# What do you feed your wethers?



## muddipuppy (Apr 26, 2011)

Mine has free acceess to alfalfa and gets oat pellets and grain (~1 cup a day). Am I on track?


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 26, 2011)

Wethers can be fed quite basic. Quality hay(too much risk of Urinary Calculi with Alfalfa*), water, goat minerals, and browse.

* _See my note on your other thread as to what I mean about Alfalfa._


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## crazygoatlady915 (Apr 26, 2011)

Lots of Alfalfa Hay, and if you are keeping him long-term be sure to give him minerals to prevent urinary calculi.


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## Ariel301 (Apr 26, 2011)

If he's just a pet, he probably doesn't need any grain. If you are fattening him for slaughter/market/show that's a different story, I know those boys are usually fed a lot of grain, but I don't raise them so I don't know exactly how to feed show/market wethers.


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## warthog (Apr 26, 2011)

My two guys have free acces to browse, grass hay 24/7 and a little bit of grain in the evenings.

If the weather is bad (rainy season) they get a bit of grain morning and evening (bit means about 4 ounces).


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## Chirpy (Apr 26, 2011)

When I had my wether I only fed him a good grass hay, browsing and no grain except as an occasional treat.   Alfalfa hay often times has too much calcium in it - thus why I didn't take chances feeding.


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## Ariel301 (Apr 27, 2011)

Chirpy said:
			
		

> When I had my wether I only fed him a good grass hay, browsing and no grain except as an occasional treat.   Alfalfa hay often times has too much calcium in it - thus why I didn't take chances feeding.


High calcium feed like alfalfa is fine for wethers. It's high phosphorus (grain) you should worry about. Urinary stones in goats are not calcium based like they are in humans.


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## jcooke1 (Apr 28, 2011)

Ariel301 said:
			
		

> Chirpy said:
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Everything I have read about UC mentions that wethers can develope stones from to high of phosphorus and to high of calcium. The best way to help prevent stones is to keep the 2:1 ratio well balanced and if a whether is fed grain ammonia chloride should be added.


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## elevan (Apr 28, 2011)

muddipuppy said:
			
		

> Mine has free acceess to alfalfa and gets oat pellets and grain (~1 cup a day). Am I on track?


Is the wether a pet or being fed out for slaughter?  That's a really important point that needs to be noted.

And what breed are we talking about here?


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 28, 2011)

mine are boer and get free-choice 16% pelleted goat grain medicated and with Ammonia chloride in it , grass mix hay, a little pasture, but if they are terminal or for show, they get very very little hay and pasture. 

The average 8 week old kid would be 45 to 50 lbs and eating 1 1/2 lbs a day(4 1/2cups) per day, up to 3 or 4 lbs a day near 90 to 120lbs body weight. 

1 lb is about 3 cups.


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## helmstead (Apr 28, 2011)

Ariel301 said:
			
		

> Chirpy said:
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Yep, this stuff about alfalfa being BAD for wethers is _not true at all_.

Alfalfa hay and pellets are the PERFECT feed for wethers and bucks.  A goat pellet with added AC is fine if you're finishing them for market or needing to add some extra condition (ie when a buck is in rut).


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## mossyStone (Apr 28, 2011)

all my goats get alfalfa  i have never had trouble ever feeding alfalfa...



this includes wethers my buck yearling babies and milkers!!! 

grain and  goat pellets  with AC mostly for the milkers and sir buck aroo 
they all get alfalfal pellets tho free choice.

we have browes and pasture for them also....


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