[HoosierShadow]

I've had something in the back of my mind the past couple of weeks, and thought I'd ask so I can be prepared.

We have 3 does that had triplets last winter. First one raised her kids with no issues.
Second one had 3 boys, and they were a handful. I really don't know if I want her to raise 3, and I do think she's carrying triplets again, she's huge already and due in 6 weeks.

Third, was a first timer, and had 3. We pulled the runt after 2 days of colostrum and bottle fed her, mom raised 2 with no problem, except the fact she only liked the buckling and was never very nice to her doeling :sad:

So I'd been thinking... if those 2 particular does have triplets, we might pull a buckling from each to put on a bottle, then sell as bottle babies?
If so, what's a good way to go about selling them? I do usually list on Craigslist, and can list on Facebook, but do you usually wait a week on the bottle then sell?

 

[ksalvagno]

I like to make sure they are good and healthy before they leave my farm. Mine usually end up going around the 2 week mark but plenty of people have let them go to their new homes sooner.

 

[SalteyLove]

in March I had one doe throw quads. She did not produce enough milk to feed all four, and I was supplementally bottling 3 of them twice a day and it still wasn't enough! At 5 days old, I sold the 2 buck kids as bottle babies for $30 each on Craigslist. I had a lot of interest and apparently that was a low price - but it was my first time. I think you have to accept that they may be raised for meat - that is what the people who bought mine were doing. But they explained their process and seemed humane.

 

[groovyoldlady]

I bought a bottle baby doeling. The breeder wanted to keep her until she'd been disbudded and had her cdt shot. He also wanted make sure she was thriving before I took her. He gave me a quart of goat milk with instructions to slowly transition her to whole cow's milk. It worked great for him (He was keeping all his bottle babies in bins in his living room) and it worked great for me.

 

[awshucksgoatfarmvt]

Low price for sure...........I usually make sure they get the colostrum they need, BO SE shot and let them go if I am sure that they are going to a good home. Bottle babies have sold for $125 most of the time, and I promise to wether the buckling when they are old enough.
It is always nice to make up a pamphlet to new families if they have never raised a bottle baby. Suggest sites like this and others to help them keep informed or if they need help.
Like trimming feet etc

 

[kccjer]

Wow...can't believe how much you all pay for bottle babies! $30 is an expensive baby around here...and that has to be a pretty awesome kid. You can pick them up at the sale for $5 to $20....

 

[ksalvagno]

People pay for bottle babies around here because they want them to be friendly.

 

[kccjer]

Hmmmm...wonder how nany I can pick up cheap and ship em your way?? Lol

 

[happybleats]

I plan on doing a soaking wet buck sell this year if we are hit with another buck season (two years in a row!! folks only need so many bucks lol)...They will go out healthy, disbudded, tattooed and paperd and a gallon of frozen milk to transition with..as a bottle baby we can get $50-$80 depending on papers for bucks...But if we have as many as last season..I will go less just to move them out faster...

 

[Wild Hearts Ranch]

I sold two at a few days old a few years ago. My problem is that I don't have time to bottle feed, so I have to sell them early enough that they'll switch to a bottle or keep them until weaning. They got plenty of colostrum and switched over fine; I saw them a few months ago and they're big and healthy.

 

[kimbuffet]

Wow, we had tons of bucks for sale on Craigslist this summer. I sold a non registered 4 month old for $50 and listed my registered for $125 and he was on there for weeks. I finally dropped my price to $100 and still sold him for a little less than that. I live in Nebraska and raise Nubians

 

[Jessica84]

Ohhh I hate trips. I had a ton and after the third set if mom didn't have a dairy looking bag I jerked a buck and took to the sale and got my $50 and moved on with life lol. I don't know about selling them too old. I have had a good handful of bottle kids and my life sucked because none of my kids would take a bottle from anyone but me. I had to leave for a day and left hubby in charge of my bucks bottle and he didn't eat that whole day. I thought he was full of crap so watched out the window the next day and nope wouldn't eat. What I would do is jerk them and right then put on cl if that's how you plan to sell. Let them bond with their new mom and milk adds up fast so if you wait too long your basically giving them away....that's my opinion any ways

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Wow Jessica, that sucks! My bottle kids don't care who it is, it could be the boogie man, but if they have a bottle, they will follow you to the end of the world! :lol:

I love it when I get trips!
I generally can sell a bottle kid for the same price as a dam raised kid, weaned or unweaned. If not, I sell them $100 cheaper.

Cathy, I would invest in a new buck! :lol:

 

[Jessica84]

Well I was just looking at your does so if you do have a bottle baby doe I just might go against my anti bottle baby attitude and take one lol. But yeah I don't know what's up with mine....maybe because I don't have a life and spend too much time with them lol but yeah it sucks

 

[happybleats]

Cathy, I would invest in a new buck!

We always got does from them until the last two years...!! maybe something in the water lol

 

[HoosierShadow]

Thanks!
I'm not against having bottle babies, but if they aren't something that my kids want to show, and I could sell them to kids who want to raise them as 4-H projects, or just people that want to raise them on a bottle for pets, breeding or meat, that is fine with me. Either way, they will get taken care of even if we raise them

Really, the only one I am greatly concerned about is the first possible doe due, one of our fullblood Boer does. She definitely can't handle 3. Her babies will be 100% registerable ABGA, so if she were to have 3, surely we could sell one to a 4-H kids, or for breeding, or meat.

I'd most likely advertise on Craigslist or Facebook. Is it good to advertise when they are born so if anyone is interested they can come sooner rather than later, so hopefully we can have a home lined up for them once they are taking a bottle and seem to be doing fine?

We've only had the one bottle baby, and we couldn't part with her, she's still a runt, but we adore her. She was soooooo spoiled when she was little, OMG, but I just adore her ♥ She'd take a bottle from any of us. She'd dance around our legs, 'bah' at us, when she was really little she'd follow me into the house, put her front feet on the cabinet and watch me make her bottle lol.