Help!

[20kidsonhill]

I like to have 15 months on the girls, but I have bred as early as 12, but I don't like over feeding during their gestation and I hate taking young does off of grain. We don't feed grain to our pregnant does until they are 30 days from due date.

 

[Ariel301]

We wean at 2-3 months old.

I usually try to have my kids all born in January/February and breed those doelings in December. It costs too much for me to feed a goat for two years before I can milk her, so I breed earlier than many on here like to do. But if a doeling is not really mature looking and a good size for her age and breed, I won't breed her and risk complications.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

All girls!!! Thats awesome!!!!! Good for you!!!

I would'nt worry about her belly sucking in too much...as stated..she probally needs to fill her rumen with hay/feed. They also suck in with breathing in heavy...so if it did not stay in...I wouldnt worry too much about it!

And I personally would consider weaning them at this age..but thats up to you..they are "of age" !!

Are they eating grain and hay on their own regularly? If so..then I would wean...IMO

Yea they are eating hay and grain. How do you guys wean your kids? lol baby goats.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

What is it that you wanna do?...cuz it depends on what you plan is for you doe as well. Are you gonna continue to milk??? Then I would start as you are...separate at night and milk in the am.

If that one milking a day is good for you then let her wean them herself (which can go up to 6mos) and keep doing what your doing....but if you want all the milk..then separate them.

Hard to answer without knowing what you want from your herd?

Just remember weaning is very stressful on them and stress can bring on health issues for them. Just keep an eye out.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Well I'm wanting all the milk as I can get when I can get it. Will the babies wean themselves? Like dogs and cats, they just kinda forget about it? Do you think this is a good idea so that the will get weaned.. I will let them be together all day, Then around 5:00-5:30 pm, i'll separate them, for bed,Then the next morning I will milk the mother goat. How long will the babies be if I continue doing this.

Feeding Schedule!! Is this good? Do you think? Morning: I give the mother and kids 1 flake of Alfalfa ( working on getting grass hay too) and a bowl of grain. approx. 2 lbs.Afternoon: I'll toss them a little grain, just as a snack. Night: (5:00 5:30pm) I give the mama half a flake and the 3 kids have a flake, and moma gets approx. 1 or 2 lbs of grain and the 3 kids get about 2 lbs of grain. Repeat the next day. Do you think this is good? Any suggestions?

-Thanks

 

[freemotion]

Hay free choice, especially for a doe nursing three huge kids, and for three growing kids. Then you can give the doe her grain on the milk stand once or twice a day, depending on how often you want to milk her. Twice a day while she is nursing so many, though, I'd say. I only grain the ones who need it, so the kids would only get grain if they were too thin on free choice hay.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

So the mom gets grain twice a day and the kids get how many? None of them are thin. The free choice hay, that goes for all 4? Should I include Alfalfa and Grass hay? Mix it together?

 

[freemotion]

If they are not thin, I'd personally skip the grain for the kids and just give it to the doe on the milk stand or when you are milking if you don't use a stand. But I am not a big grainer in general. Others will advise differently. I think of it as a supplement only, something to give when what is closer to the natural diet (which is not grass or alfalfa, but leafy branches along with some pasture plants) is not enough for whatever reason.

You can mix the hay, certainly. They may waste more, but if so, you can give alfalfa mornings and leave grass hay in the feeders the rest of the time, letting them get hungry enough to eat it. The doe will really produce more milk on the alfalfa, so you can experiment with how much you give her.

Remember, wasted hay = bedding!

They should all have access to a bin of some sort with loose goat minerals in it, replaced every few days or sooner if scarfed down. I like the little two-compartment black mineral feeders from TSC that you can just screw into the wall.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Do the kids NEED grain? There not thin from my point of view.

 

[freemotion]

I'd skip the grain for the kids, personally.