# Breeding my Does - pics



## woodsie (Jan 31, 2013)

These are my two yearling does (Alpine x Boer) Crosses that I am breeding to a Kiko cross buck. Hoping to tame down the airplane ears on the grey doe and maybe get a few spots from the buck. The buck has a really nice quiet voice, which is something that my does NOT have....they scream at me as soon as they hear the door open. My does have really nice straight legs and he has a bit if a bend in the leg, not too major but still there and he has a flopped over tail. 

I think my does are in good health, nice soft coats, bright eyes, energetic. Is there anything that I should give be giving them (extra vitamins, medications) as they have just been bred? They have loose salt, a mineral block (the kind with molasses) as that all the feed store had at the time, a cup each of dairy tex daily, fresh water and grass/alphafa hay. I mixed some of their grain with diatemateous earth as a dewormer that a local breeder recommended as a dewormer. Anything I am missing?

And here's the pics










Rose - This is the one that wouldn't back down from the buck and he cracked her horn...looks to be healing well though...I hope I don't lose it.





Lilac - The other Alpine cross that has the airplane ears...a sweetie though.





Erko - The Kiko cross buck...great temperment.





These are the two VERY small registered Nubians I just picked up. So sweet but definitely need to find a SMALL buck so they are by themselves with the chickens at the moment until the buck leaves.

Thanks all!


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

Get rid of the salt ASAP!! Goats should never have free choice salt. Dump the mineral block too. They do not get enough from it and it can mess up their teeth. Get loose mineral with 10-14% salt and that's enough slat and you have the loose mineral. Also DE is not a dewormer no matter what anyone tells you.

btw what is the buck mixed with?


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## woodsie (Jan 31, 2013)

No salt? Okay, I'll lose it. I don't think they did anything with it but knock over the bowl anyhow! I know that the mineral block isn't the greatest, I used to have loose mineral but all the feed store had was the block and didn't want them to miss out on their copper. I'll switch back to the loose mineral but how do you prevent them from dumping it all and wasting it?

They don't look wormy to me, have nice weight, thick soft coats...should I worm them anyways?


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

Like all mammals, goats crave salt. Too much salt actually prevents them from getting all the minerals that they need and ingest. Free choice salt attracts the goats to the salt and most times they will not eat the minerals and only the salt so they are not getting the minerals and whatever they are getting that salt is counteracting it. 

Don't get mineral with higher than 14% salt because it's too high and really the same as free choice salt. I've seen some mineral with 40% salt and I just shake my head. And actually the only reason they put salt in mineral is to attract goats to eat the mineral. 

You can make a mineral feeder like I did. It holds a good amount and there is no waste whatsoever and it's cheap and easy.





















No. Do not just worm them. They may just have good parasite resistance. Never worm on a schedule and never just wingit on worming. That messes the rest of us up. If you want to know what they have run a fecal and see what they have an if they need worming. I have several goats that have never been wormed. You may just have good goats too.


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## marlowmanor (Jan 31, 2013)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> Like all mammals, goats crave salt. Too much salt actually prevents them from getting all the minerals that they need and ingest. Free choice salt attracts the goats to the salt and most times they will not eat the minerals and only the salt so they are not getting the minerals and whatever they are getting that salt is counteracting it.
> 
> Don't get mineral with higher than 14% salt because it's too high and really the same as free choice salt. I've seen some mineral with 40% salt and I just shake my head. And actually the only reason they put salt in mineral is to attract goats to eat the mineral.
> 
> ...


 I was waiting for Straw to post his mineral feeder. I was trying to look it up because I thought it was on a separate thread but it's not. I'm planning to make one of these feeders myself soon.

My goats have not been wormed in over a year (for my wethers) and my does haven't been wormed since we got them. We don't worm unless it is needed.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

haha Nope. I keep everything on my journal. Guess I should put it on a thread. 

I had to fill them up the other day. They work great! No waste and easy to take apart and clean unlike alot of mineral feeders.


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## marlowmanor (Jan 31, 2013)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> haha Nope. I keep everything on my journal. Guess I should put it on a thread.
> 
> I had to fill them up the other day. They work great! No waste and easy to take apart and clean unlike alot of mineral feeders.


I know we have to get more minerals soon. Finally used up all the Purina minerals DH bought last time. I will be going back to the Manna Pro minerals. Have to remember to get the supplies from Lowes to make the feeder.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

I'm thinking about changing away from Manna Pro. To expensive for me. A buck a pound is too much. But I have to find a mineral I like.


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## Oakroot (Jan 31, 2013)

I just use a small bucket hung with a hanger on the wall for minerals. Works great and no spills.


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## SheepGirl (Jan 31, 2013)

I love your first doe. She is so pretty. I love those colors on goats.


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## Pearce Pastures (Jan 31, 2013)

Very pretty.  Yeah, the salt is not so good for them.  I use the soft mineral blocks and loose minerals here---the hard blocks mess up teeth but the soft molasses are fine so I would just toss it(they are softer than pelleted feeds actually and one of my goats won't touch the loose minerals so we just have both now).  

The loose minerals are better priced though and I am not a fan of molasses which is the binder in the block.


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## woodsie (Jan 31, 2013)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> Like all mammals, goats crave salt. Too much salt actually prevents them from getting all the minerals that they need and ingest. Free choice salt attracts the goats to the salt and most times they will not eat the minerals and only the salt so they are not getting the minerals and whatever they are getting that salt is counteracting it.
> 
> Don't get mineral with higher than 14% salt because it's too high and really the same as free choice salt. I've seen some mineral with 40% salt and I just shake my head. And actually the only reason they put salt in mineral is to attract goats to eat the mineral.
> 
> ...


Great looking mineral feeder...I will definitely be making a trip to the hardware store! and the feed store on the way back to pick up my loose minerals again. - Thanks for all the help!


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

Yep. Glad to help. That's what great about this place. It's the simple things that can be big things and changing little things can be BIG. Congrats on the goats and nice job on the Kiko cross buck.


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## woodsie (Jan 31, 2013)

Oh I forgot to add what my Kiko crossed with...that's because I don't really know.  I am guessing from his ears that we probably have some Boer in him...can't imagine it is Nubian as the guy I am borrowing him from is not a fan of Nubians. Maybe has some Sannen? He mostly has Sannen, Boer and Kikos.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 31, 2013)

Why is it that so many of us Kiko people don't like Nubians? haha


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## Moonshine (Jun 21, 2013)

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in as well ......well since I'm a newbie I don't have 2 cents lol but I wanted to let you all know that this information was very helpful to me and I picked up the minerals this morning and I'm on my way to Lowes to get the parts for the feeder. Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for all of your input! I do read A LOT of the posts without posting myself but I couldn't pass this one up without saying thank you to all your useful info! Thanks!


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## woodsie (Jun 21, 2013)

I did make the mineral feeder and it works awesome...very little waste! 

Too bad my does didn't get bred with that buck, I guess I didn't leave him in there long enough and they must have missed the first breeding. Oh well, those girls are off to a different home soon...so we can focus on the registered Nubians...hard though, they are our first goats! :S


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