What I'm feeding my Nigerian Dwarf Goats

[EM Squared Farms]

Hi Everyone !

Just wanted to share with you what I'm feeding my goats.

For my bucks, I feed them 2x a day. Each buck gets 1/4 cup Noble Goat Medicated Feed Pellets, 1/4 cup Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, 1/2 Shredded Beet Pulp per feeding. I also offer free choice a goat mineral block and add a splash of white vinegar to their water. They also get Coastal Hay in their feeders at all times. I also give Molly's herbal dewormer every week.

For my does, they are pregnant now, I've slowly been increasing their feed rations until I double it.
They get fed 2X a day also. Each doe gets 1/2 cup Noble Goat Medicated Feed Pellets, 1/4 cup Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, 1/2 cup Shredded Beet Pulp per feeding.
They also get baking soda free choice, a goat mineral block free choice, and coastal hay in their feeders at all times.
I also use Molly's herbal dewormer on the does too, every week (except no Formula 1 while they are pregnant)

They have grass and weeds in their pasture areas along with playgrounds of sorts (concrete block structures and wood piles).

Check out our website for pics: www.emsquaredfarms.weebly.com

Thanks,
Lisa

 

[elevan]

Hey there! I'd love for you to copy this over to the Goat Feeding Discussion thread...link is in my signature.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Hey there! I'd love for you to copy this over to the Goat Feeding Discussion thread...link is in my signature.

Thanks, just posted it there.

~Lisa

 

[Chaty]

You dont want to overfeed your bucks and also the does too...fat goats dont do well and can have more problems than skinny goats. I have learned the hard way....If you bucks are being used for breeding I would just give hay and also if you worm every week when you really need wormer it wont work. Worms are very fast at getting resistant to wormers if overused.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

You dont want to overfeed your bucks and also the does too...fat goats dont do well and can have more problems than skinny goats. I have learned the hard way....If you bucks are being used for breeding I would just give hay and also if you worm every week when you really need wormer it wont work. Worms are very fast at getting resistant to wormers if overused.

Yeah, when I first started with my bucks I tried to listen to my friend and give them only hay and pasture. But they still cried when I gave them a little feed they loved it. I sometimes think they are looking a little skinny. I try and ration their food exactly. It really doesn't seem like much.

I used the herbal dewormer. I heard they don't build up resistance to the herbal dewormer (wormwood, and other herbs, etc.) I have 2 goat friends that use it with no problem, longer than I have.

Maybe you can give me a suggestion. My does are pregnant now, and I'm supposed to be in my 4th week of increasing their feed to doubling it. But lately, the last couple of days, they seem to leave the goat feed pellets behind and pick out the sunflower seeds and the shredded beet pulp. I hate dumping their feed on the other side of the fence (because it gets white/moldy). Because of the humidity here, they get soft and expanded, if they don't eat it right away.

So, this morning I only gave them their goat pellets first. When it's all gone, I'll give them their other ratio of black oil sunflower seed and shredded beet pulp. They don't seem to graze down the pasture area like they used to before I started them on this extra feed a couple months ago.

Thanks !

 

[Chaty]

Some start doubleing feed but I just feed mine what they normally get and if they are being milked I add a little extra while I milk. I dont overfeed my girls before they kid as a fat goat will sometimes have kidding problems. I only worm when I see a problem. Goats will eat as long as you feed them. My bucks will cry to get more feed but its just a habit and habits are hard to break. I dont give that much BOSS (black oil Sunflower seed) I just add it by the handfull as a treat.
My boys only get oats and alfalfa pellets. More pellets of alfalfa than oats. My does get Goat ration, whole oats and Alfalfa pellets. This stays the same thru out before they are bred and after. My does arent skinny but not overfat either. I do take mine out for walks and they browse as goats are browsers and not grazers. Mine pick and choose what they want to eat on. I feed once a day and then they eat their hay till walking time. The bucks get fed once a day and they eat hay after that. Hope this helps some.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Some start doubleing feed but I just feed mine what they normally get and if they are being milked I add a little extra while I milk. I dont overfeed my girls before they kid as a fat goat will sometimes have kidding problems. I only worm when I see a problem. Goats will eat as long as you feed them. My bucks will cry to get more feed but its just a habit and habits are hard to break. I dont give that much BOSS (black oil Sunflower seed) I just add it by the handfull as a treat.
My boys only get oats and alfalfa pellets. More pellets of alfalfa than oats. My does get Goat ration, whole oats and Alfalfa pellets. This stays the same thru out before they are bred and after. My does arent skinny but not overfat either. I do take mine out for walks and they browse as goats are browsers and not grazers. Mine pick and choose what they want to eat on. I feed once a day and then they eat their hay till walking time. The bucks get fed once a day and they eat hay after that. Hope this helps some.

Thanks ! It does.

What kind of goats do you have ?

I've heard that Alfalfa hay has more calcium in it and can lead to more problems with the urinary calculi in bucks.

I have seen oats at the feed store, but haven't met anyone yet (until now) that feed them.

I have one friend who raises Alpines/Nubians and now Boers. She only feeds goat feed and hay.
Then I met another Nigerian Dwarf Goat breeder (that is going to come to my house to show me how to disbud probably just after the New Year) and I've adopted what he feeds. I was a little concerned about the black oil sunflower seeds but then I did read that the vitamin E in it is good for their coats and something in the black oil sunflower seeds also helps with Selenium absorption. The shredded beet pulp must help with fiber or something. Before I added this to their diet, this past summer, they grazed down both their pasture areas (not so much the bucks, but it was short). I'm talking no grass. Now, after a few months of this new diet, their grass and weeds are now growing up in their pasture areas. I would have to cut oak branches, pine branches, grow weeds in other parts of my yard to feed them !

I may look into the alfalfa pellets or the oats. Are these good for Nigerian Dwarf goats ?

I don't want to waste feed, so I only increased their feed if they ate it all. Now, I'm just waiting for the lunchtime feeding to give the sunflower seeds and shredded beet pulp. They have no problem finishing that up.

I've only had my goats about a year. I don't think I've had a problem with worms. Some people say you won't for at least after 2 years. I check their eyelids every now and then to make sure they are still a nice dark pink, now pale pink or white. I always check their stool to make sure they are loose pellets and not logs.

I just want to provide the best care for the goats and am trying to learn everything that can help.

Thanks !

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Calcium doesn't cause UC- excess phosphorous does. Feeding grain without balancing it with alfalfa or other calcium rich legume such as peanut hay (upside down Ca ratios) is a sure-fire way to cause UC. We never feed our bucks (or does) grain without also feeding alfalfa. We do feed alfalfa without grain, as the protein levels are pretty high when feeding alfalfa free choice and it's enough to keep them conditioned during warmer months without the additional grain if they're not working.

 

[Goatmasta]

Calcium doesn't cause UC- excess phosphorous does. Feeding grain without balancing it with alfalfa or other calcium rich legume such as peanut hay (upside down Ca ratios) is a sure-fire way to cause UC. We never feed our bucks (or does) grain without also feeding alfalfa. We do feed alfalfa without grain, as the protein levels are pretty high when feeding alfalfa free choice and it's enough to keep them conditioned during warmer months without the additional grain if they're not working.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Lisa, totally off topic, but I just wanted to say that I took a look at your website and your Golden Seabright that you have on your main page is beautiful! I like your mission and your ideas. Keep up the good work!