Question about grain

[lnm03]

So, our goat herd has grown a little and we now have 5....Bob a buck, pygmy, Olive a lamancha/nygerian dwarf cross, and 14 a wethered nygerian dwarf, barbi a nygerian dwarf, and an unnamed buck nygerian dwarf.

The lady I got the ND off of said not to feed the boys grain and only the females grain if they're pregnant but not the last few weeks of the pregnancy.

Bob and Olive have been getting grain in the morning and evening until she told me this.....how do you grain your goats?

They have hay at all times.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

She told you not to feed grain the last few weeks of pregnancy? That doesn't sound right to me. The last month of pregnancy is really when the fetuses have a lot of growth and that's the hardest time to keep does up to the right weight and avoid pregnancy toxemia.

Here's what I do (with my sheep and goats):

Does/Ewes: I feed grain during gestation-small amount in early gestation and increasing amounts a month prior to parturition. If they're too skinny other times of the year I may supplement with some grain. After weaning I typically don't feed grain for a while. Now I'm starting small amounts of grain again to flush them prior to breeding.

Bucks: I typically don't feed grain unless they're underweight for some reason.

Rams: I feed during some starting a little prior to breeding season and feed throughout breeding season.

Lambs/Kids: I start giving grain around 3-4 weeks of age and feed through weaning until I'm satisfied they're growing well enough on forage alone.

Typically I only feed grain as a supplement. The bulk of their diet pasture and hay.

 

[jodief100]

She told you not to feed grain the last few weeks of pregnancy? That doesn't sound right to me. The last month of pregnancy is really when the fetuses have a lot of growth and that's the hardest time to keep does up to the right weight and avoid pregnancy toxemia.

Here's what I do (with my sheep and goats):

Does/Ewes: I feed grain during gestation-small amount in early gestation and increasing amounts a month prior to parturition. If they're too skinny other times of the year I may supplement with some grain. After weaning I typically don't feed grain for a while. Now I'm starting small amounts of grain again to flush them prior to breeding.

Bucks: I typically don't feed grain unless they're underweight for some reason.

Rams: I feed during some starting a little prior to breeding season and feed throughout breeding season.

Lambs/Kids: I start giving grain around 3-4 weeks of age and feed through weaning until I'm satisfied they're growing well enough on forage alone.

Typically I only feed grain as a supplement. The bulk of their diet pasture and hay.

I concur with a few exceptions. I feed very little grain to little ones, but I run a pasture based commercial operation. If they were pets they woudl get more grain.

I feed everone a little bit every night to get them in the barn and so they come when I call. About 1 lb for every 10 goats put out in mass.