Putting weight on

[that's*satyrical]

As most of you probably know I've just acquired my 1st Nig. Dwarf goats this past week-end. The male looks rather portly, but the female seems to be a little lacking in the weight department. If she is pregnant or about to be I would like to get a little more weight on her. I have a feeling that the male was keeping her from the hay & possibly chasing her from her grain after he finished his where they were at before they came to me. I make sure to stay with them at feeding time & chase him off for now since we are still working on fencing to get them separate pens, but that doesn't help too much with the hay problem. I do take her out to forage & eat pasture for a half hour or so a day & may increase that as well. Anyways, I just gave her a selenium-E supplement. I don't believe they were getting them before since it is not in their paperwork. The old owner gave me their records for de-worming, hoof trimming, etc. and it was not listed on there. Any ideas for getting some quick weight on this little girl?? I am already trying to increase her grain a little at a time. Thanks!!

 

[freemotion]

If you have access to it, browse is great. You can cut branches and weeds that you know are ok for goats and tie the bundle and hang it in her stall. You'll need to hang more than one if the buck is chasing her away from it until you can separate them during feeding time. Twice a day will make a huge difference, even once a day will make a difference. I have a screw eye installed up high with a snap on it. I tie the bundle up with a small ball bungee and clip it to the snap, making sure the leaves don't touch the floor. I put a step for them to stand on underneath the bundle so they can reach every single leaf.

Maple (except red), birch, poplar, apple, grape, goldenrod, etc are all good choices. Watch out for powdery mildew this time of year, though.

Chopped root veggies, added gradually to her diet, will make a huge difference, too.

 

[Goatherd]

Chopped root veggies, added gradually to her diet, will make a huge difference, too.

If you don't have access to fresh, or have the time to prepare, shredded beet pulp will also help. You can buy this at your feed dealer. Some soak it, some do not. I do not and my goats love it and do well with it.