Why are we bottle feeding? It's a long story...but not really. Fleur was a bottle baby herself. Why do people bottle raise? Disease prevention, etc. I won't go any further than that. Because Fleur was a bottle baby, she's clueless when it comes to feeding her own. She's a good baby sitter, that's about all, so I took all 3 of her kids.
Then comes Freedoe's three and I figured I'd be selling 2 of Fleur's and that would mean there was a bottle baby all alone, so que "Chee Doe". So, we have 4 bottle babies and I hate every one of them. I don't hate the goats, I hate the act. 4 bottles a day, milking required, bottle cleaning, crappy bottle babies who love you for nothing more than the bottles you bring. They are cute and cuddly from afar. I am raising them with the herd so at least they are eating hay like normal kids their age and can learn how to be a goat and not a pet dog but the jumping and the nipping and the whining, GOD!
If nothing else, it's a good experience- one I'll not soon repeat- and it'll look good in Rachel's 4-H folder.
3 comments:
Hello! I'm visiting from Dear Home Front. :-)
We are new farmers over here, but we went with cows and not goats. I've got our mama Maybelle and her two daughters and one steer due to be freezerized this winter and for us, bottle feeding is a must! We don't get anything but skim milk, otherwise, and unruly heifers. :-) Our newest girl is about 6 weeks old now and gets three bottles a day. We actually love the bottle feeding, but again, we've got cows.
Anyway, nice to meet you and I'll keep visiting!
I wish I got notification when someone posts a comment. I rarely go to check comments and so I always end up replying so late. I'll have to check into that. At any rate, cows are totally different when it comes to bottle raising. The thing with bottle feeding goats, well, I could go on and on on this comment but I won't as to why people do and as to why we won't, not 100% anyway. I don't honestly think differently of people who do (I may joke that it's crazy but I really don't mean it). I understand the reasons. However, our lifestyle does not fit in with the schedule nor do I think it's the best for our animals. I can totally understand bottle feeding calves...a 1200 lb. cow being unruly during milking time is a lot different than a 125+ lb. goat. BUT, and this is a HUGE BUT, the way in which we raise our goats does not make for unruly milkers, at all though I am sure that would just be a horse of a different color with an animal that weighed 6+ times as much.
Our first heifer stayed with her mama till she was three months old, and we only pulled her off because our Maybelle was holding back her milk for her calf, and what she was holding back was mostly cream. She was also more nervous when we did pull her, but that was because she could hide behind her mama and she didn't have to deal with us. :-) Good milkers, I think, just need lots and lots of human contact and, truthfully, I think that same heifer is going to be an awesome milk cow. She's quiet and steady and patient, and we've worked with her a lot already as far as what will be expected of her when her time comes. (Next spring!)
We pulled our newest heifer off in the first 24 hours, quicker than I had planned, but her mama was having some problems with edema and she was kicking the calf off because of the pain. So, I took the brunt of Maybelle's angst - and that was some milking adventure - and bottle fed the calf, which has turned out to be better for us than I anticipated. I've been milking this same cow for a year and a half now and this is the first time she's let down so easily. The milk is flowing as soon as she steps into place! (Did I mention that I own a stubborn cow? Wouldn't have her any other way, though. :-) )
Our Molly Moo is happy and healthy and doesn't care at all where her milk comes from, as long as it keeps coming. She does drink her mama's milk, too. I can't see buying her an inferior replacement when we've got such a great food for her right here.
Just so you know, I'm not judging you. :-) We try, we make mistakes, we learn, we adjust, and we try again. Some things have to be done (like dehorning) and some things we might get to choose just to make our lives easier (like bottle feeding - or not). It's okay. Do what you've got to do. Live in peace. :-)
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