[swgoats]

I have used replacer. I just think you have to know what you are doing with it. If fed too much, I've seen scours. I've never had a kid scour from too much milk. I have also used it to stretch milk, and that worked fine. I put ice cubes in my heat treated milk, must not be enough water to mess up digestion...

 

[fmg]

If what I have read before is right, each ice cube is one ounce. I cool my pasteurized milk by putting the pot in a sink full of cool water. You could put the ice cubes in there. Or, sometimes I will put some frozen soda bottles in the milk...that doesn't add any water.

 

[NubianSoaps.com]

Soap gals know this 2 milk ice cubes (the rectangle kind you make) equals 1 ounce

 

[swgoats]

My gal is getting about 1/2 a c water from the ice cubes in a quart of milk. She is a beast, doing absolutely fabulous. I'm very thrilled with how she's growing out.

 

[fmg]

I bet your mini milk has higher solids than a full-size goat, so that probably helps.

 

[swgoats]

That could be. I would buy that.

 

[swgoats]

Ok, figured out when I made cheese the other day I got a yield of 17-19%. I'd be more exact if I knew how much we ate

 

[Golden Delta Alpines]

What are the minimum bottle amounts and feeding times I can feed the kids daily?

What's the earliest I can safely wean?
Kim Hull said she sometimes weans at 2 months, if they are eating well.

The DOBs for my kids are:
March 4- doeling
March 20- doeling and buckling
April 8- two doelings


~~~Also~~~
I have a lot of bags of frozen colostrum still stored in my freezer.
Can I use those to add to the kids' milk?
The colostrum I saved and froze are like from 4-7+ days after kidding, so it's already turning to regular milk. I just labeled them as colostrum so we won't drink it ourselves.
I just see a lot of goat milk/colostrum in the freezer and wonder if I can use that..

 

[swgoats]

You can use the colostrum milk, but go easy or you will get loose stools. I always go at least 12 weeks. I've heard of weaning at 8 but I'm uncomfortable with that myself. I feed my Nubian a quart twice a day. I've been doing that since she was three weeks old. She's growing like a weed.

 

[fmg]

Are you keeping the buck for breeding? Maybe you could wean him that early if you are not...but I would not wean any doelings until at least 12 weeks. 4-7 days post kidding, there shouldn't be too much colostrum in it. I would think it'd be fine, especially if you are mixing it with other milk.

 

[Trysta]

4-7 days after kidding really isn't colostrum anymore. Maybe a bit richer in nutrients than later lactation milk, but definitely not colostrum. I only use frozen day 1 colostrum as the real thing and day 2 in an emergency (if I'm low in day 1 and it's a buck or if I'm out of Day 1 Colostrum all together.)