feeding a wether

[mdoerge]

I have an 8 week old Nigerian wether. He has been eating hay, a small amount of grains, and has been grazing. I know I'm supposed to limit the amount of grain he eats, but I'm not sure what that actually means. How much should he be getting a day?

 

[Chirpy]

I didn't give my wether grains except for a very occasional treat. Some people give grain more regularly but I'd rather not take the chance of UC. Wethers don't usually need grain so it's just a treat for them.

 

[mdoerge]

Even at 8 weeks? Can he grow well on just hay?

 

[ThornyRidge]

He is still young and could benefit from grain within reason. I feed my bucks and wethers grain daily and have had no issues for years. The grain I use,however, is formulated for goats and does contain AC which is reported to reduce potential of UC. There are many different views and opinions on what/how to feed. Truly you have to find what works for you and your goats especially in your area and what you feed i.e. quality of hay/roughage/how much browse/loose minerals, etc. I would suggest giving him free choice hay ( goodgrass/legume mix) and at least a cup of grain per day.. you can break that up.. and a little more/little less will not hurt either. Do you know at what age he was actually wethered?

 

[helmstead]

My recommendation is as follows:

All growing animals need supplemental feed to grow properly. I recommend to my clients to feed goat pellets to their pet wethers until they're clearly fully grown - then adjust the amount according to body score. My general rule of thumb is 3.5 lbs of grain per 100 lbs of goat daily. Naturally, this must be adjusted per the animal's needs. Once a wether is grown, alfalfa pellets are the perfect substitution for the pellets (because they'll hate you if they start loosing out on breakfast and dinner!).

Of course, all wethers and bucks should be on an AC program. You can either use a feed containing AC or purchase loose minerals which contain it. New information suggests that full time AC will lessen its effectiveness, so rotation is the new routine.

 

[PattiXmas]

We are feeding our wethers pellets and letting them graze and eat all the grass they want. Is this adequate? We make sure the wethers have pellets available at all times (along with fresh water). We heard that too much hay will give they a hay belly and that we should avoid that. These aren't pet wethers but meat weathers. Does it sound like I am doing it correctly?

 

[wynedot55]

yes that should be enough.i let my goats graze all they want.plus give them a big coffee can of feed once or twice a day.

 

[PattiXmas]

I forgot to add that we do give them the mineral that is loose. Not in a block. I did see some mineral at the farm store that was berry flavored. Anyone try it or heard of it?

 

[mdoerge]

ThornyRidge - I'm not exactly sure how old he was when he was wethered. I think it was around 5-6 weeks. It was done surgically by a vet - he wasn't banded. What kind of feed do you use that contains AC? I was told there is a grain mix made for meat goats that has AC. Would that be appropriate for a Nigi? He is my son's 4-H project. We've only had him for less than a week, so he is still on the grain the breeder gave me. I started mixing it with the brand I use with my does to get him transitioned over. If I switch him to a grain with AC, will it hurt the does if they get some? I am feeding them separately, but the girls tend to clean up after him (and vice versa). What in the grain actually cause the stones to form?

 

[helmstead]

Yup meat goat feed is great for Nigis. It will contain rumesin or decoxx for cocci prevention and, in some cases, AC.

No, won't hurt the does one bit. Ours get AC right along with the bucks (does can get UC, too!).

It's the calcium to phosphorus ratio that you need to be concerned with. 2:1

Sweet feed is also notorious for causing UC.