# Milking Doe Grain Ration



## Hobby Farm (Apr 20, 2010)

I am trying to come up with a better grain ration for my milking does.  They get all the hay they can eat right now and will be moving to the pasture next week.  I will be starting to give them free choice minerals.

Please share what is in your grain ration and how much you give per day.

Thanks.


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## freemotion (Apr 20, 2010)

I feed sprouted whole grains (barley or oats, mostly barley right now) and feed according to condition.  I add alfalfa pellets, soaked beet pulp, and chopped veggies to the dairy girl's rations.

The most grain I've fed is a heaping double-handful twice a day during peak lactation.


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## ksalvagno (Apr 20, 2010)

I feed my Alpine 5 measuring cups of grain twice a day. She doesn't always eat it all. My Nigerians get 2 measuring cups of grain per day. Unlimited hay and free choice minerals. They are out grazing in the pasture too.


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## Hobby Farm (Apr 20, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> I feed my Alpine 5 measuring cups of grain twice a day.


What is included in your grain mixture.  Please be specific.


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## glenolam (Apr 20, 2010)

I feed my alpine/nubian doe 4 cups of a 16% goat grain mix once a day - I mix about 2 50 lb bags of regular feed in with 1 50 lb bag of sweet feed and to that whole mix I added about 25 lb of alfalfa pellets.  I top dress her feed with 1 2.5g scoop of Probios once a week.  I'm thinking of upping her ration to 5 cups once she starts giving more milk.

She has free choice hay, no pasture grasses except on weekends when we bring them out into the field (currently it's not set up with any fencing so we must be present), a mineral block from TSC and a salt block.


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 20, 2010)

I feed my Ober as much grain she'll eat while I'm milking, which usually ends up to be 1-1.5 lbs of 16% dairy goat grain (textured) twice per day.  Plus she has pasture and grass hay.


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## ksalvagno (Apr 21, 2010)

I mix Kalmbach Texturized feed 16% (sweet feed), Kent 16% goat ration (pellet goat feed), black oil sunflower seeds and during the winter some calf manna.


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## FarmerCathy (Aug 21, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> I feed sprouted whole grains (barley or oats, mostly barley right now) and feed according to condition.  I add alfalfa pellets, soaked beet pulp, and chopped veggies to the dairy girl's rations.
> 
> The most grain I've fed is a heaping double-handful twice a day during peak lactation.


I really want to try the sprouted grains for my girl.  Sounds like you have good results with the barley and oats.  What do you think about sprouted corn as long as its non-GMO?


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## dkluzier (Aug 21, 2010)

My lactating nannies get 1.5 measuring cups of Dumor sweet feed top dressed with a handful of BOSS twice a day while being milked, free access to pasture, hay and minerals.  I think that the sweet feed actually sweetens the milk since I have had several folks try it and comment that it's the best goat milk they've ever had  My current milkers are both nubian mix does.


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## DAS (Aug 23, 2010)

Does anyone have an idea of how much feed (sweet mix--18% protein) I should give a Kinder doe who is nursing 2 month-old kids? ----on top of which I'll be milking her soon?  Everything I read is for full sized goats -- anyone know how much a lactating Kinder should get?

Thanks -- Dina


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## DAS (Aug 23, 2010)

DAS said:
			
		

> Does anyone have an idea of how much feed (sweet mix--18% protein) I should give a Kinder doe who is nursing 2 month-old kids? ----on top of which I'll be milking her soon?  Everything I read is for full sized goats -- anyone know how much a lactating Kinder should get?
> 
> Thanks -- Dina


oooops !

I should have added that she also has free access to grass hay & 1 lb alfalfa cubes 2xdaily


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## cmjust0 (Aug 23, 2010)

Advice on this is usually given in an "x-lbs of feed for x-lbs of milk" type of formula..  I've read different numbers on it, but the one our does seem to stick with (on their own...before they get kinda meh about their grain) is about 1lb of grain for every 3lbs of milk, or somewhere thereabout.  The proverbial "gallon-a-day" milker, then, would be on about 3lbs of grain, given a gallon of milk weighs 8-9lbs.  

Some need more to keep condition...some need less...some won't keep condition no matter how much you (try to) feed them...some won't lose condition no matter how much you cut them back.  

Having said that...I guess I'd say start her on about 1lb of grain for every 3lbs (3 pints, roughly) she's producing.  If she starts adding condition to the point that she's getting fat, cut her back and learn to milk faster.    If she loses condition at that rate, steadily bump her up until she either stops losing condition or reaches a feed intake level with which you're not comfortable...like, pounds and pounds of feed...bloat/acidosis levels of feed, in other words.


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