# How much feed for 2 Nigerian Dwarf Does?



## Jojo34 (Apr 29, 2012)

I haven't yet gotten any goats, but I'm planning out the cost of keeping some. If I buy a 50lb bag, how long will it last? How much should I feed them a day?
I've also seen a couple websites with recipes. Would it be okay to give them a mix of oats, corn, wheat berries, millet, and barley instead of an expensive feed ($25 where I live)?
This is in addition to alfalfa hay.
I'm completely new to all this, I'm almost completely clueless...


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## hcppam (Apr 29, 2012)

you don't give them much of the pellets I just bought a 50 lb bag for $11.56 I was told to give them a scoop about a cup and a half each in the morning and a half of flake of hay in the after noon or the other way around. That was for 2 NG goats.  Of course you would feed more if needed. So 50lbs will go a long way. grain is fed to pregnant and milkers. Weathers get a mixed bale.


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## Tapsmom (Apr 30, 2012)

Hi and welcome.  (I don't know how to put that cool welcome to BYH banner on) I have a ND doe and whether.  My whether is basically finishing the Noble Goat bag and he only gets 1/4 cup am and pm until it's gone.  My doe gets a sweet feed and she gets 1 cup am and pm.  a 50lb bag would probably last you about 2 months.  I bought a bag for her in January and just bought a new oe yesterday, but only 1 doe is eating the sweet feed.  I do love our goats and we are actively looking for another doe right now


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## Straw Hat Kikos (May 19, 2012)

My Nigerians get two cups of pellet feed per day. It really depends on what you're feeding them. If you are feeding them grain like some people do then you give them much less because they will get sick if not. They can't take much grain. I really have no idea how long it will last you because I go thru a fair amount of fed for my Nigerians. Make sure that your goats always have good browse and good hay. Goats need to have good hay. If you don't have good browse or hay they will need more feed. Here's a little tip that most know but not all beginners know. Always have clean water for your goats. They must have clean water, especially bucks and pregnant does. Goats also like warm water in the winter. The warm water helps warm their stomachs and it makes it easier for them to digest their food. In the summer they like cool to luke-warm water.


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## SheepGirl (May 19, 2012)

You should always weigh their feed...it makes it easier to calculate when you need to get new feed. Also, different feeds will not weigh the same, even when put in the same container. For example, you can fit ~3 lbs of oats in a coffee can, but in that same coffee can, you can hold 5 lbs of corn.

Goats require 3% of their body weight in feed for maintenance (i.e. not growing, not gestating, not lactating, not breeding). I don't know what the average weight for a ND is, but, for example, a 100 lb goat will require 3 lbs of hay (not including waste). As a general rule, for every 1 lb of grain you feed, it replaces 2 lbs of hay. (So you can feed 1 lb of grain to your 100 lb goat in addition to 1 lb of hay.) While most animals won't waste grain (because it is fed in a trough or feed pan so it can't fall to the ground), they do tend to waste hay. A good amount to factor in as waste is about 10%. So if you feed all roughage, set out 3.3 lbs for your 100 lb goat in maintenance. If you decide to feed grain, feed 1 lb grain and 1.1 lb hay.

A growing goat will need more feed than this. A pregnant doe can be fed 'as maintenance' for about 3-4 months into her pregnancy, and then be fed more in her last 1-2 months. Usually in a flock of sheep, the ewes are flushed (given more nutrients) to encourage ovulation to produce more lambs...I don't know if goat producers do this, but it won't hurt to try. A lactating goat will need more feed than a maintenance goat because she's got to maintain herself, plus take in extra feed (and water) to convert to milk to feed her growing babies or increase milk production for you.

Mixing your own feed does save money. However, you MUST get all the nutrients in the right amounts and not have any deficient OR toxic levels of anything. This requires a lot of math! It's best to leave it up to the professionals (the livestock nutritionists who go to college for it), unless you have a large herd.


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