Follow this easy checklist to make sure you’re feeding your baby animals safely, so you avoid nutritional scours, and the risk of aspiration pneumonia.

1. Feed 15% of their bodyweight over the course of 24 hours;

2. Make sure milk is mixed at the correct ratio of powder to water – read the instructions on the bag carefully as inconsistencies can easily cause stomach upsets;

3. Divide the total day’s feed into as many small feeds as possible – to put it in perspective, a lamb or goat kid would feed 14+ times a day on their mother;

4. The milk should be warm – about 30°C – which tells the body to direct the milk to the correct chamber of the stomach;

5. The hole in the teat should be big enough that milk drips when held upside down at a 45° angle, but it shouldn’t dribble or flow freely;

6. Milk should be made up fresh each time and provided in sterilised bottles and teats. Cooling and reheating can alter milk nutrition, and lukewarm milk left to sit can develop infectious bugs.

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