A quick glance on how much to feed babies
EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT THIS IS JUST A STARTING POINT
Divide daily amount into 3-4 feedings
Baby weight / how much to feed per day
1# / 1.6 oz 21# / 33.6 oz
2# / 3.2 oz 22# / 35.2 oz
3 # / 4.8 oz 23# / 36.8 oz
4# / 6.4 oz 24# / 38.4 oz
5# / 8 oz 25# / 40 oz
6# / 9.6 oz 26# / 41.6 oz
7# / 11.2 oz 27# / 43.2 oz
8# / 12.8 oz 28# / 44.8 oz
9# / 14.4 oz 29# / 46.4 oz
10# / 16 oz 30# / 48 oz
11# / 17.6 oz 31# / 49.6 oz
12# / 19.20 oz 32# / 51.2 oz
13# / 20.8 oz 33 # / 52.8 oz
14# / 22.4 oz 34# / 54.4 oz
15# / 24 oz 35# / 56 oz
16# / 25.6 oz 36# / 57.6 oz
17# / 27.2 oz 37# / 59.2 oz
18# / 28.8 oz 38# / 60.8 oz
19# / 30.4 oz 39# / 62.4 oz
20# / 32 oz 40# / 64 oz
HOW TO FIGURE MUCH MILK???
Start by getting babies weight and multiply that by 16 to get his weight in oz.
Multiply that by 10% to see how much he needs PER DAY then divide into 3-4 feedings.
Always feel babies tummy after each bottle, you want a firm but flat tummy, not too poochy and not sunken in. Adjust milk amount as needed...10% is just a starting point, each baby is different, some can need more milk while others need less, more often.
Reweigh baby every week and adjust milk amount.
To ween baby
From one week to one month old we feed 4 bottles a day. ( birth to one week we may feed small meals every few hours) When baby turns one month old we drop one bottle. At this point we are still feeding 1at least the 10% of its body weight in oz, so the 3 remaining bottle increase a bit. At 2 months old, we drop another bottle and no longer up the milk intake as baby is usually eating grain and hay and browse. By 2 1/2 months-3 months old we are feeding one bottle a day until we feel no more milk is needed. This is a guide, and as long as babies are growing well. Some babies need to reduce slower.
BE WARE: BABIES WILL GUILT YOU TO THEIR DEATH!! YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG...OVER FEEDING KILLS BABIES.
There are exceptions: if baby is not growing well, we keep on milk longer. If baby is slow to eat grain and browse, we keep on milk longer. Some babies NEED more milk then others. Some babies can not digest as much and need smaller more frequent meals. EACH baby is different and so we as producers need to make decisions based on each bottle baby. We have been known to bottle feed for 6 months when needed. Go with your gut, trust yourself
Signs of too much milk:
milk scours or constipation, lethargy, refuses bottle, hunched up..FKS
THIS IS FROM UNDIGESTED MILK.
Signs of not enough milk:
lethargy, sunken tummy, tail tucked, may have hunched appearance.
Weighing baby lets you know if they are growing well. A rule of thumb for many producers is 10# weight gain a month plus birth weight. This is of course standard breeds. So a 9# baby at birth should weigh 19# at once month old. Again, some will gain faster than other but if your baby is not gaining weight and growing you need to see why.
under fed?? cocci ?? worms ??? Genetics???
Happy bottle raising!!