Cougar Meadows Nigerian Dwarf Farm Blog

Babysitting our Baby Goats

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:11:49 GMT

I bet you have lots of questions!

Here are some frequently asked questions.

Multiples?

They are herd animals so do much better in 2’s and 3’s. So we can set you up with two or three to go home.

What do they eat?

They are still on bottles. We will provide a bottle for each baby goat that needs to be rinsed out after each use and sanitized (run through the dishwasher) every day. They are also starting to eat grain and hay. We’ll provide both grain and hay for you to put out for them to graze if you provide the milk. Just store bought whole cows milk. Depending on the age of the goats you bring home they are drinking 2 to 3 16oz bottles a day.

How do I feed them?

When you prepare their bottles the milk needs to be warmed up so it’s not refrigerator cold. These babies are older and hardier so they don’t need the milk too warm just not cold. It’s fine to microwave the milk in the bottles or heat it up on the stove in a pot. Just make sure there are no hot spots. The microwave will heat the top but not the bottom so I gently shake the bottle around afterwards.

Where do they sleep?

We’ll bring a large dog crate for them to sleep in. You can put them inside or outside as long as it’s out of the wind and rain. You can also put them in a laundry room or bathroom so you can turn the lights out and close the door when it’s night time.

Are they noisy?

Yes, they can be. Bottle babies will squawk and cry when they are hungry. If they see you coming with a bottle they will start making lots of excited noises. But most of the time they don't make any noise.

Can they run around the house?

Yes, absolutely. We play with ours in the house where we have hardwood floors and can clean up. I also keep a close eye on them and when they stop and start squatting I run them outside or be ready to clean up real quick. Some people put baby diapers on them to avoid messes all together. I’ve never done that.

Can I put them in my yard?

Make sure you have a secured area. Goats are very tiny and can squeeze through most fences. Test this out to make sure they can be contained. Small dog or baby fencing works great to secure a smaller area within your yard for them.

Planned Additions in 2024

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 20:30:54 GMT

Here are the details of our planned additions for next year

Some of these we have been on the waiting list for 3 years and have been working our way up to the top of the list. Out of these 8 reservations we are 1st on 2 and 2nd on 1. So we will hopefully take home 2-3 new doelings to add to the genetics of our herd.

Springwater Dairy Goats

We have been on Nancy's reservation list for these same goats for 3 years and have worked our way up to the top of the lists. So hopefully we will be able to take home at least one doeling this year.

SG Springwater AL Apricot Nectar

# 1 on the Reservation list, Ultrasound showed 3

Due March 19th - $1,800

2019: 2-05 VVEE 88

DHIA Milk Record

1st Freshening at 1yr 1mo, Days in Milk 276, Pounds of Milk 2036

Sire: Springwater Noctrnal Emissions

Live coverage

SGCH FMG DB&R Easy As Pie 3*M

# 4 on the Reservation list

kid price $1,800

Elite Doe - 2019: 4-04 VEEE 90
2018 Breed Leader #2 BF & #5 Protein
2019 ADGA Total Performer, High 305 day production and butterfat

2020 ADGA Breed Leader in Butterfat and Protine

SGCH Springwater BL J anie's GotAGun AKA "Frosty"

# 6 on the reservation list for Frosty

kid price $2,800

Due: May 13, 2023

2019: 1-08 VVVE 88

Hanson's Hideaway

GCH Almond Joy 2*M VEEV 89

4th on the list

1,100lb+ milker

High Butterfat Producer

Bred 11/09

Due 04/03

$1,000

GCH Hansons Hideaway BV Candy 4*M

3rd on the list

Finished Grand Champion as a 2 year old First Freshener

2nd Freshening

Bred 11/18

Due 04/12

$1,000

Highland Ranch Dairy Goats

This will be our 3rd year on reservations for these girls.

Last year we added a grand doeling out of Idaho that we adore but decided to stay on her waitlist for this year as well.

GCH Almar Acres RK Idaho Girl 3*M VEEE91

Sired by: HetlandCreek ZZ Shooting Star *B

1st reservation

$950

CH Highland Ranch AD Rein E Day EEVE89

Sired by: HetlandCreek ZZ Shooting Star *B

2nd Doe Resrvation

$1,150

Prep List for your New Baby Goats

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:55:55 GMT

Checklist for your new Goats

Preparation for your new baby goats.

Enclosure - Fencing. Baby goats can squeeze through tiny spaces so make sure your fence has small openings, tight to the ground, and gates have minimal gaps.
Housing - Shelter can be a variety of things, dog house, shed, lean-to, barn, etc. Just insure they are out of the wind and rain and have dry bedding. Bedding can be straw, hay, or wood chips/shavings. If you are in a high preditor area make sure your fences are high or you can lock them in at night.
Wheel barrel, shovel pitchfork - And a plan for how and when you will clean out their soiled bedding, where to compost it.
Hoof trimmers - We will train you on trimming hoofs.
Wonder Dust - Wound and blood stop powder good for any kind of injury. Keep it with your hoof timmers in case you clip too far.
Rectal Thermometer - The first thing to check when you think your baby goat is sick. We just use dollar store oral thermometers and keep them with a stack of disposable gloves. Then insert it in a finger of the glove to use so it will keep clean.
Goat Nutri-drench - for emergencies, lots of vitamins and minerals to help recover from illness.
Collars - Use break away collars if you are going to leave them on all the time. Goats have a way of getting caught up on things or each other.
Leashes - Leash training them early will be very helpful in the long run.
Scale - To weight them when they are babies to insure they are gaining weight and growing. If you have one already you can just use a kitchen scale while they are little.
Vitamin boosters - North 40 has a huge selection an entire aisle long. I pick them up in paste tube form. I’m not loyal to a particular brand. The ones I like to have on hand - Selenium and Vitamin E Gel - Vitamin A-D-E-B12 -
Diatomaceous Earth - Every time we clean bedding I like to put down a layer of this as well as dust them with it occasionally. We have deer and field mice and other critters that can bring fleas or lice around and keeping a clean area with regular dusting of DE can limit them sticking around.

Feeding

Food and Water dishes - As babies do not use water buckets as they could fall into them. Use shallow bowls like dog dishes for water and goat grower

Bottles - This wide mouth bottle that attaches to the pritchard teat is my favorite. https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/wide-mouth-lamb-n-kid-feeding-bottle?p1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzLCVBhD3ARIsAPKYTcS3rUa0Z-awYvi9IUHXUw5UCymKUvYjxyoAPa1UiyfzXSE6IJ0BTP8aAss0EALw_wcB I like it because you can easily wash the entire bottle because of the wide mouth. It is also easy to fill up because of the wide mouth, vs using a funnel to fill bottles multiple times a day. The bottle is only sold at Premier 1 online which in general has the best livestock supplies. The pritchard teat is sold at most all livestock stores, Tractor Supply and North 40. (Just the yellow narrow cap and red teat) and you can buy the narrow neck bottles to go with it there or even use disposable soda or water bottles. The only thing I warn is that the bottles are VERY clean. Bacteria can build up and cause bloat or sickness. We scrub our bottles by hand and then put them in the dishwasher under sanitize. The bottles I mention above are dishwasher safe, the only thing that I will say is that the branding and ink measurements on the outside will start to wear off with constant dishwasher use but they do have the oz measurements embossed on the bottle as well so even if all the lettering washes off you will still be able to see it.

Thermometer - to test the temp of the milk. I just use an old school meat or candy Thermometer with the probe to stick in the bottle and check the temp.

Hay - Alfalfa, Timmothy or Orchard Hay. Even when they are still on the bottle leave out hay for them to start to nibble on. This will help develop their rumen.

Purina Goat Grower - You can find this at Tractor Supply. North 40 does not stock it. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-noble-goat-grower-16-medicated-goat-feed-50-lb

Loose minerals - We like Manna Pro but there are lots of good brands. Initially most of the minerals will be provided in the medicated goat grower.

Getting your first Goats

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 06:50:27 GMT

How to pick the perfect goat for your family.

Doe, buck or wether?

The first decision to make is the gender for your new goat family. Does are female goats, when they are babies we usually call them doelings. Bucks are male goats that are intact for the purpose of breeding. Wethers are fixed male goats and make excellent pets as well as buck or doe companions.

Goats are a herd animal and must be homed with another goat. To make the new transition seamless and stress free it's best to buy baby goats in twos that are raised together.

2 Wethers (fixed boy goats)

This is the perfect option if you know you want little goat pets but, aren't quite sure about milking and breeding and all that goes into managing does.

Most people start out with wethers which are fixed bucks. They are incredibly friendly and don't have the buck hormones so they won't stink or have buck antics. Often they can be even more friendly than does since the girls have the important job of breeding, gestating, kidding, raising babies and milking so they tend to be more hierarchy and food focused while wethers are left to be care free little love bugs.

Wethers are also extremely affordable. Our wethers are only $150 while the doelings start at $450 and run upwards from there. So bringing home two wethers can be a really cost effective start to your goat family. You can always add doelings to your herd after you and the boys are settled in.

2 Doelings or a Doeling and a Wether

Are you looking forward to healthy fresh goats milk? If your goal is to one day have fresh goats milk to make cheese and soap then starting with a doeling might be a good option. Remember she will need a goat companion because they are herd animals. So you'll need to take your doeling home with either another doeling or a wether.

When you do start milking your goat you'll find that sanitizing your equipment and cleaning up takes the same time for two goats as it does for one. So it's a nice use of your time and the volume of milk you'll get if you have two does to milk instead of just one. It can be a bit of an investment when purchasing. Our does start at $450 and go up from their depending on their pedigree, proven milk and show lines. A wether companion is $150.

Special option to breed your doeling

We don't offer outside services on our bucks but, we do provide buck service for doelings purchased from us. This gives you the option of breeding your doeling when she's a year old and not have to deal with the hassle of setting up a seperate pen with housing and buy a buck. We usually have over a half a dozen bucks to chose from. Please inquire if you are interested.

Our very first Straws

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 02:34:59 GMT

We acquired our very first semen straws from Springwater Farms.

We are going to an Artificial Insemination clinic in October to learn the basics. It's a hands on class so they will actually walk us through AI'ing a doe each. So I've been looking for some great straws before class.

October 18th Saturday

Karen Lewis - Frozen Assets

Hosted by Judy Bevaart

Shows are a great spot to meet up and purchase straws. I had the pleasure of meeting the Springwater herd at the Logan Utah show and fell in love with her doe Apricot. I reached out to Nancy Boling and while straws of her buck Alejandro (Apricots Sire) are sold out she had a couple straws for personal use she sold to us.

Here are the details on the buck straws we acquired...

Sugar Moon NS Alejandro

Elite Buck

DOB: April 1, 2016

Color: Chocolate

Sire: Sire: Old Mountain Farm Nightshade

SS: SG Old Mountain Farm Cernunnos +*B 5-01 VEV 89

SD: Old Mounatain Farm BrownI'dSuzn 7-02 VEEE 90

DS: SG NC Promisedland Ram-Beau +*B 2-10 VEE 90

Dam: SG Sugar Moon RB Gianna 2*M 2-04 VVEE 89 (FF)

DS: SG NC Promisedland Ram-Beau +*B 2-10 VEE 90

DD: SG NC Promisedland PAL Paloma 1*M 3-05 VEEE 90

Alejandro sired the first place yearling milker and the second place 2 year old with 1st place udder , and one of only 3 does asked to milk out for best udder at the 2019 ADGA Nationals.

Rogue Valley Dairy Association Goat Show 2020

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 22:52:16 GMT

SDS Farm ZQ Cinnamon Brandy won Junior Reserve Grand Champion

Friday August 21, 2020

Grants Pass, Oregon

Josephine County Fairgrounds

This was a long haul of a trip!! I carpooled with a friend and we drove through the night to make it happen. I woke up at 2am to load my car and get to Serena's house by 5am to make the long drive. A few of us all camped at a nearby campground the night before.

The Grants Pass location wasn't as ideal as some of the other locations. The parking to the back barn was hard to get to so we had to haul everything quite a ways. But there were ringside holding pens which were nice.

We only brought junior doelings and were excited to bring home some ribbons. The show wrapped up by 8pm and we drove through the night taking turns. I got home at 10:30AM. That's my last time driving through the night. <yawn>

Hells Canyon Dairy Goat Show 2020

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 21:52:41 GMT

We turned the two hour drive to Lewiston into a weekend getaway with friends and goats!

August 29, 2020 at 9:00 AM

Lewiston, Idaho at the Nezperce County Fair Grounds, Goat Barn

Ring 1 Judge Amy Amkramoff

Ring 2 Judge Lorelei Hallock

Chairperson: Janet Hughes

We arrived on Friday at 5:30pm and had an easy check in. There are two RV parking lots that have electric for each spot, we parked in the Northeast lot past the barns and had water hook up as well. Everything was close by with clean bathrooms and barns. Pens were already assigned and very well organized.

Senior does showed in the late morning on Saturday so we mulled around the campgrounds and chatted with friends, and did last minute shave clean ups on our kids. The raffle also held lots of excitement... (yep, we are getting old and love raffles)

Jr Doe Show

We brought 3 Junior Does (4-8 months) and 2 young Junior does (0-4 months). There were over 31 does in the senior junior class so it was a bit overcrowded and the top ten were picked pretty quickly. We didn't make it this round but our home grown Cougar Meadows Alpine Caramel and Cougar Meadows Christmas Party came in 3rd and 4th behind Wee3 in the junior round. Considering the quality and sheer volume of goats there we happy our kids held their own.

Our Bucks...

Did fantastic in the ring!

Almar Acres Dyami Tyee - Won 1st in his class in both rings & Reserve Grand Champion in both rings

SDS Farm ZQ Sure Shot Rocky - Won 1st in his class in both rings

SDS Farms ZQ Cougars Golden Boy *B - Won 1st in his class in both rings

The day was loooooonnng, it wasn't until around 7:00pm until the junior doe show started. We were sitting around after the does wrapped up around 1pm and we were speculating when the juniors would go on, most thinking about an hour and a half, two hours at the most, six long hours later. And the buck show didn't start until almost Midnight. We finally wrapped up after 1AM.

Long day but it was totally worth it.

2021 Planned Additions

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 23:42:11 GMT

Here are the details of our planned additions for next year

We broke a record last year and added 21 new goats to the herd from 5 different breeders. This year we aren't planning on adding any new goats (period) which of course means we are going to limit it to just a few stunning selections. Here's our plan so far...

Blanket Waitlist on Sweeter Than Honey Homestead

Not likely that we will come up on the waitlist this year but, there is a chance. Sweeter Than honey has imported the majority of their foundation stock directly from Old Mountain and they have a lovely herd. Their waitlist works like OM once your name comes up you have a selection of all of their kids at that time vs making a reservation on a specific breeding. Fingers crossed.

Springwater Dairy Goats

Springwater is known for having lovely does that milk in the Elite volumes and win grand championships. When I attended the Cache Valley Dairy Goat Show in Logan Utah on August 15th I watched Apricot easily win her 3 year old category in both rings and win Grand Champion in both rings and Best Udder. Needless to say I reached out to Nancy Boling the day I got home to put down a reservation on a doeling out of Apricot for the 2021 breeding. While we were at it we put down a reservation on her two most popular does, Pie and Frosty.

SG Springwater AL Apricot Nectar

# 3 on the Reservation list <--- VERY excited to get in on this breeding early.

2019: 2-05 VVEE 88

DHIA Milk Record

1st Freshening at 1yr 1mo, Days in Milk 276, Pounds of Milk 2036

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

IVF: Springwater AL Wait That's Me

IVF: Oldsouth LMT Limited

LIVE:

SGCH FMG DB&R Easy As Pie 3*M

# 6 on the Reservation list

Elite Doe - 2019: 4-04 VEEE 90
2018 Breed Leader #2 BF & #5 Protein
2019 ADGA Total Performer, High 305 day production and butterfat

2020 ADGA Breed Leader in Butterfat and Protine

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

Pholia Farm RD La Brea Legend *B (<-- this is the buck breeding we are hoping to secure)

Poppy Patch Guilty As Charged +B (aka Jailbait)

SGCH Springwater BL J anie's GotAGun AKA "Frosty"

# 10 on the reservation list for Frosty

2019: 1-08 VVVE 88

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

Farm Oldesouth LMT Unlimited *B (<-- this is the buck breeding we are hoping to secure)

Live Back up: Poppy Patch OR Titan

Legend Doeling Reservation

From Gills Family Farm located in Mount Vernon, Washington

SG Leisure Time PD Joyful Antics 4*M Elite List

Pholia Farm RD LA Brea Legend *B Elite List

Priced determined after the kids are born.

Here is a link to the facebook breeding announcement with photos of the dam and sire.

Planned Pedigree

The sire has some gorgous kids on the ground already here are links to check them out.

Illenes Rascals Tinkerbell

It's a long shot but we are on the waitlist for a kid from this outstanding breeding pair.

I saw the breeding post on September 8th and jumped on it but we are already 4th in line for a doe and 3rd in line for a buckling.

VEE 90 GCH Urban Acres ASD Tinker Bell

Agape’s Prize Damascus CQuinn

Tinker Bell won her class at Nationals as a jr.
Damascus’s Dam is 2018 National Champion GCH Scarlet Rose

2020 Additions to the herd

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:37:19 GMT

WHAT?!?! We added 21 new goats to the herd this year!?!

We planned on picking up reservations on 4 doelings this year and ended up with 21!! 7 adult does, 4 bucklings and 10 doelings,

Almar Acres

We put in two reservations for Almar kids and neither breeding took so we thought we were out of luck but we ended up adding five stunning Almar Acres goats to our herd. Do to the quarantine and travel restrictions Marilyn announced that she would only be selling goats for local pick up when many breeders from around the country reserve kids from her. So we were able to pick up three kids, Sky, Montana and Stud which were originally reserved. Because Marilyn is keeping her home herd numbers manageable she also offered us the incredible opportunity to add two yearling first fresheners, Brandy and Rose to our herd.

Almar Acres Meadow Sky
Almar Acres Montana Meadows
Almar Acres AR Brandy
Almar Acres Cracklin Rose
Almar Acres Stud Muffin

DLMG Farms

We had a reservation for two doelings from DLMG farms so of course I was checking their website and monitoring as kids were born. In the process I added a couple more reservations and then fell in love with a couple kids after they were born. So we have FOUR doelings and a BUCK from DLMG. Laurie was kind enough to hold all of them until the youngest could be picked up and I made the drive out to Hermiston Oregon. Laurie and Mell have an amazing farm and I came home with lots of inspiration for pens and feeder construction.

DLMG Farms LJ Stormy Meadows
DLMG Farms LJ Blueberry Meadow
DLMG Farms ATL Aspen Meadow
DLMG Farms LJ Ivy Meadow
DLMG Farms ATL Thunder Meadows

Sunny Days Farm

I was so lucky to find this breeder when looking at facebook Nigerian groups. I originally inquired about one kid, Zoey, and then after visiting her farm and seeing her incredible stock we came home with SIX!! Not only does Serena have a lovely herd she has also become a fast friend.

SDS Farm ZQ Trillium's Zoey
SDS Farm ZQ Raven Wood
SDS Farm ZQ Cinnamon Brandy
SDS Farm ZQ Tennessee Whiskey
SDS Farm ZQ Cougars Golden Boy
SDS Farm ZQ Sure Shot Rocky

Stage Dragon

Kimberly sold us one of our first lots of breeding stock so we were excited to hear that she was willing to part with some of her accomplished does. We already have adult kids from MudPie and Rain and we love the lines so much we are excited to add these girls to our herd.

SG 5 Fold Farm HB Miss. Mud Pie 5*M
Almar Acres Shoshonie Rain 4*M
Stage Dragon EJ Jadis

Rainy Rock

We actually purchased Fishin last year with the agreement that Angela would keep her for one more set of kids and the 2020 linear appraisal. With LA cancelling we ended up picking her up in March this year. When I picked her up I fell in love with Fang and put a deposit down on her. I was transporting a goat from Stayawhile farm for a friend so my SUV was full. Angela has been kind enough to hold her until September for me to pick up.

5 Fold Farm HB Fishin N Dark 4*M
Rainy Rock JK Tanith "Fang"

New Additions to our Farm

Wed, 06 May 2020 19:50:53 GMT

Meet the baby goats we hand selected from two of our favorite breeders.

We always try to incorporate new genetics into our herd. With a small farm we are extremely selective of the goats we add to our family.

We originally had a reservation for 3 does from DLMG. Added a buck reservation for Flutterbye along with our doeling which she delivered for us!! We were smitten with two more doelings as we were waiting for ours to kid so we will be taking home FIVE kids, 4 doelings and a buckling from Laurie Homer at DLMG Farms.

All three of our Almar Acres reservations fell through. Two of the does didn't settle and the third had a single buckling and not a doeling like we reserved. We were disappointed but picked up a couple more does from Laurie with Almar Acres bloodlines.

Then in the beginning of April Almar Acres announced that due to the current events and the restrictions from their Vet and the requirements for air transport they would only have kids available for local pick up. They are such an incredible breeder they are known Nationwide with most of their kids flying to herds all over the country. With the reservations opening up we were able to acquire a buckling from 'Fire N Spice', a doeling from 'Moonlit Sky' and a doeling from 'Miss B'.

We couldn't be more thrilled!!

Meet our new kids...

Doelings above from left to right:

DLMG Farms LJ Blueberry Meadow ( Sire: SIRE: Tua Farms CMB Blue Titan * B VVV85 x Dam: DLMG Farms LJ Melange)
DLMG Farms LJ Stormy Meadow (Sire: CH Almar Acres O Leroy Jethro G * B EEE 90 x Dam: GCH Blythmoor BZ Thyme Keeper 3 * M VEEE 89)
DLMG Farms LJ Ivy Meadow (Sire: Castle Rock Akikta *B x Dam: DLMG Farms LJ Blue Tierney)

These two angels are from the same litter. The doe on the left and buckling on the right. We loved this breeding so much we added a buck to our reservation.

DLMG Farms LJ Aspen Meadow
DLMG Farms LJ Thunder Meadow

Dam: DLMG Farms LJ Flutter Bye (daughter of GCH Blythmoor BZ Thyme Keeper 3 *M VEEE 89)

Sire: Dragonfly PS Atlantis (This is the spectacular buck that was purchased at the 2019 National Convention Spotlight Sale for $2,500)

Below are photos of the three kids we are purchased from Almar Acres.

From left to right

Almar Acres Meadow Sky (Sire: Castle Rock Akikta *B x Dam: Camanna RM Moonlit Sky 1*M VEEE 90)
Almar Acres Butterfly Kisses (Dam: GCH Almar Acres HS Miss Behaven 2*M 90 EEEE x Sire: CH Almar Acres O Leroy Jethro G *B EEE 90)
Almar Acres Stud Muffin

Bottle Feeding Baby Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 20:35:18 GMT

The ins and outs of bottle feeding your baby goat.

There are lots of charts you can find out there that vary in the exact times, stages and ounces. We've put together a guideline of what works best for us and some valuable notes to keep in mind.

How much and how often to feed your goat:

Remember each goat varies in structure and size and energy and activity level so it's important to monitor your goat carefully. Trust your instincts if you don't feel they are ready to go to the next stage then keep them on an extra bottle per day.

The following is a quick and easy reference based on the average Nigerian Dwarf baby goat.

Week 1 - 5x a day

First 3 days - Colostrum

You've heard the term before it's the

1 - 3 Ounces per feeding

6AM - 10AM - 2PM - 6PM - 9PM

Week 2 - Feed 4x a day

2 - 4 Ounces of milk per feeding

7AM - 11AM - 3PM - 7PM

Week 3 - 6 - Feed 3x a day

4 - 8 Ounces of Milk per feeding

7AM - 1PM - 7PM

Week 6 - 10 - 2 x a day

8 - 12 Ounces of Milk per feeding

7AM & 7PM

Week 10 - 16 - 1x a Day

13 - 19 Ounces of Milk in One bottle

The above chart goes to 16 weeks but, most people ween bucks at 8 weeks old and does at 12 weeks old. We like to keep our does on a bottle until they are 4 months old. You know your own goats better than anyone if you feel they could benefit from a couple more weeks before being weened and you have the time and milk then go for it.

How many ounces in each feeding, EXACTLY:

You'll notice the chart above has a range for ounces. If you want to narrow in on a specific amount use the following formula.

Weigh your goat. Convert that to ounces (16 oz in a pound) divide that by 12% and then divide that by how many feedings per day based on their age in the chart below. That will be the exact ounces that you should be feeding per serving.

Notes:

Keep their Head UP

Head should always be tipped up. If just introducing the bottle then gently hold their chin up with the bottle and once they are latching to the bottle themselves just tilt the bottle in an upright position.
Switching your baby to a bottle for the first time can be difficult for some. It helps if you put them in between your ankles and gently hold them there, facing forward, put the bottle in their mouth at an upward angle and gently support their head up to hold the bottle.

Bottle Temperature 100 - 115 degrees

Make sure the milk temperature is between 100 - 115 degrees. If it's too cold they wont take the bottle or worse they could drink and drop their body temperature dangerously low.
You can heat your bottles up in a pot of water on the stove or in a microwave safe container in the microwave. We use a tiny meat thermometer to test the temperature.

Don't overfeed

Overfeeding your baby goat can be just as detrimental as underfeeding.
One rule of thumb is to limit milk no more than 24-28 ounces per day
Some kids are NOT the best judge of their intake and will keep eating. FEEL your babies tummy - Put your hand around their belly and gently squeeze with your thumb and forefinger. if the belly is squishy , should be fairly firm but feel full and give under your fingers, if the belly is full and tight he is getting tooo much food. Take note of how much during that feeding and reduce.

Be Patient

The first few feedings will be frustrating, you will have milk all over yourself and a confused and hungry baby goat. The most important thing is to not get frustrated, just relax we know you are worried about them and insuring they get the nurtition they need, just take a breath hold and pet your baby goat and try again.

Listen to your instincts

The following is a guideline for feeding Nigerian Dwarf kids but every kid is different. They grow at different rates and the start off different sizes and have different temperaments. Monitor your kids closely, weight them and watch their activity and energy levels. If you feel they will benefit from more frequent smaller meals then that's what you should do. If they are growing big and strong and eating hay and drinking water and you want to ween them at 12 weeks instead of 16 then you should.

Cougar Meadows Nigerian Dwarf Farm Blog

Babysitting our Baby Goats

I bet you have lots of questions!

Planned Additions in 2024

Here are the details of our planned additions for next year

Springwater Dairy Goats

SG Springwater AL Apricot Nectar

# 1 on the Reservation list, Ultrasound showed 3

Due March 19th - $1,800

Sire: Springwater Noctrnal Emissions

SGCH FMG DB&R Easy As Pie 3*M

# 4 on the Reservation list

kid price $1,800

SGCH Springwater BL J anie's GotAGun AKA "Frosty"

# 6 on the reservation list for Frosty

kid price $2,800

Due: May 13, 2023

Hanson's Hideaway

Highland Ranch Dairy Goats

Prep List for your New Baby Goats

Checklist for your new Goats

Getting your first Goats

How to pick the perfect goat for your family.

Doe, buck or wether?

2 Wethers (fixed boy goats)

2 Doelings or a Doeling and a Wether

Special option to breed your doeling

Our very first Straws

We acquired our very first semen straws from Springwater Farms.

Rogue Valley Dairy Association Goat Show 2020

SDS Farm ZQ Cinnamon Brandy won Junior Reserve Grand Champion

Hells Canyon Dairy Goat Show 2020

We turned the two hour drive to Lewiston into a weekend getaway with friends and goats!

2021 Planned Additions

Here are the details of our planned additions for next year

Blanket Waitlist on Sweeter Than Honey Homestead

Springwater Dairy Goats

﻿

SG Springwater AL Apricot Nectar

#﻿ 3 on the Reservation list <--- VERY excited to get in on this breeding early.

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated ﻿

﻿ ﻿ SGCH FMG DB&R Easy As Pie 3*M

# 6 on the Reservation list

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

﻿

SGCH Springwater BL J anie's GotAGun AKA "Frosty"

# 10 on the reservation list for Frosty

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

Legend Doeling Reservation

Illenes Rascals Tinkerbell

2020 Additions to the herd

WHAT?!?! We added 21 new goats to the herd this year!?!

New Additions to our Farm

Meet the baby goats we hand selected from two of our favorite breeders.

Meet our new kids...

Below are photos of the three kids we are purchased from Almar Acres.

Bottle Feeding Baby Nigerian Dwarf Goats

The ins and outs of bottle feeding your baby goat.

# 3 on the Reservation list <--- VERY excited to get in on this breeding early.

Sire to be Artificially Inseminated

SGCH FMG DB&R Easy As Pie 3*M