What to feed doe and wether

[Alaina Sims]

Is there a thread on this? I just got my first pair of goats the are 1 year old nigerian dwarf. A doe that has been bred and a wether. I am feeding them Bermuda grass hay free choice and alfalfa pellets twice a day, she gets two handfuls he gets a little handful I also give them some greens a little fruit, raisins, carrots ect..they have loose mineral a salt block and baking soda.is this okay I want her to be healthy and I don't want to kill him.I ordered some ammonium chloride I will start giving it to him when I get it I'm not sure how much to give him

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Welcome to BYH's! Cute goats

Most wethers do fine with hay- but a little bit of alfalfa pellets shouldn't hurt. To prevent Urinary Calculi (stones), you should have a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio (2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus) in the feed etc.

Ammonium chloride- I have never used it, so I don't know the dosage. But baking soda will render it useless, so if you are having problems with UC you may want to take away the soda. I don't know what minerals you feed, but the Manna pro goat minerals already has Ammonium chloride in it.

Also- you don't need the salt lick.


You will love goats! I have Nigi's too, LOVE them.

When is your girl due? Goats kids are so much fun! Hope to see lots of pics when the babies arrive!

 

[Alaina Sims]

She is due in sept. Will alfalfa hay be OK if he gets th ac?

 

[elevan]

@Alaina Sims

Alfalfa is a great supplement for wethers. You want a higher amount of calcium in their diet than phosphorus. The phosphorus is what causes the "stones".

Lose the baking soda and the salt block. The salt block will detract them from the minerals. The baking soda renders the A.C. useless.

When you get the A.C. that you ordered you can add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon to their water or to their minerals every time you replenish. It won't hurt your doe to get some too, they can get urinary calculi too it's just that they can pass the stones with no problem due to their simpler "plumbing".

You can give him as much alfalfa pellets as you want. I offer my goats alfalfa pellets free choice. They'll gorge on it for a couple of days and then they will slow down and self regulate themselves.

Be careful of the fruits and veggies that you're given and know the mineral content of them. Don't give any that contain a high phosphorus content to your wether.

 

[Alaina Sims]

I switched to a goat mineral that has ac in I took away the salt and baking soda. They have alfalfa hay in evening and Bermuda grass all the time. And some pellets in morning. I will get food list for high phosphorus foods. Hope they are good! I also have a little boss and whole wheat barley and oats that I mixed. I give her about a tablespoon in morning now, will give her more closer to kidding.

 

[Udderlyridiculous]

I am a new member and also have feeding questions. I have 2 new Nigerian does in milk. I am feeding the only goat feed I could find locally, "Purina" goat feed. It seems to have a lot of molasses and corn. Is there a better choice? I feed just what they can eat during the few minutes it takes to milk twice a day. I also feed alfalfa cubes that I hydrate to about 1.5 lb can full for each at mid day. I offer fresh cut branches daily and/or let them graze in Bermuda lawn for about 30 min a day. They have continuous access to Timothy hay and have yet to eat a single bite of it. They also have access to a "goat" specifically formulated mineral block. Any suggestions on what I am doing as wrong or right or additions to be made?

 

[OneFineAcre]

I am a new member and also have feeding questions. I have 2 new Nigerian does in milk. I am feeding the only goat feed I could find locally, "Purina" goat feed. It seems to have a lot of molasses and corn. Is there a better choice? I feed just what they can eat during the few minutes it takes to milk twice a day. I also feed alfalfa cubes that I hydrate to about 1.5 lb can full for each at mid day. I offer fresh cut branches daily and/or let them graze in Bermuda lawn for about 30 min a day. They have continuous access to Timothy hay and have yet to eat a single bite of it. They also have access to a "goat" specifically formulated mineral block. Any suggestions on what I am doing as wrong or right or additions to be made?

I saw pictures of your girls on another thread. They seem well conditioned. The fact that they are not eating the Timothy would indicate that they are getting what they need from the other things you are feeding.
Not sure what to tell you about the Purina goat feed.

 

[goats&moregoats]

I have used Purina goat feed in the past, my goats did well on it. I switched to another brand just a few months ago, only because my supply store stopped carrying the Purina. I love my Nigerians. So many different personalities. Entertaining for sure, and the babies more so.

 

[Udderlyridiculous]

I have used Purina goat feed in the past, my goats did well on it. I switched to another brand just a few months ago, only because my supply store stopped carrying the Purina. I love my Nigerians. So many different personalities. Entertaining for sure, and the babies more so.

Thank you so much for the input. I am feeling better about their health. There is so much input on forums about diet and parasites that I think I got a bit skittish and fearful of doing it all wrong. I had goats over 30 years ago and they were happy pasture fed farm goats getting just a bit of feed at milking. They were beautiful alpines, happy and healthy, milking well and kidding unassisted, so I thought I would be getting some great low maintenance livestock when I got the Nigerians. I just have the two does so hopefully if they are well, they will stay will without exposure to other animals.

 

[Udderlyridiculous]

I have used Purina goat feed in the past, my goats did well on it. I switched to another brand just a few months ago, only because my supply store stopped carrying the Purina. I love my Nigerians. So many different personalities. Entertaining for sure, and the babies more so.

Thank you so much for the input. I will keep up their present feeding regimen for now and look into adding some organic components to the grain mix in the future.
Now... I just have to figure out the deworming routine. They were wormed when they kidded in February. Not sure if I need to do it routinely or get the vet to do a fecal sample first. I understand the issues of immune resistance so I know I don't want to administer medications that are not needed. Their eyelids look to be a good dark pink-red color, so that is a good sign.
I have just about gotten the fleas under control also... I checked thoroughly and did not see signs of lice but they were itching badly and I did find the jumping little black fleas when I looked closely. Their skin and hair seems to be in good shape so I think we are lice free.
I do enjoy them so much, my hubby has even taken up some milking duties. I'm loving the yogurt that I've made from the milk.
Thanks again