Preparing to wean kids for the first time - advice please ...

[cmjust0]

Watch young males and grain consumption, even if it's "safe" grain that's mixed 2:1 Ca w/ added Ammonium Chloride and all that. They can still get urinary calculi from it if they consume too much, and UC is no fun to deal with...trust me on that.

 

[Lil-patch-of-heaven]

Thanks for that info. Safe grain ... I think it's time to start keeping a notebook. A lot to learn, that's for sure. I've been reading about urinary calculi since I've decided to keep a buck and wether after all.

The new little piggie will have to be restricted then. My little guy isn't much interested in grain. He's a browser.

 

[cmjust0]

You might look into alfalfa pellets as supplemental feed for males.. The Ca ratio of alfalfa is in the 6:1 range. Recommended is 2:1 or 2.5:1...or higher, in my book.

We had a member here once before who fed meat market wethers some type of improperly balanced grain and had all kinds of issues with UC..problems which were later remedied by replacing grass mix hay with straight alfalfa hay.. The calcium in the straight alfalfa hay offset the phosphorus in the grain.

Phosphorus, btw, is the primary enemy when it comes to UC. And magnesium, actually, but to a lesser degree. Most UC consists of "struvite" or "MAP" stones -- magnesium ammonium phosphate. Calcium does...something...with the phosphorus to keep it out of the urinary tract. I've read some things that say calcium keeps so much of it from being absorbed from the digestive tract, and other things that say aids in absorption by allowing the body to actually use it instead of sending it straight into the urine.. I personally tend to believe the latter, but it makes little difference...whatever the reason, calcium is your friend when it comes to male goats.

We feed our males cheap grass hay and alfalfa pellets. It's easier and cheaper for us, mostly because we don't have a hay bunk out there.. So, they get a round bale -- outside -- and supplementation with alfalfa pellets for extra protein, with the amounts varying depending on their level of condition.

Now, while a 50lb bag of pellets cost about double what a 50lb bale of pure alfalfa would cost, we know they'd waste well more than 50% of each bale of alfalfa unless we went to the trouble of setting up bunks, etc...and even then they may still waste up to 50% just because they're goats...and they may still have required supplemental grain, which is yet another cost.

With pellets there's ZERO waste, making them more cost effective than baled alfalfa hay for us -- even at double the cost per pound -- and the last grass hay I bought (I've been buying little 4'x4' roundbales) cost a whole $10.. Figuring the round bale lasts at least a month (before they trample it) and that they get about 3lbs/day of the pellets between the two of them...it costs somewhere around $1/day to keep our bucks well fed. Plus mineral and water and blah blah blah, of course, but basic feeding is about a buck.

And with the alfalfa pellets, we know they're getting plenty of calcium to offset whatever phosphorus they're getting elsewhere.

Bear in mind that's TOTALLY DIFFERENT from how we feed the does, who get mostly a timothy/bluegrass/fescue/clover type mixed hay and conventional pelleted goat feed.. There's actually a pet wether in with the does, but he's 2yo+ and gets very, very little of the grain. (The decision to keep the wether with the does was made before we learned all this, btw.. :/ )

We set out just enough grain for the does to clear off long enough for us to fill waterers and throw a little hay, etc. That's it, unless someone -- on an individual basis -- gets too thin for my liking or enters a different life stage (late pregnancy, for instance) at which point she'll be taken aside and given extra supplementation.

The wether is never, ever taken aside, but if the day comes when he actually needs it, I'll supplement him with alfalfa pellets instead of regular goat grain.

So, ya...there can be quite a lot to feeding goats.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I'll be picking up some alfalfa pellets for my buck tomorrow. I hope TSC has them. Should I worry about the month old kids who are eating grain? Should they get alfalfa pellets right from the start? They're in with a doeling as well.

 

[cmjust0]

It depends on how much grain they're getting...what type of grain they're getting...what else they're eating...their metabolic tendencies with regard to urine pH.. There are actually a lot of factors.

Basically what I'm getting at is to be mindful with grain and young males, and to keep dietary calcium in mind as you make feeding decisions.