Am I feeding enough?

[Luvmigoats]

I have three doelings, all 6- 7 months. One pure nigi and two pygmy/nigi/? Mixes. I feed them 3 cups or less noble goat 3 or so cups alfalfa pellets and a big plastic kid wagon of free choice chaffhaye and orchardgrass daily My 4 month old buckling gets 1/4 cup noble and a cup alfalfa pellets and 5 gal bucket of chaffhaye and orchard They were wormed when I got them and since then too. My goats aren't big bellied at all. They have minerals grass and browse several days out of the week. They look proportional but so many goats I see are big and round and mine aren't. My nigi buckling is the same but my nigis are built stockier and smaller than my mixes.

Am I holding back too much? I'm going to get alfalfa hay bales today so I can give them more hay while I'm at work. BTW, they refuse all hay but alfalfa and alfalfa mixes. They nibble at the orchard. Very spoiled and picky and persistent even after giving them just hay for days. All were vet checked and vaccinated. What am I doing wrong?!

The pic is a few weeks old. They may be a little heavier now but not round. The smallest is my buckling. And that's a giant German Rottweiler/ pit bull puppy, not a large ugly goat lol ( no she doesn't stay loose with them)

 

[OneFineAcre]

I think they are getting plenty. They look fine in the picture to me. I mean they really do look to be of good size for 6-7 month old Nigerian, or Nigerian Pygmy crosses.

You are right, they look proportional. Did you consider the "big and round" ones might be too well conditioned?

Plus, you do see some variation in body capacity and type on Nigerians.

I have a couple that are naturally slender, particularly when lactating and a couple that stay wide no matter what.

 

[Luvmigoats]

It worried me bc my crosses were round and fat when I bought them but they ate nothing but grain corn and hay. I cut the corn down to a twice monthly treat and I wondered if that was what had them so round? My nigis have maintained the same form tho.

I thought about other goats just being too healthy but it's like nearly ALL of them that I see look that way

 

[OneFineAcre]

I don't think they can be too healthy. "over conditioned", "fleshy" yes. We even had a judge tell us he could tell our goats were "extremely well loved"

I'd give each a cup of feed. If you get some bales of alfalfa that would be good too.

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Your goats look just fine.

Alfalfa is nutritious but I don't give much to my cattle or goats. I plant my fields with a good mixture for my area and supplement with plain jane fertilized field hay. My critters eat it like it is going out of style.

 

[goats&moregoats]

They look great in that picture. How are they doing now?