She slept outside on the porch last night in a dog crate and I've been feeding her out there (like every three stinking hours) and took her out in the front yard this morning for some goat play time. But then I wanted to come inside to do a few chores. And so did she. So that's how I ended up with a goat in the kitchen. Not for long, but still. I had a goat. In the kitchen. Paul is going to have my head when he sees this post.
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| What? Doesn't everybody's kid shuck corn in the kitchen with a goat? |
Anyhow, I'd like to ask my fellow goat keepers how they deal with their bottle babies or premature or otherwise requiring extra attention baby goat kids. I see so many pictures of newborn baby goats brought in the house during cold snaps, or bottle kids in play pens in the living room. And it doesn't seem to phase anybody out.
It was never my plan to have a bottle baby, let alone have a goat in the house for any period of time. Yet it seems as there are many that do open their homes to the little buggers. Why do you do it? For strictly emergency situations? For better bonding opportunities? Because you prefer caprine to canine or feline? And, what do you do about the poop/pee? Inquiring minds want to know. I know that there are chicken diapers, but are there goat diapers?
Anyhow, get ready for a bunch of goat-posts.
I am one of those that keeps them inside. We keep a dog kennel in the diningroom when we have a baby goat we are caring for. Heck I have even had a momma goat that had a c-section and hysterectomy on a foam pad in the diningroom for several days. I used puppy pads under her. As for baby goats get baby diapers and put them on backwards. I slit a small hole for their tail. I also take them outside first thing when they wake up and right after they eat. They actually potty train better than a puppy. We had one that was so tiny and weak we kept him inside for 2 months. On a farm people know they will find anything in farmhouse. Don't worry,just enjoy and know this little doeling will think of your as her mom and part of her herd. :)
ReplyDeleteAh how cute! I've had my chicks (who outgrew their giant box in the spare bedroom) in my kitchen in a bottomless playpen for a few weeks. It was way too cold for them outside. I'd bring them out during the day, when I was home, and mopped/disinfected the floor when I put them back. Worked great!
ReplyDeleteAnd it does seem like she'd bond better inside than out? And keep an eye on her health...
ReplyDeleteI didn't like to have them in my house and my husband liked it even less. I've only had one bottle baby and I kept her out in the barn and would play with her when I fed her. The only time I brought her in was when she was sick; I kept her in the bathroom with newspapers on the floor at one point. When she was loose in the house, I watched her carefully and stuck a towel under her when she squatted to pee... mine squatted anyways. But generally I kept her in the barn in a separate section and because she had to be feed, it was ample opportunity to play with her.
ReplyDeletePart depends on the weather, you can control the temps better in the house. I have had goats/lambs in the bathtub put down layers of newspaper to insulate and to keep them from slipping or in dog crates on inside porch. You can put diapers on them if you want, but if you take her outside as soon as you take her out of the crate she should potty outside no problem. Seems bottle babies have a broken pipeline, most times as soon as you put milk in, pee comes out, so feeding outside is a good idea. Depends on floor type, space and ease of cleaning as to where to keep if you bring her in the house.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with having a goat in the house! I use diapers on mine that I bring in. It sure beats dragging yourself up and out plus they crave company! They also love watching dancing with the stars!
ReplyDeleteWe brought ours inside. My utility room was big enough to bring in a round of fencing and contain her in there. We put in straw etc. We could keep her fed easier and keep an eye on her safety. We have them in the house all the time after dinner is over too. We love to give them one on one play time with everyone. As for bottle feeding, I got several of my kids to help too.
ReplyDeleteI think it's one of those "comes with the territory" things. There was a lady in my spinning group who raised sheep. When they build their dream house, she had a lamb pen built into the family room. They even left the dirt for floor! Looked kinda odd, but it was part of the life of a shepherd.
ReplyDeleteI love this!
DeleteWell...my opinion is, the sooner you can get her outside with Nettie and the other goats, the better off she will be. She is a goat after all (and an awfully cute goat at that!) and she needs to learn how to be a goat and she won't learn that in the house. Unless the weather is really, really bad, I wouldn't keep her in the house. I know it's a pain in the a** to go out and feed 4 times a day but you can cut that back to 3 times a day after she is 12 days old. Have you looked at Fiasco Farms website? Lots and lots of GREAT goat info including feeding charts. She will still bond like glue because YOU are feeding her and petting her every time you go out! :)
ReplyDeleteI had a bottle baby, but I only brought her in for feedings, otherwise she was outside. Is it possible to set up a little pen for her to be in without the other goats? We had a temporary pen set up next to the big girls' pen, so they could see each other and talk to each other, but not touch or hurt each other. It did work, and when the little one moved in with the bigs, there was not much butting (other than the normal). And as for bonding, my experience is that you don't need to keep them with you 24/7 to have them bond. My little one is my shadow and I only spent time with her when I could and during feedings--I wanted her to be a goat. Still she sits in my lap and is always happy to see me. They'll love you regardless--they are open hearted little creatures.
ReplyDeleteYes, you can diaper them, if you need to, and someone mentioned that those wee-wee pads for dogs are good too.
We often have an animal or two in the house, usually for treatment or something, but it does seem to go with the territory. YOu'll get used to it!