We feed babies fresh goat milk. When buying a bottle baby, switching from goats milk straight to whole cow milk from your store results in ZERO problems and is our recommendation if you do not have access to goat milk. We DO NOT recommend the use of milk replacer and diarrhea is likely to occur followed by dehydration if not quickly addressed. Replacers contain soy and soy by products that are very hard for babies to digest. ​
 

• We like to use a 12 oz soda bottle with a Pritchard lamb/ kid nipple. They are the perfect size for a Nigerian and help ensure we don’t feed over 12 oz of milk per feeding

• First 24 hrs- babies get only colostrum from their dam.

• Birth to 2 weeks- 5 to 6 feedings of 2 to 6 oz based on the demand of the kid without overfeeding. If baby’s belly is full.. stop feeding.

• 3 to 5 weeks- 4 feedings of 6 to 10 oz. Free choice 16% grower with rumensin for coccidia prevention, hay and water are kept available at all times.

• 6 to 8 weeks- 3 feedings of 10 to 12 oz. Never go over 12 oz per feeding for a Nigerian goat.

• 8 to 10 weeks- At 8 weeks old I begin cutting the midday bottle down to 6 oz and feed half a bottle for about 4 to 7 days. At 9 weeks old I cut the midday bottle out. At this stage kids should be getting the majority of their nutrition from grain, browse and hay. Some farms will wean kids at this age from a bottle and that is completely acceptable. Do so SLOWLY by gradually reducing the quantity of the milk and the number of feedings. Babies get extremely stressed at weaning time and this is the perfect situation for coccidia to show its ugly face.

• 10 to 12 weeks old- 12 oz feedings 1 to 2 times a day. Again.. We slowly reduce the quantity of the afternoon bottle for a few days and then reduce the AM bottle. Kids at this point should weigh 25 to 30lbs and have a great start to life. CONGRATULATIONS!!! NO MORE BOTTLES!!!