Goat Kid Care Basics

There are many excellent books and web resources for how to raise goat kids.  Here's what we do.

Every year we consult with our vet regarding the latest recommendations for immunization and apply the best practice. Twig Farm goat kids are all CAE free (we test our goats yearly and our herd is CAE free). All of our goats are ADGA alpine dairy goats. We dehorn our dairy goats after the first 1-2 weeks. We are able to castrate males for folks looking for wethers.  Typically we castrate within the first 1-2 weeks.

Week-old kids can be available for adoption.  Kids will require bottle feeding for the first 9-11 weeks.  We introduce hay on the 2nd day.   Kid's get their mother's colostrum during the first 5-7 days, afterwards we transition the kids to cow's milk.  You can choose to bottle feed your kids goat milk-replacer or cow's milk.   Introduce your kids to hay by the 2nd day.  Keep kids in a clean, well-ventilated and dry area with opportunity for exercise, shade, sunshine, and shelter.   If it is below 50, you will likely need to keep them warm somehow (heating lamps, sweaters, we know of one family who kept their new goat kids in their bathtub on cool nights...) Clean pens daily.  Put down fresh bedding daily. We usually use wood shavings.  Grain should be available by the 2nd week. 

Here's the milk feeding schedule:
Days 0-5 - Hand bottle feed the kid its mother's colostrum for the first 5 days (3 times a day feedings), introduce hay
Days 5-7 - Hand bottle feed the kids 3 times a day cow's milk. (10 oz / 3 times a day)
Weeks 2-4 Hand Bottle feed the kids 3 times a day (10 oz / 3 times a day), introduce grain (lamb + kid grower).   Ensure kids have access to fresh air and opportunities to play in a dry area. 
Weeks 5-9 Bottle feed 18-20 oz 2x a day.
Weeks 9-11 Begin to wean.

Here are a few web resources I found Google searching:
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8160.pdf
http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issues/86/86-1/Nancy_Nickel.html

We consult quite a few books:
La Chevre (Jean-Christophe Corcy)... in french but very helpful
Natural Goat Care (Pat Coleby)
Raising Milk Goats Sucessfuly (Gail Luttmann)
Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants (National Research Council)

We also chat with our vet.  We love our vet Dr. Alan Clarisse of Vergennes Large Animal Associates.