Feeding pregnant does...

[Georgiamainers]

This is our first year having pregnant does through the whole winter. When we purchased them last Feb they were pregnant. They are given free choice grassy hay and a quart (yogurt container) of 14% feed in the morning with a half cup of alfalfa pellets dressed on top. They have access to minerals.

Is this enough or should they be fed grain at night as well? The Sanaan is about to turn 3 months preggo and the Togg is a month behind her. It is Extremely cold here in central Maine lately. I take them warm water three times a day. They are in a barn with lots of hay bedding piled up since fall.

Also, when do you increase to the 18% protein in the feed, towards the end of the pregnancy? Do you do it gradually?

Thanks for your tips.

 

[20kidsonhill]

we do 16% grain the last month of pregnancy. I am not sure you ever want to increase to 18% protein. Maybe some others would chime in on that. I personally think that is a little too high for your does.

We feed 3 measureing cups a day of 16% pelleted goat grain plus all the hay they can eat. quality of hay does matter. So when giving you advice about how much grain, it would matter how nutritional your hay is. All I can tell you is what we do. We add alfalfa hay to the daily hay ration, once they get really close to kidding and after they kid we feed about 2 lbs of alfalfa hay a day per doe, plus all the grass hay they can. plus a mixture of 3 cups grain, 1 cup corn, and 1 cup beet pulp per doe. Some does would get more than this depending on feeding multiples or the overall health.

The kind of goat you have will affect the adive you get. Since you have a large breed dairy that can be on the thinner side, I would say you would be hard pressed to over feed them.

are you saying you are feeding a total of 1 guart between the two does, So 4 cups total? If that is the case you are probably okay with that amount for another month or two, but personally if it was me when they get around 4 months pregnant I would bump it up a little.

The hay is really what they need to help their systems fight the cold.

 

[Georgiamainers]

Thanks for the reply. They are getting about a quart Each.
My step dad is a dairy farmer on our road and grows grass to feed his herd. This is where we get our hay.
It's good stuff.
About the 18% feed, it's what I've been feeding them during lactation.

 

[Chris]

Our non milking pregnant does get a 16% feed and up to 1 pound of feed per head per day, they have all the hay and water they want.

I wouldn't give them warm water, the warm water is hard on them in the cold and will freeze quicker than cold water.

Chris