# 6 week old Pygmy?NiGi doelings - how much grain per day?



## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Holy moley!  One site says 1/2 cup 2 x day another says up to 3 cups per day.  We have the Purina Sweet goat feed, it has been VERY cold here (10-20*).  They have free choice hay with alfalfa in it.  Any help I would GREATLY appreciate.  Thanks!


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## ()relics (Dec 13, 2010)

Generally a 6 week old goat kid is still drinking, if not from its mother, then from a bottle.  Did you buy them as weaned kids that are positively eating solid food?


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Yes, the lady I bought them from said that the mother was "kicking" them away and had been eating hay and grain.  I have had them since Thursday night, giving them hay and almost a cup of grain a day.  All the grain has been gone in the evening for 2 days.  My first time with goats and it seems all the info I am reading is so condtradictory!  I thought I had read enough before getting them but them I read all these different opinions!  UGH!  I even went on the Purina site and they give NO info on quantity of feed per day.


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## Roll farms (Dec 13, 2010)

The half cup 2x a day sounds close to what I would feed...but like relics I also wonder, are they still getting milk?
Keep the hay in front of them in this cold weather.


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Absolutely about the hay,  I just put a new bale in there and they went right to it and starting picking at it before I could get some in the rack!  Should I be giving them milk too?  If so, do you know where I could find info on bottle feeding?  The woman said they do not need any.  She had about 10 kids and 7 or so Mothers in one big stall in her barn.


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## ()relics (Dec 13, 2010)

I know I like to wean kids early but 35 days seems a WAY too early to me.


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok, if they only had mothers milk for who knows how long, where do I start?  Cows milk, whole?  Baby bottle?  Frequency?  I certainly do not want to not have the girls get what they need.  Why did the woman say they were fine without milk!  I hate being a newbie...


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## ()relics (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok  Roll Farms takes over here...She bottle feeds 20-35(?) kids a year....She can answer any  question you throw at her or him depending on which Roll is on-line...


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Thank you so much!  Makes me sad to think they do need more than I have been giving.


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## Roll farms (Dec 13, 2010)

If they're eating grain well (and it sounds like they are) I probably wouldn't start them on milk again.  They may scour if you do...and weaning them in 4-6 weeks will stress them out.
I was concerned about if they were weaned suddenly / getting enough grain in.  
Sounds like they are.


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

PHEW!  I have been checking to see that they are pooping - and they are.  Drinking water, eating hay and grain.  They only "maaa" when they see me.  I sneak out to the shed to make sure they are not crying.  They are so snuggly,  if I walk up to them they will put their heads under my arm (they stand on a shelf I made) and just be quiet.  Love them!

Anything in particular that I should look for?


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## Roll farms (Dec 13, 2010)

Look for as far as....?

Have they been vaccinated?  (CD&T)


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## Roll farms (Dec 13, 2010)

And for the record, 'her' is the only one who can type.  
'Him' is for the heavy lifting.


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Nope, no vac either.  She told me 3 mths old for that.  Now?

I am a "her" and the animals are "mine & our childrens" so, that means I type, do the heavy lifting, building, and all the rest of the fun stuff!  Love every minute of it.  Well, maybe not EVERY minute but most of them....


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## Roll farms (Dec 13, 2010)

I give mine their 1st cdt by 2 wks of age, their booster at 6 wks.  I would get that taken care of ASAP.

Give your 'him' time.  
Mine once SWORE, "I'll never touch a goat's udder" and now he loves to milk.
I do 90% of the work, but there's some things I just can't do alone...those times I am reminded why I keep him around.

His job is seasonal, so from March to October I do it all.
This time of year, when I'm not milking, bottling, hatching, gardening, etc...and he's around to help, is my 'vacation'.


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## happyhensny (Dec 13, 2010)

Cdt will be done this weekend.  Out of all the animals I think DH likes the idea of the goats best due to their activity level.  He wanted "big billy's" I said NO, we have 3 children, 13, 11 & 7.  No billys, they are a bit stinky I have heard.  Agressive sometimes too.  Little ones to start.  I ask him to come see, I think he may be getting hooked!


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## Emmetts Dairy (Dec 14, 2010)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> I give mine their 1st cdt by 2 wks of age, their booster at 6 wks.  I would get that taken care of ASAP.


I second that!!    Glad your getting it done this weekend.  Are you doing the injections yourself???  Make sure your familar with locations on there bodies for that!  Important!!


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## Ariel301 (Dec 14, 2010)

happyhensny said:
			
		

> Cdt will be done this weekend.  Out of all the animals I think DH likes the idea of the goats best due to their activity level.  He wanted "big billy's" I said NO, we have 3 children, 13, 11 & 7.  No billys, they are a bit stinky I have heard.  Agressive sometimes too.  Little ones to start.  I ask him to come see, I think he may be getting hooked!


A "bit" stinky...the one I bred my does to this year was so bad you could smell him half a mile downwind from the pen. Not joking. I raked out his bedding when he was gone and dumped it in the garden, and now the garden smells like buck...and he's been gone for two months. Not a good pet! 

I do all the heavy lifting too, except for hay deliveries. I have to pay someone for that, because the bales weigh more than me and my husband is badly allergic to hay. He will move a bag or two of chicken feed, but I do everything for the goats. 

I would definitely get on their vaccinations as soon as possible. 

As far as graining kids...I usually don't. Mine are weaned between 8-12 weeks old, and go on a diet of alfalfa hay, all they can eat. They also get all they want of a good mineral mix. I only grain them if they are not holding a good body condition, I don't like them to get overweight. (Plus grain is horribly expensive here, so I don't use it if I don't have to) I typically only grain my milking does, who are full size goats, and they get 1-3 pounds daily depending on their condition. I only have one doe who is grained year round, the rest only eat grain if they are making milk. The males never get grain.


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## happyhensny (Dec 14, 2010)

I am going to ask my Nieces hubby to come help me give the Vacs.  He grew up on a dairy farm and now has Nubians.  

No grain even in the cold weather?  Right now it is 17* and supposed to go down to 10* tonight.  I was just thinking that they may need the extra nutrition.

I would much rather "work" with the animals than go to a gym.  Gyms are germy.    People carry yucky stuff - animals, not so much.  

ETA:  The girls seemed fine this evening.  No shivering, gave them their grain and fresh water.  Then they ran around a bit in the shed.  Seem fine.


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