Hobbies And Interests

Organic Milk Replacement for Goats

If you are raising dairy goats and want to get milk from them, you need a doe (female) goat that is about to or has recently given birth to a kid. The drawback to getting a gallon or so per day of goat's milk is that you cannot allow the kid goat to feed naturally. If you want to consume that milk, you don't want the germs and bacteria from a kid's mouth anywhere near the teat. You need to use an organic milk replacement to provide the baby goat with a food supply.
  1. Advantage of Organic Milk Replacement

    • Some manufactured milk replacement products have high levels of starch and soybean additives, and low levels of the fats kids need to be healthy. Organic milk replacement is actually made from organic materials and not chemical substitutes for milk. The organic milk is sometimes made from actual goat's milk or in some cases, cow's milk.

    Antibodies

    • The milk from a mother goat contains a natural antibiotic called colostrum, which can help boost the kids' immune system and protect them for the first eight to 10 weeks of life. A good organic milk replacement will contain either colostrum or a suitable substitute for it. Young goats are susceptible to diseases like "scours," which causes diarrhea, dehydration and ultimately, death. If you are using a chemically manufactured milk replacement, you will have to add an antibiotic for the prevention of these diseases. One option is to milk your doe the day she gives birth and for a few days thereafter, and save the colostrum for use later. You will recognize the colostrum because it will be thicker than the milk. Colostrum can be frozen, but heating it to thaw it will kill the antibodies.

    Milk Replacement Equipment

    • A clean plastic five-gallon bucket can be used as a feeder. Simply drill three or four 12mm holes around the base of the bucket. Insert a feeding "teat" into each of the holes from the inside of the bucket. Another option is what is known as the Esky system. The replacement milk is poured into two buckets, and a plastic tub is run from the buckets to a teat bar where the kids feed. The drawback is that with both options, the milk replacement must be refrigerated when feeding time is over. Moreover, with the Esky system the tubes must be washed and sanitized every two days. If the weather gets very hot in your area, the milk replacement may curdle.

    The Kid's Digestive System

    • A kid's digestive system is different from that of fully grown goats. Goats have four stomachs. The rumen and reticulum handle the solid foods for the grown goats and are not fully developed in a kid. The kid's stomach works in the reverse of the adult's, as it uses the omasum and abomasums, which digest their liquid diet. A kid is not able to digest solid food until its rumen develops.


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