Worried *please advise!*

[that's*satyrical]

So I see all these pics of gorgeous, fatty goats & I'm told this is "normal" for an open doe. Now I am worried because my lil doe just looks like any normal weight animal. She doesn't seem to have a big 'ole rumen. But, she doesn't really seem skinny/bony to me either. Look at this pic experts & tell me if I should be trying to get some weight on my girl.. Thanks!!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

With good quality hay and plenty of alfalfa (and a little time) your gal will adjust to her new home/new feed and develop her rumen. I like my does a little plumper going into breeding/kidding/early lactation. That way they have plenty of reserves and don't come out of early lactation underconditioned.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I was thinking not bad, but maybe needs a little more weight on her going into breeding or going to a show. But nothing to be embarrassed about.

 

[elevan]

Get your hands on her. Tell us how she feels. Pictures can be very deceiving.

 

[that's*satyrical]

Well I went out to see how she feels She feels happy (tail wagging & smiling) lol She feels like she doesn't want me to feel her belly (running away while I'm trying to feel it) lol And, probably the answer you're actually looking for, she feels somewhat round, somewhat firm & doesn't feel bony at all....

 

[Goatmasta]

She is a little skinny and if she were shaved it would be much more evident. Her belly is not where you need to feel, her top line is. I can see her prominent hips, not a bad thing if she were in milk.

 

[redtailgal]

I have been struggling to get my two mutt wethers (they are boer, spanish, and nubian) up to what I thought looked like a decent weight.

Plato is hopelessly thin, he is worm free, eating like a horse and gaining weight SLOW.

Socrates.....well, I THOUGHT he still looked thin. He was narrow, and his hips are a little visible. I've been working to get weight on him. The other day, I did just what was suggested here, I got my hands on him.

He was gooshy. He is fat and his hipbones show. He is a healthy goat that looks thin. (oooohhhh, what I wouldnt give to have that problem for myself)

Seriously, put your hands on that goat. Look up the goat body conditioning charts, they will give you a pretty good idea of what to look for.

 

[that's*satyrical]

Well here is what they eat.

1/2 stock sweet feed pellet/ 1/2 Dumor Goat pellet mix (what they were eating when they came to me)
alfalfa pellet & calf manna & boss mixed into the mix (not a measured amount, but the mix looks even when I'm done) *I have added this component, recently* I plan to increase the alfalfa & cut the grain back a bit, slowly.

They get 1 full large beverage cup (burger king) lol twice to 3 times a day depending on if they finish the 2nd feeding quickly or not. This is poured into 2 separate feed buckets for the 2 of them.

They also get a handful of manna pro goat mineral added to each feeding. (split halfway between them)

The doe gets 10ml of Omega 3 & b vitamin livestock supplement 2x a day.

They get free serve coastal hay & free browse

They get fresh clean water at all times

I know they are probably getting fed more than they should right now but I am trying to get them to gain a little bit of weight.


And that's it.... lol

Also, her hip bones do look like they stick out a little more in the picture than they do in actuality because of the way she is standing & the fact she is balancing on a tree....

 

[helmstead]

Please look into a different brand of goat feed. Dumor is one of the worst quality ones out there IMO. TSC should also carry Noble Goat Grower...a much better choice. I don't like sweet feed for goats either, as a ration. I do use it on the stanchion, but that is the only place. I don't think it adds anything for a growing animal...but it does keep my milker's heads in the feeder while I'm milking! And, no cheap all stock, either...a high quality textured sweet made for horses.

When you mix like you are doing, you actually drive the protein and fat DOWN. Ideally, growing and producing dairy goats should be consuming 16-18% protein through the total diet (including hay)...burmuda hay is not helping that either.

My juniors are creep fed until they can't fit in the creep any longer. No fillers, all medicated goat pellet plus alfalfa hay. So, IMO, you're definitely NOT overfeeding. The way I do it, you can't really overfeed a junior ND.

Your doe is, at this point in her development, slab sided. This should improve with freshening...but that has a lot to do with the lack of big rumen.

 

[that's*satyrical]

Thanks I actually bought the noble goat today & plan to transition slowly to it. Then I will phase out the sweet feed pellet. I just didn't want to change too much too soon & with wanting to get some weight on them I wanted to get the alfalfa, BOSS & Calf Manna added in there 1st ...


Editing to add I think I will give them calf manna on the milk stand, that my hubby just built for me today!!!!! They eat that stuff like candy!!!! I may mix it with the alfalfa pellets since they take a little longer to chew that.... LOL