Nutrition and condition discussion

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Nobody carries Copasure except for 0SU, and I couldn't afford their prices even if I wanted to. I tried last year when Jenny wouldn't get bred, and couldn't find any. The loose mineral has 1350 ppm, though.

I also order mine through Jeffers.

 

[20kidsonhill]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6gt-gG46-A

How would you guys rate my goats?
The stuff I feed them is included in the video description, but on top of that they have a couple of round bales to choose from, though they prefer the coarser stuff to the hay the guy I got it from was selling for horses.

I'm fine with Cinnamon, if anything she looks sort of fat to me. But Tansy... Ehh, she hasn't done very spectacularly for a "Boer" anything, regardless if she was mixed with other breeds. Their eye colors are fine, they haven't been light since I bought either of them, so I haven't dewormed. Would you recommend doing so anyway? I have no way to do fecals, so I have to go by what the eye color tells me.

Also, Copasure? I'm afraid of how much that would cost me after the recent talk on this very thread! Yikes! I need to throw some minerals out there! Do you suppose Tansy is copper deficient? She's always been kind of scrawny...

Also... Bo/se. Will Tractor Supply have that? I haven't seen it there yet, and they've been given their CD/T shot now on the twelfth, so should I give them a booster in the next three to four weeks per the bottle, or is that only for new kids? I'm new to goat birthing, this is my first year with them, and they're first fresheners as well, so we'll see how it goes. I just don't want to give them so much that the kids get stupid fat and I have to work to get them out.

I felt Cinnamon's kid(s) kicking while she was laying down beside me a few days after I noticed she and Tansy were developing their udders, but so far Tansy hasn't let me check out her sides except when she's standing and eating. I can feel a solid sort of lump, but no movement. I mean, the thing floats around inside her, but it hasn't kicked at me yet. She won't lay down next to me so I can get a good feel because she was wild when I got her and is now tame enough to be a goat instead of a flight risk. She wouldn't let me feel her udder, so I had to leash her and pin her against the wall to check her.

So... Should they be on alfalfa too? Reduced grain rations?
Sorry to sort of hijack the thread here, but I'm a worrywart and have been wondering how this will all work out. Been checking ligaments fanatically since I noticed udder development, and everything is still solid so I think there's still time left.

On a separate note... I wish I had a real barn!! The birds will be locked out at all times once one of the goats shows signs of labor.



Anyway... Sorry about rambling. /end post

They look like they have plenty of condition on them.

As far as deworming they look like they are doing fine.

As far as Bo-Se , that is vet RX and you have to buy it from a vets office, ranges form 16 to 30 bucks depending on where you live.

The Co-pasure is 40 dollars for 25 capsules and your goats could share a capsul, so you could try buying a couple capsules from someone on here.

As far as minerals, I am big big big on loose-goat only minerals kept out free choice, I feel if you did anything for you goats other than fresh water, good hay or pasture, have out Goat Minerals.

The CD& T is given once a year to adult goats, after they have had the initial 2 or 3 shots, so if they haven't had it before you would treat them the same as the kids. It is 2cc given under the skin, then again in 3 weeks and then again in another 3 weeks and then one time a year. A small bottle is cheap ($4or $5)and a syringe and needle is like 50cents.


They look very well taken care of.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Nobody carries Copasure except for 0SU, and I couldn't afford their prices even if I wanted to. I tried last year when Jenny wouldn't get bred, and couldn't find any. The loose mineral has 1350 ppm, though.

I also order mine through Jeffers.

I got mine through Valleyvet.com It was $41.00, free shipping and handling over $60, so I ordered some Gel capsules that were 15 bucks for 100 caps, and some wormer.

 

[TheMixedBag]

Ok, I picked up more alfalfa pellets and some Calf Manna today, about how much should I be feeding her with what I have? She ate only the beet pulp and mineral yesterday, so I'm going to try and convince her to finish it today.

No more straight alfalfa, except for what she left yesterday, which is maybe a flake's worth.

Also-in case I totally forgot and nobody could tell at all, the photos are of her shaved nearly bald, so you can see every inch of everything. She also doesn't have any spring of rib, she's about as narrow as that Nubian doe, skinny or no.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Ok, I picked up more alfalfa pellets and some Calf Manna today, about how much should I be feeding her with what I have? She ate only the beet pulp and mineral yesterday, so I'm going to try and convince her to finish it today.

No more straight alfalfa, except for what she left yesterday, which is maybe a flake's worth.

Also-in case I totally forgot and nobody could tell at all, the photos are of her shaved nearly bald, so you can see every inch of everything. She also doesn't have any spring of rib, she's about as narrow as that Nubian doe, skinny or no.

In the photo I posted of my buck on page 1 he is shaved nearly to the skin. He was clipped with a #7 blade reversed, with is slightly shorter than a #10 with the grain. You can indeed see every inch of everything. The smoothness over the processes, spine, ribs, hips, etc. is from flesh and not hair. I also don't think he's over conditioned in that photo, dairy or otherwise.

I'd want her eating as much alfalfa as is possible but I've found that pellets only get us so far. There is a finite amount of concentrate my goats are willing and able to eat. If you're already having a tough time getting her to finish a large volume of concentrates then I think switching 100% to alfalfa pellets instead of hay isn't going to be helpful. Particularly since the concentrates are proving to be self-limiting for your doe, I'd really want to #1 provide as nutritious a roughage as possible and #2 feed a roughage that helps balance the cah ratios.

 

[TheMixedBag]

It's not that I want to, I just cannot get any more until next Thursday when I get my check. Only Atwoods has reasonable bales right now, and they're $11 a bale, and I spent all of what I had on the pellets and calf manna. She will stuff herself stupid on the pellets, though, I've never had a problem with her eating it.

The only other roughage she has is a timothy/oat hay that's got maybe 8% protein, and it's only there as backup feed/bedding. She is grazing, though, so there's just enough greenery to keep her happy, and I don't know if I'm hallucinating, but she does look better from yesterday.

 

[Roll farms]

Yeah Roll, in those pics she does look lean. BUT, that's about as slab sided as I've ever seen a doe and even if she were OVER conditioned she'd still be narrow.

Edited to add: She is looooong though isn't she? And I love her legs.

Yeah, loooooong and I, too, love her legs...part of why I keep her, I love how she stands.
One of these years I'm going to have to breed her Nubian and keep a daughter, see if Chaos (our buck) can improve her capacity and depth.

I have does that look 'fat' who you can feel more bones on, though...it's just the wierdest thing w/ her...
She looks like she should be bonier than she is, I guess is what I'm saying.

 

[St0rmyM00n]

It's not that I want to, I just cannot get any more until next Thursday when I get my check. Only Atwoods has reasonable bales right now, and they're $11 a bale, and I spent all of what I had on the pellets and calf manna. She will stuff herself stupid on the pellets, though, I've never had a problem with her eating it.

The only other roughage she has is a timothy/oat hay that's got maybe 8% protein, and it's only there as backup feed/bedding. She is grazing, though, so there's just enough greenery to keep her happy, and I don't know if I'm hallucinating, but she does look better from yesterday.

its 12.00 a bale here but for just the 1 girl it really goes a long way especially if they are able to get to weeds and brush.

 

[RabbleRoost Farm]

Hooray! I'm doing something right!

I got alfalfa hay for them today, and gave them a couple handfuls. They weren't very interested until they had eaten their pellets (probably because this bale is more stemmy/grassy than leafy like previous bales I've bought, and for some reason it's sort of... chopped up? Guessing it's due to the season). I think tomorrow I can get minerals for them, but I'm not certain - however, I WILL be getting some as soon as possible. I'm very happy that they haven't had to be dewormed since I got them... Well, Tansy was dewormed the day she came here by the previous owner, but other than that they've had decent body scores and good eye color, so I'm not worried. The longer they don't need it, the better their resistance, which is what I'm going for.
Tansy's gone since June, Cinnamon since October for sure because I don't know if she was dewormed at her last place (I'm going to guess not though).

So do you think I should reduce the Calf Manna even further, or just keep on doing what I have been? I uncovered another bale today, and they went crazy over their new fodder.
Goats just like to eat something different than the stuff they've been getting don't they?


Also... I'd love to buy a couple capsules of Copasure from someone, but with no money of my own it's a bit difficult. :/
Read: Impossible.

 

[freemotion]

Also... I'd love to buy a couple capsules of Copasure from someone, but with no money of my own it's a bit difficult. :/
Read: Impossible.

Um.....if you are a minor (I'm guessing by the way you worded the above) PLEASE do NOT pm your address to anyone here. There are other ways to be creative about it. If there are any goat farms in your area, you might offer to trade something for a few boluses. You only need one or less per goat depending on their size, probably half per goat. Or you could find some way to make a few dollars, maybe sell something or help someone spring clean their stalls or dig up their garden (things I'd like help with! ) and offer to buy what you need from someone local to you. A big container is expensive, but each individual bolus is not worth very much so it should be doable.

Think creatively!

I traded some earrings for some! Well, actually someone offered to give me some but I gave her two pairs of pearl earrings for her trouble. We both felt we got the better end of the trade.