# Diet.. Having trouble making sure my goats are healthy!



## SmallFarmGirl (Jun 2, 2012)

So are my goats overweight? Sorry the pics are B&W.
Betty is white with spots on her and Kisses is brown with a black stripe down her back. 

















Here's a little history: 
Betty is a 5 year old, is not bred, but I plan to do it possibly this fall. I'd like to get her to lose a little weight first! 
She is fed about 1 cup- 3/4 cup of all natural goat feed, fresh hay, and water. 

Kisses is a 2 year old, that I am milking, not bred, but I plan on it this year or next. 
She is fed 1 cup- 3/4 cup of all natural goat feed, fresh hay, and water. 

Feeding schedule: 
I put kisses on the milk stand and give her the certain amount of feed and I milk her. 
While kisses is on the milk stand I give betty in her own bowl the specific amount. SO both get their own feed. 
After I milk and put Kisses back, both does have eaten all their feed. Then all they have to eat is hay and drink fresh water. 

I've been doing this for about a week now. Before, I just put the amount of feed in each bowl for them and let them eat that along with hay and they could drink water. 

So, Am I doing something wrong, do they need to slim down, are they fine? What should I change, not? 


Thanks in advance.


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## redtailgal (Jun 2, 2012)

Can you get some color pics of them standing up, from the sides and the front and back............


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## SheepGirl (Jun 2, 2012)

Body condition score them.






If they are overweight, I would stop feeding Betty the grain; she really doesn't need it since she's in the maintenance stage right now. Just hay & water will work for her. Kisses, since you are milking her, can continue the grain because she is in the lactation stage right now. I would weigh her feed so you know how much you're feeding her. With sheep, as a general rule you feed them 1 lb per lamb they're nursing. If I remember correctly, Kisses had just a single stillborn kid, so I would work her up to 1 lb of grain per day to maximize her milk production.

Of course, I'm a sheep person, and I am no goat expert, so hopefully somebody will chime in.


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## SmallFarmGirl (Jun 2, 2012)

Betty: 










Kisses: 










how do they look?


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## that's*satyrical (Jun 2, 2012)

They do not look fat at all to me.


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## SmallFarmGirl (Jun 2, 2012)

Problem solved! 

No more grain for Betty and More feed for Kisses to increase her milk production! I noticed she was giving ALOT less.


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## Catahoula (Jun 2, 2012)

Betty looks fine to me but Kisses seem a bit chunky?? Maybe instead of more grains for Kisses, alfalfa pellets?


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## DonnaBelle (Jun 2, 2012)

They look fine to me.  I'm like you, constantly checking my goats, are they a little too heavy?  Are they skinny??  My does all had multiple births this year.  Felicia was skinny, her hair was coarse, I was soooo worried about her after she kidded.  I made sure she had deworming as soon as she kidded, then again 10 days later.  She got some Red Cell, and her 16% protein goat feed.  Also top dressed with about l/2 cup of BOSS.  Of course, good hay, fresh water, free choice.

I'd say they all look fine.  If you are milking a goat, they do need extra feed.

My goats look great now, they've had about 6 weeks of lovely brouse.  Their coats are slick and shiny and since they can get a lot of exercise, at good weight too.

DonnaBelle


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## ksalvagno (Jun 3, 2012)

They look fine to me. Nigerian Dwarfs are a little heavier looking than the full size dairy goats. I like my girls to be a little on the heavier when I breed them so that they are in really good condition when they give birth and have to provide milk. It is amazing how fast they lose weight when nursing kids and milking.


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## marliah (Jun 3, 2012)

They look fine to me too. And yes Nigerians do lose weight fast with kidding and milking, my one doe went from average condition to very thin in only a matter of weeks, I had to significantly increase her feed to get her back to healthy looking.


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## Catahoula (Jun 3, 2012)

Haha...I am new to goats and I really don't know what's chunky or not. Most of the milking goats or nursing ones I see are a bit thin I guess because of the milk production. So when I see Kisses, she is a bit round to me...but I really don't know about goats.


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