gaining your goats

[riley]

how muck grain should i give my goats and how much should i give them

 

[Rockytopsis]

New to this forum, but I can say that it depends on what breed of goats your have and their purpose on the farm. Dairy goats in milk would take the most, wethers the least. Smaller goats ie Pygmys would not require as much as say Nubians or Boers.

 

[pattyjean73]

It also depends on the quality of pasture that they're on. Best thing to do is feed them and adjust amounts to condition of goats. Some grain twice a day, some grain only once. I currently have 9 goats (8 boers 1 alpine). A few of them were a bit thin when I brought them home so I started out with 15 cups twice per day. The thin ones quickly gained weight and condition improved dramatically. Now I'm only feeding them 15 cups once a day and they are maintaining nicely. It will also depend upon the quality of feed that you're giving them. I am graining with Purina Goat Chow. It has 16% protein. I don't know if it's a good feed or not, but it seems to be giving me the results I want with a minimal amount.

ETA: Keep in mind that I have all does except for one billy and all of them are under a year old except the billy's momma. She's approximately 4 years old.

 

[Dorothy1324]

i hope that is 1.5 cups and not 15.

 

[username taken]

i hope that is 1.5 cups and not 15.

I'm thinking 15 cups for the whole group, not each animal.

 

[farmergal]

Any suggestions on grain rations for NGDs? I have one dry doe and 5 kids. I am thinking of letting the kids free choice since they're growing, but not sure... and I have read posts saying that some people don't give goats grain, period... Right now my little flock is on free choice hay (rye/oat/orchardgrass, and a smaller amount of alfalfa), with plenty of browse too.

 

[Laney]

Per my vet we give the 8 goats in our pasture (4 pygmies, 2 were pregnant and just gave birth, and 4 dairy mixes) about 1-2 cups of 16% grain each morning. She says with the amount of pasture we have that is a luxury feeding. More to keep the goats friendly than because they need it.

If you have good pasture the goats need no grain or hay according to her. We do give them our good "compost" and any time I'm at the supermarket and I see the abused cabbage leaves etc I have a chat with the produce manager. He always gives me a box full of the produce leavin's free.

Laney

 

[TxMom]

I was giving my Boers (6 mo old) only about 1 to 1.5 cups each per day, but they seemed a little thin to me. Then, they were attacked by dogs and they weren't eating as much...they barely nibbled on their hay and wouldn't leave their little house for days, so no pasture. I brought them branches that I cut from the trees...they ate the leaves but they were still getting very thin, so I increased their grain to 1.5 cups in the morning and 1.5 cups again in the evening. They are doing much better now...they've mostly recovered from the dog attack and they are eating great now. I'm still giving them the extra grain and I think I'll continue it for a while...they just look better to me and seem happier.

 

[trestlecreek]

Yep, I have found that if you take a regular goat chow and look at the label, they give a good amount to go by. For a homegrain, your looking at about 1-2 cups, 2 times a day for a 50lb goat.
For any goat, regardless of breed, you want to feel the topline to see if they need weight or if they have too much fat. You should not be able to feel the spine at all, you want to feel nice muscle protruding from transverse processes. I feel mine about once a week to make sure they are all in good condition.