Feeding Milkers

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Just have a couple quick questions about feeding my new goats.

I started my herd with Nubians; 1 yearling and 4 milkers between ages 2-5 years. All the milkers kidded within the last 8 weeks before I purchased them. They are all very very good goats and very sweet. I've had them roughly 2 months now.

I am giving them free-choice alfalfa, which leads me to my first question... How much should they be eating? I am going through about 2 bales a week between the 5 goats! (Which was way more than I expected).

Second they are each getting a dog-food size bowl of dairy goat grain while on the stand milking.

And after each am and pm milking they are all splitting a pitcher of dairy goat pellets that I spread in their hay rack.

My second question is that 2 of the goats seem thin to me, but I can't get them to eat any more, and the other two seem WAYYYY too fat. They have huge bellies, which I am assuming is from all they hay they eat? They are like piggies with insatiable appetites eating everything in site.

I recently dewormed with Ivomec Plus and are close to time for our second dose.

Thank you for any help!

Edited to add that they have free choice loose Sweetlix Caprine Magnum milk minerals.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would continue to feed the hay free choice. I always feed hay free choice. When they are in milk, they go through a lot of hay. Plus full size goats go through a lot more hay than you think. Especially if they aren't out grazing at all and that is their only source of fiber.

I would just feed on the milkstand with the pellets. You could probaby cut back a little on the grain with the heavier goats and give as much as possible to the thin goats. Find a way to give grain to the yearling without the others eating it. Even put her on the milk stand once a day to feed her alone. Watch everyone and see if anyone is getting pushed out the hay. You may have to add more areas to get hay. I have 6 separate places for 12 goats to get their hay so no one is ever totally pushed out from eating hay.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I have to be careful about how much pellets I give them as it gives them diarrhea easily. They haven't been on it that long.

The two skinny ones get as much grain as they will eat. They don't eat much of it though.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Hmm just a thought...

I looked up goat body fat scale to tell how fat they are and the one that has a huge belly is actually really skinny. Her backbone is protruding and she has no "fat pad" over her sternum. Big belly though. I am wondering if she could be pregnant? She kidded 2 months before I got her in early March, but was in a pen with bucks and other goats... how likely that she could be pregnant?

 

[ksalvagno]

Yes, she definitely could be pregnant again. Boy is that bad if she is so skinny. You can add stuff like Calf Manna to their feed along with shredded beet pulp. You will need to find out if she is pregnant. You will need to dry her off quickly. She could have been bred very shortly after she gave birth. What kind of hay are you feeding? Is it first or second cut?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Uh oh! I hope not!

I do have some Calf Manna and BOSS I've been adding as a top dressing. Should I try and increase her grain more?

How would I find out if she is?

I have no idea about the hay, I do know it's alfalfa. There isn't any choice though, it's whatever they have at the time. There are only 2 feedstores by me and they both get it from the same place. I'm sure I could ask them but it might change with the next shipment...

 

[ksalvagno]

Do you have a vet or do you feel comfortable drawing blood? You can have blood drawn and put it in an orange (red) top tube and mail it to BioTracking. They do pregnancy testing through blood. The other option is ultrasound by a vet.

You can slowly increase her grain.

I would also suggest having a fecal done and make sure they look for coccidia too. It never hurts to rule out parasite. With kidding and possibly being pregnant again, that would be a prime parasite time.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Do you have a website for Biotracking and do you know the cost?

Thank you!

 

[ksalvagno]

Just do a search for BioTracking and their website should come up. It has been a while since I used them so I don't remember the cost but it wasn't much.