Nutrition and condition discussion

[TheMixedBag]

It's only with alfalfa. If anything else falls on the ground, she pees and craps on it just for good measure

 

[St0rmyM00n]

If any of you have been following my first time mommy thread you know I have a goat that is preggers , as of today we have had to run around picking up dog food and cat food on the ground. She never use to mess with the cats or dogs food before till today.

She has her grains , her alfalfa and she is still acting hungry.
Yesterday she stole my peanut butter crackers out of my pocket and ate 2 out of the pack before I could get to her.

Her feed is free choice and her alfalfa is also.......

Is there anything else I should give her? Or should I just keep giving her what she gets?

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

Hmmm the things she is going after makes me wonder if she is getting enough protein?

 

[St0rmyM00n]

Hmmm the things she is going after makes me wonder if she is getting enough protein?

What can I do to add more protein ?

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

That question is best answered by someone more experienced then I, just looking at what she was eating made me think that. But from an experienced opinion I don't know.

 

[freemotion]

I am a big fan of slightly sprouted barley if you can get whole barley. Oats would be a second choice, or any of the small grains. The protein skyrockets just as the sprout is emerging from the seed. It is how I feed my poultry and goats without using any soy. It takes very little to make a difference.

I can tell you several stories about my learning process with this, but the one that matches your goat the most was when Ginger was a baby, the person who sold her to me took her right from her mama at 5 weeks and handed her over to me, telling me that I could get her on the bottle quite easily. NOT! Maybe someone more experienced could, but not me, not then. Never did get her to take the bottle. She would go out to the pasture by herself as a little tiny thing and she baa'd constantly, even while taking mouthfuls of grass. It was non-stop and it was not baa, it was maaa and then blaaaah (too cute but it broke my heart. I knew she desperately needed something....milk!) I finally offered her a couple of tablespoons of the sprouted barley.

The crying and the solo trips to the pasture stopped immediately. Just a tiny bit of the barley twice a day made a huge difference.

 

[St0rmyM00n]

I am a big fan of slightly sprouted barley if you can get whole barley. Oats would be a second choice, or any of the small grains. The protein skyrockets just as the sprout is emerging from the seed. It is how I feed my poultry and goats without using any soy. It takes very little to make a difference.

I can tell you several stories about my learning process with this, but the one that matches your goat the most was when Ginger was a baby, the person who sold her to me took her right from her mama at 5 weeks and handed her over to me, telling me that I could get her on the bottle quite easily. NOT! Maybe someone more experienced could, but not me, not then. Never did get her to take the bottle. She would go out to the pasture by herself as a little tiny thing and she baa'd constantly, even while taking mouthfuls of grass. It was non-stop and it was not baa, it was maaa and then blaaaah (too cute but it broke my heart. I knew she desperately needed something....milk!) I finally offered her a couple of tablespoons of the sprouted barley.

The crying and the solo trips to the pasture stopped immediately. Just a tiny bit of the barley twice a day made a huge difference.

I can get either one I am sure I will have to wait till tomorrow though.
She is banging her head on the alfalfa right now she is really tearing into it.

I felt like something must be missing from her diet but wasn't sure what. She does free range of course she feeds all day on brush and other things but maybe it isn't what she wants like how humans crave certain things, of course I am just guessing here but not certain goats crave while pregnant like humans do.

 

[freemotion]

It does take protein to build babies....and to make milk....and for youngsters to grow. So it wouldn't be surprising if she needed a boost, more than she can get from nature. Many modern goats were not bred to live off pasture/browse along, they were bred for high production so need a boost.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I am a big fan of slightly sprouted barley if you can get whole barley. Oats would be a second choice, or any of the small grains. The protein skyrockets just as the sprout is emerging from the seed. It is how I feed my poultry and goats without using any soy. It takes very little to make a difference.

I can tell you several stories about my learning process with this, but the one that matches your goat the most was when Ginger was a baby, the person who sold her to me took her right from her mama at 5 weeks and handed her over to me, telling me that I could get her on the bottle quite easily. NOT! Maybe someone more experienced could, but not me, not then. Never did get her to take the bottle. She would go out to the pasture by herself as a little tiny thing and she baa'd constantly, even while taking mouthfuls of grass. It was non-stop and it was not baa, it was maaa and then blaaaah (too cute but it broke my heart. I knew she desperately needed something....milk!) I finally offered her a couple of tablespoons of the sprouted barley.

The crying and the solo trips to the pasture stopped immediately. Just a tiny bit of the barley twice a day made a huge difference.

I can get either one I am sure I will have to wait till tomorrow though.
She is banging her head on the alfalfa right now she is really tearing into it.

I felt like something must be missing from her diet but wasn't sure what. She does free range of course she feeds all day on brush and other things but maybe it isn't what she wants like how humans crave certain things, of course I am just guessing here but not certain goats crave while pregnant like humans do.

what about a goat specific protein tub? She might enjoy something like that.

 

[St0rmyM00n]

I am a big fan of slightly sprouted barley if you can get whole barley. Oats would be a second choice, or any of the small grains. The protein skyrockets just as the sprout is emerging from the seed. It is how I feed my poultry and goats without using any soy. It takes very little to make a difference.

I can tell you several stories about my learning process with this, but the one that matches your goat the most was when Ginger was a baby, the person who sold her to me took her right from her mama at 5 weeks and handed her over to me, telling me that I could get her on the bottle quite easily. NOT! Maybe someone more experienced could, but not me, not then. Never did get her to take the bottle. She would go out to the pasture by herself as a little tiny thing and she baa'd constantly, even while taking mouthfuls of grass. It was non-stop and it was not baa, it was maaa and then blaaaah (too cute but it broke my heart. I knew she desperately needed something....milk!) I finally offered her a couple of tablespoons of the sprouted barley.

The crying and the solo trips to the pasture stopped immediately. Just a tiny bit of the barley twice a day made a huge difference.

I can get either one I am sure I will have to wait till tomorrow though.
She is banging her head on the alfalfa right now she is really tearing into it.

I felt like something must be missing from her diet but wasn't sure what. She does free range of course she feeds all day on brush and other things but maybe it isn't what she wants like how humans crave certain things, of course I am just guessing here but not certain goats crave while pregnant like humans do.

what about a goat specific protein tub? She might enjoy something like that.

Im not sure what you mean, do you mean a special feeder only for her filled with protein?

I can do that if thats what you mean