What is Colostrum and why does a baby goat need it?

Colostrum is the name for the first milk a mother (any mammalian mother) produces right when she delivers her baby.  This special milk is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, nutrients and antibodies that help keep the new baby healthy  All babies needs these antibodies because when they are first born, they have no antibodies in their systems yet and this leaves them open to any disease, illness or even death caused by viruses and bacteria.  Colostrum actually works as a natural and 100% safe vaccine. The best colostrum is from the baby's mother because this contains "custom" antibodies for the particular environment the baby is born into.

A baby goat slowly looses the ability to absorb antibodies from colostrum and after 24 hours can no longer absorb antibodies at all, this is why you need to make sure they get their colostrum ASAP after birth.

The best Colostrum is from the kid's mother.  It is always a good idea to milk out a little Colostrum from a doe that has recently kidded and freeze it in an ice cube tray and store the cubes in ziplock bags in the freezer for emergency purposes, such as a doe kidding with no milk or a doe dieing in childbirth.  The Colostrum will stay viable for a year in the freezer.

It you do not have any real goat Colostrum, it is a good idea to have a real colostrum replacement on hand that contains viable antibodies.

Important: A baby goat that does not receive any sort of colostrum within the first 24 hours of birth has much less chance of survival because their Immune Systems will be very weak as they start out in life.