Suck-It Bucket

With 13 kids to feed, doing it one at a time is just not very good time management. Not to mention it would be never ending! Enter the "Suck-It Bucket"

You can purchase a bucket, they are usually called a Lamb Bar. Most supply catalogs sell them, and they can get quite pricey.


My handy husband, Jim, made this one for me. It's a leftover 5 gallon bucket from his work that we cleaned out. He drilled holes in the sides to accomodate the nipples that I purchased from Hoeggers Supply. He drilled it just smidge smaller so it's a tight fit. Next we purchased some clear tubing from the hardware store that fits into the back of the nipple. Sort of like a big straw!



I just fill the bucket with warm milk, and let the little buggers feed themselves. Since I put out one bucket and there are only 5 feeding spots on it, I do split them up for feeding time. The smaller and younger goats get first shot at the bucket and eat until they are full. Then I put it in with the larger kids. This prevents bullying and enables every kid to have a sufficient amount of milk. At this point the smaller kids are getting 3 feeding chances a day and the larger ones are getting 2. The kids that are getting weaned are down to once a day, they are really thinking the world is unfair!