# Is it OK to keep feeding my doe this



## happydays (Jul 10, 2012)

We have had our doe for around two months now.  She was around one and a half years old no baby, no milk.  She was very thin and quite boney and her coat was very dry and rough.  She is in a field.  We have been feeding a goat feed which has lots of different grains and vitamins in it.  I have been giving her a couple of cups in a morning and a couple of night.  I have been on here before as I just couldnt find any goat minerals where I live and am still looking.

I keep reading that you shouldnt feed a doe grains if she is not milking etc. as they dont need it.  The thing is since we started feeding it to her, her condition has improved 100% she has put on weight and now isnt boney, her coat is soft and shiny and she just looks so much more healthy.  If she is looking so good do I still need to try and get some goat minerals or do you think she is getting all she needs from the goat feed.  She also gets some fruit and veg. etc.


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## Hillsvale (Jul 10, 2012)

mine get grain at night...


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## Catahoula (Jul 10, 2012)

I am also new to goats and had mine for two months also. My first thought after reading your post is...if you only feed a child candies and cookies, s/he will grow and gain weighs too. But is it good and healthy for the child in the long run? A goats basic need is water, mineral and hay/browse. They need roughage. You can certainly feed your goats grains as supplement especially for milking, nursing, pregnant, working goats or goats are too thin in your case. You can still feed her some grains but she needs her roughage and minerals. Ask the feed store if they can order goat minerals for you. It will cost more but you can mail order mineral too. 
Good Luck!


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## elevan (Jul 10, 2012)

You will find many different opinions on how to feed and what to feed.  You have to decide what's right for your situation as you're the one looking at it.

Check out the Goat Feeding Discussion (link is in my signature below) to see just how wide a range the members of this forum feed their goats.

Their basic requirements are Long Stemmy Foodstuff (Hay / Browse), Minerals and Water.  But, sometimes that needs supplemented with something else based on a given situation.

You didn't say how much your goat weighs.  Is a cup a standard measuring cup or is it a "cup"?

You said she's skinny / boney and has a rough coat.  I'd say that the grain is likely needed to get her in better condition.  The minerals / vitamins in it are likely improving her coat.  Make sure you get some good goat loose minerals out for her, you cannot depend on the feed alone to give her what she needs in this area.  When she's in proper form you can start weaning her off of the grain (if you like).

JMHO


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## Chris (Jul 10, 2012)

happydays said:
			
		

> We have had our doe for around two months now.  She was around one and a half years old no baby, no milk.  She was very thin and quite boney and her coat was very dry and rough.  She is in a field.  We have been feeding a goat feed which has lots of different grains and vitamins in it.  I have been giving her a couple of cups in a morning and a couple of night.  I have been on here before as I just couldnt find any goat minerals where I live and am still looking.
> 
> I keep reading that you shouldnt feed a doe grains if she is not milking etc. as they dont need it.  The thing is since we started feeding it to her, her condition has improved 100% she has put on weight and now isnt boney, her coat is soft and shiny and she just looks so much more healthy.  If she is looking so good do I still need to try and get some goat minerals or do you think she is getting all she needs from the goat feed.  She also gets some fruit and veg. etc.





> We have been feeding a goat feed which has lots of different grains and vitamins in it.  I have been giving her a couple of cups in a morning and a couple of night.


1- What breed do you have

2- Not all feeds weigh the same so using "cups" isn't a very good way of feeding. Your "cup" of feed might weigh less than my "cup" of feed even if we are using the exact same cup. It is best to weigh the amount of feed you are feeding per feeding. 

I my self like to keep my does on some feed year round, the only real thing that changes is the amount of protein.

ETA,
Have you wormed or treated her for coccidiosis?


Chris


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## redtailgal (Jul 10, 2012)

She definitely needs to have loose minerals available at all times.  This is something that every goat needs, regardless of health, weight, age or location.

As far as feeding, ask 100 people and you'll get 100 answers........all of which may be "right".

If she is doing good on what your doing, I wouldnt change it.

My goats have hay, water and loose mineral available all the time.  They have access to a grassy/weedy field and/or a large wooded brushy area.  In the winter months, I feed them grain (in the pellet form), but each goat gets their own specific amount.  I occasionally give them some leftover produce, but not often as they are INCREDIBLY picky eaters.


I'm so glad that she is doing better!!!


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## that's*satyrical (Jul 10, 2012)

Yes you want the minerals for sure. I love the manna pro goat minerals. It is only $10 bag at Tractor Supply. There are so many good things about this product. My goats all look awesome even the black ones have a shiny black coat. It has AC added to help keep bucks/wethers from getting UC. It also is chelated. 

As far as the grain, all my goats get some.  Not a whole ton, but they all get some. They all are looking fabulous & my young ones are growing out nicely. You do want the main staple of their diet to be good hay if you can get it. Alfalfa mix or alfalfa is best.  Also all my goats get a handfull of BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) daily. This helps keep the copper/selenium level in your goats high enough & also adds good fats to their diet. Goats very often times have a hard time getting enough copper & selenium. 

Hope this helps!!!


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## Roll farms (Jul 10, 2012)

Just like some humans can eat and eat and never seem to gain weight, and others of us gain 5# if we even look at a candy bar, goats can have differing metabolisms and needs.

Our dairy does NEED grain.  Period.  I don't care if I fed them the best hay in the world, they just look scrawny w/out grain.  Even when not in milk.

Our Boer does do not NEED grain.  But....I can't keep them and the dairy does seperated right now (using the extra pens for breeding) so all my boer does are getting grain and are very, very chubby right now.

And I have one doe, Levi....who I can feed the crappiest grass hay in the world and she'll STILL get fat.  She's 3/4 boer, 1/4 dairy but looks like a sumo wrestler.

Give her grain until you think she looks 'ok', then cut back by 1/4, then 1/2, etc. until you see she's losing condition....then you'll know how much she really 'needs' to be at her best.  

Jeffers Livestock Supply carries the Manna Pro goat mineral and several others, and will ship.  It's going to cost more, but she NEEDS it.


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## chubbydog811 (Jul 10, 2012)

Definitely depends who you ask  
I don't feed grain to dry animals - just hay, pasture, and loose minerals UNLESS they are skinny. I have Saanens. They are nearly impossible to keep weight on, and need grain year round (just not as much when they are not milking). 
I found the best thing to put weight on was hay, minerals, alfalfa pellets, and sweet goat feed (per grain reps. suggestion to put real weight on). Once she gains and looks good, you can cut back and find a good level to maintain at instead - unless she is the "gets fat on air" type, then just cut the grain out completely.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jul 10, 2012)

Everybody has a different way they feed their goats. Here's mine: Feeding my Goats


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## happydays (Jul 12, 2012)

Thanks guys.


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