While esophageal feeding of colostrum can revive weak goat kids, washing hands and disinfecting equipment thoroughly between uses is necessary to prevent the spread of diseases like Johne’s, mycoplasmosis and CAE. Follow these steps to effectively disinfect syringes and tubes:
- Rinse immediately after use
- Wash with warm soapy water to remove all debris
- Dilute 1 ounce of bleach with 21 ounces of water and submerge all equipment in this solution for 2 minutes.
- Rinse and air dry.
Source: Iowa State University Extension: Tube Feeding Neonatal Small Ruminants
If you are using colostrum from another herd, be sure the source is disease-free or pasteurize the colostrum. In order to pasteurize colostrum without destroying its beneficial antibodies, heat it and maintain a temperature of 133°F to 134° for 60 minutes.