Goat Colostrum: Baby Goats Need It

Five Keys to Baby Goat Colostrum Success

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Goat Colostrum: Baby Goats Need It

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Healthy baby goats are filled with personality. From playing and jumping to kicking up their hooves, they bring fun and laughter to your farm. This entertainment hinges on their first feeding. Goat colostrum, the first milk a doe produces after she gives birth, is key to giving baby goats a strong, healthy start. Since baby goats are born without immunity, colostrum helps provide immune protection until their immune system is fully functional. It provides important antibodies the doe is unable to pass on during pregnancy.

“The body of a newborn kid is uniquely suited to absorb these antibodies into the bloodstream via the intestines — but only in the first 24 hours of life. Absorption of these critical antibodies helps set the stage for a healthy, playful life,” says Julian (Skip) Olson, DVM.

Here are five keys to colostrum success:

1. Test Does Before Kidding

Before kidding season, make sure to test your does for diseases that can be transmitted by goat colostrum. Work with your veterinarian for testing.

“It’s important to know if any does in your herd have caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) or Johne’s disease,” says Olson. “Testing for these diseases before the kidding season can help ensure you don’t spread the disease throughout your herd.”

2. You Have a Role in Goat Colostrum Delivery

A doe’s colostrum provides the best nutritional start for her newborn kid because it contains antibodies specific to your herd and environment. Timing is everything when it comes to providing colostrum to newborn goat kids.

As time ticks by following birth, so does the antibody concentration in doe’s colostrum.

Baby goats should begin to nurse naturally within hours of birth. If they don’t nurse within 4 hours or receive an adequate amount of colostrum, you’ll need to step in by bottle feeding colostrum milked from the doe or a colostrum replacer if the doe is unable to produce any and you don’t have any frozen on hand.

3. A Lack of Colostrum is an Emergency

Failure to receive maternal colostrum is an emergency. You need to be prepared by having bottles, and nipples on hand during the kidding season. Be prepared to milk the doe if needed. If you’re unable to milk the doe due to maternal death, lack of production, or some other reason, a colostrum replacer can work.

“A baby goat’s body is best equipped to absorb colostrum within the first 4 hours of life,” says Olson.

4. How Much Colostrum Does a Newborn Goat Need?

Most pregnancies result in twins, but a goat can have anywhere from one to five kids per pregnancy. A healthy newborn baby goat will likely weigh between 8-11 pounds at birth.

You’ll want to let them take as much milked colostrum as they want at each feeding and make sure it’s warmed to at a baby goat’s body temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. If feeding a colostrum replacer, follow the directions on the package.

If you’re unable to obtain colostrum from the doe and have none frozen from the previous season and must use colostrum replacer, remember to:

  • Refrigerate unused colostrum replacer solution promptly after mixing
  • Reheat gently over warm water and mix thoroughly before feeding
  • Do not microwave or freeze the solution
  • Discard any unused refrigerated colostrum replacer solution after 24 hours

5. Transition to Milk

After the first 24 hours, if your baby goat is still not nursing properly, you can transition to milk from your goats, whole cows milk from the store, or replacer. If you decide to go with a replacer, choose one formulated for goat kids and follow package directions exactly.

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