help with raising body condition (pics added 1.21 7/25/2011)

[doxiemoxie]

They don't look 75% boer/nubian to me. Look at how short their ears are

They actually look good, but I agree that they aren't just nubian/boer. Remember that all younglings also go through gangly stages and pudgy stages. My niece says its the accordian effect: grow out, grow up, grow out, grow up..." They look like they're developing muscle and that they're big boned. Look at those knees. If you kept them in a pen with just alfalfa and grain they might be fatter but possibly less fit. It can't hurt to increase their dietary fat (peanuts or BOSS) but I think you're just noticing the variability that you can get with goats.

 

[Goatmasta]

They don't look 75% boer/nubian to me. Look at how short their ears are

They actually look good, but I agree that they aren't just nubian/boer. Remember that all younglings also go through gangly stages and pudgy stages. My niece says its the accordian effect: grow out, grow up, grow out, grow up..." They look like they're developing muscle and that they're big boned. Look at those knees. If you kept them in a pen with just alfalfa and grain they might be fatter but possibly less fit. It can't hurt to increase their dietary fat (peanuts or BOSS) but I think you're just noticing the variability that you can get with goats.

More "grain" with the appropriate amounts of protein and fat will help. Dietary fat, will make them fat and less fit.

 

[redtailgal]

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[freemotion]

I think they look great for their age! Relax and enjoy your two healthy youngsters.

Caution with calf manna. It is mostly soy, which has many dangers. Phyto-estrogens, hormone disruptors, and blocks mineral absorption including copper, zinc, and other.

 

[Goatmasta]

With them being wethers and pet wethers at that, I am a little leery of graining them too much.

I feed Noble with AC, they are getting a cup each once a day. I have considered upping them a little, but I really really dont want stones.

With so many thinking they look ok, maybe I will just chill and watch and see.

If that is how you feel then alfalfa is your only choice to add weight. Anything else you might give, (BOSS, calf manna, etc...) would be so little when mixed appropriately with a cup of noble goat, that it wouldn't do any good. If you would use an additive with a cup of grain that would be enough to "add weight", You would be risking UC because you will throw off the 2:1 ratio. The amount is not what causes UC. It is the ratio.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

With them being wethers and pet wethers at that, I am a little leery of graining them too much.

I feed Noble with AC, they are getting a cup each once a day. I have considered upping them a little, but I really really dont want stones.

With so many thinking they look ok, maybe I will just chill and watch and see.

If that is how you feel then alfalfa is your only choice to add weight. Anything else you might give, (BOSS, calf manna, etc...) would be so little when mixed appropriately with a cup of noble goat, that it wouldn't do any good. If you would use an additive with a cup of grain that would be enough to "add weight", You would be risking UC because you will throw off the 2:1 ratio. The amount is not what causes UC. It is the ratio.

I agree. Alfalfa and beet pulp will keep your ratios right side up. BOSS and rice bran will increase their phosphorous intake, just as grain would. If I was concerned about condition I'd up the alfalfa, add in beet pulp, then assess after a week or two if the grain needed to be increased as well. I'll bet that you won't have to increase the grain though.

 

[redtailgal]

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[aggieterpkatie]

or a really ugly one that licks my chin.......I'm such a wuss.

I had to put my doe in a headlock yesterday while I tried clipping her face/neck and she started licking my face. A moment earlier she hated me for holding her still but I guess she changed her mind. Turd.

 

[redtailgal]

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[Griffin's Ark]

Your goats look perfect just the way they are! From what I can tell from the pictures, it looks as tho they don't have any Nubian in them. Look at their ears. A goat that is part Nubian will almost always have "airplane ears". (They will stick straight out from the head and the last few inches flop down). A friend calls them "The Flying Nun". Obviously they have some Boer in them. However, what you have are mostly Alpine. It looks like they are most likely Oberhasli, fka Swiss Alpine. This is a dairy breed. And a dairy goat will have the conformation yours have. Someone already said dairy goats can get thinner than meat goats and that is correct. Actually, unless they are being overfed a dairy goat WILL be thinner than a meat goat. If a goat has pink-red eyelids, a smooth coat, healthy appetite, tails up, they are not isolating, and their poop is normal - the goat is healthy.
If you are concerned that they are not eating the loose mineral, add a little molasses and mix it up. I suspect they will lap up all you give them so just put a small amount in a bucket and take it to them once or twice a week. The molasses will also give them a little extra iron. And stop worrying. You are doing just fine. (Griffin's Ark's wife)