milk has arrived, I’ve cut down the prep time by using hot water and adding enough cold milk to reach the right temperature. Fill the bottles, stuff them in overall and coat pockets and head for the barn.
The babies start bawling as soon as they hear or see me. Leaping and bounding across the floor they come. They’ve discovered that they can go under the cow/goat partition and meet me halfway. Jump, bounce, BAAAHHH, where’s my milk? Where’s my human play-toy?
Put the scared mama in the stanchion so someone can nurse on her. I put her in backward (on the floor facing the bench rather than on the bench fencing out) so the babies can reach her. I get the bench. Scoop up a baby, shove it under my arm, stuff a bottle in its mouth if it isn’t already butting me looking for it. Suck, slurp, suck, snuggle. Rest, repeat. Shove the other goats away as they try to snatch the bottle, or my mitten, or nibble my earrings.
Maneuver the bottle so the doe in the stanchion can’t get to it as she’s now decided she likes bottle feeding too. Chase the wethers off who are looking for any little tidbits they can find in my pockets, hair and armpit. Convince the doe in the stanchion that she really doesn’t want to start doing the jitterbug but would really prefer to stand still and get it over with. It’s February and I have baby goats.
