Hello everyone,

It's been 3 years since we began raising ND goats. Canela is a Nigerian Dwarf doe that gave birth 2 kids on Feb/17/2015. Since then, we've been providing her with a ration of food as follows :  1.5 cups of Sweet Feed (DuMore) 16% |  2 cups of Unsweet Feed (DuMor) 16% | 1/4 cup of Calf Manna (it's got some anise smell in it)  |  0.5 cup Oil Sunflower Seed. All of these ingredients are given to Canela in a mix every morning. There's another similar ration at evening. The rest of Canela's food consists of Timothy Hay both of the one that comes in a 50-pound bale and the one that comes in pellets (premium forage). [ by the way, for those who like foreign languages, Canela is a Spanish for Cinnamon)

The TROUBLE. Here we go... after the supplement morning ration has been given to Canela, this doe begins yelling at me ALL OF THE 12-HOUR DAYTIME, screaming for more supplement. Very demanding doe, quite frankly. At the beginning, I would do my best to ignore her. So far, till today's date, the amount of patience I've garnered throughout my entire life has become pretty meagre.. I work outdoors, there's no way to avoid to pass by Canela's enclosure (section A of our barn), I have to do it...it's just a matter of seconds for this female goat to perceive human steps around..and the non-stop protesting game kicks off... Maa!..Maaa!....Maaaaaa!....Maaaaaaaaaa! ["Daaaam!...Why does this human stubborn guy keep brushing me off! " ...]  Maaaaa!..

People guided by Moses through the wilderness started protesting for meat..looks like they had it up to the very top of their foreheads with just manna. Moses complained before God, and He ended up giving in so nicely that He gave them as much meat as they could eat and get it down to their insatiable tummies. I could do the same with Canela concerning what she protests for..

In running out of choices about my case with Canela :  What health-based consequences should I have to face if I end up giving in and give Canela as much Sweet Feed (supplement..or whatever...ultimately, I think these so called "supplements" may well be another form of "treats" (marketting strategy based on the fact that if we humans get the munchies at certain time of the day, so pets and domestic animals do) as she wants ?

Thanks---in advance---for any nice feedback on this concern.

Rubenito.

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Replies

  • Thanks, Deborah. It took me a while to get the proper time to reply. At this point of the game, I have to inform about Canela's behaviour. I gave her a bit more of Alfalfa (grass, no pellets) at daytime, plus an increase of the amount of Unsweet Feed (very little), and the goat has finally settled down. So, the apparent "nightmare" is over and Canela is not protesting any longer.

    Again, thanks ya'll (I guess I'm not doing any better in polishing my adopted southern accent..) for all your tips on this concern.

    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

    Sorry I just now saw your first post today. I asked about her being a bottle baby because they sometimes bond with people rather than other goats, and if that's the case, she would want to be with you all the time. It sounds like she is probably just missing the other goats though. If you've had her for three years, and she is just now starting to scream, it's probably because she wants to be with the other goats again.

    Also, it is VERY normal for goats to waste a lot of hay. That's one reason I love having a cow. I pick up all the hay that the goats waste, and I give it to the cow. Otherwise, it goes into the compost pile.

    The fact that she gobbles up grain when you offer it does not mean that she is screaming for grain. Unfortunately goats LOVE grain far too much and will eat way more of it than would be good for them. 

  • Thanks for the observation you made, Bev. There's no way to avoid the waste of hay as goats pick out the tender grass out of the bale of hay. Then the rest, it's just waste of money.. they won't eat it. Fortunately, we're about to invite our goats to go behind the barn where a 3-acre area (which was recently and properly fenced) is waiting for them to start browsing. We'll see and hope it's gonna work..

    Bev Sieminski, Winding Rvr Farm said:

    Goats always waste hay - I clean out their feeder and in front of it - alfalfa stems go to the sheep and all the bits go to the chickens.  We have designed and redesigned feeders for them to try an stop waste to not avail.  Even composting it - it does the garden good so maybe waste is the wrong word.   They are sorting it out for us.

    You do have to be careful of grain - too much can kill also.  They don't know when to stop eating it. 

    If you have any browse that is very healthful for the goats.   Mine get a walk in the woods daily and are frantic if they miss their chance to pull down limbs on the evergreens and the blackberry leaves - and the grasses that grow along the river edge.  They all line up at the gate crying mid day - walk time.   We cut limbs for the bucks. 

  • I have kids, the other kind, and it seems like the more you give, the more they want. 

  • thanks so much for the info.  It's just that we have cows, horses, chickens etc. and it's hard to provide the right feed for each breed, as well as each breeds stage in life.  I guess I'd better sign up for your webinars.

    thanks again

  • You need a mineral that is specifically labeled for goats, and it should have at least 1500 ppm copper in it. It should also be LOOSE minerals, not a block. Goats have a small, soft tongue, and there have been goats with a block that have become deficient because they were unable to get enough minerals off the block. You will need a mineral feeder like the one pictured on the right side of this page. If you have TSC in your area, they sell them. Put the minerals in one side and baking soda in the other. If you don't have Raising Goats Naturally, you can get it at the library or through inter-library loan. It has a lot of info on nutrition for goats.

    Beth Courtney said:

    I am wondering what minerals the goats need, and is a mineral block sold at the feed stores enough for them free choice.?

  • I am wondering what minerals the goats need, and is a mineral block sold at the feed stores enough for them free choice.?

  • Goats always waste hay - I clean out their feeder and in front of it - alfalfa stems go to the sheep and all the bits go to the chickens.  We have designed and redesigned feeders for them to try an stop waste to not avail.  Even composting it - it does the garden good so maybe waste is the wrong word.   They are sorting it out for us.

    You do have to be careful of grain - too much can kill also.  They don't know when to stop eating it. 

    If you have any browse that is very healthful for the goats.   Mine get a walk in the woods daily and are frantic if they miss their chance to pull down limbs on the evergreens and the blackberry leaves - and the grasses that grow along the river edge.  They all line up at the gate crying mid day - walk time.   We cut limbs for the bucks. 

  • Sorry I just now saw your first post today. I asked about her being a bottle baby because they sometimes bond with people rather than other goats, and if that's the case, she would want to be with you all the time. It sounds like she is probably just missing the other goats though. If you've had her for three years, and she is just now starting to scream, it's probably because she wants to be with the other goats again.

    Also, it is VERY normal for goats to waste a lot of hay. That's one reason I love having a cow. I pick up all the hay that the goats waste, and I give it to the cow. Otherwise, it goes into the compost pile.

    The fact that she gobbles up grain when you offer it does not mean that she is screaming for grain. Unfortunately goats LOVE grain far too much and will eat way more of it than would be good for them. 

  • That is entirely normal and unavoidable. Goats are SO mean to each other! I never put two goats together, if I can avoid it. If you can put two groups together, it spreads out the head butting a little. You should probably put her and the kids back with the herd, and your screaming problems will likely end. Sounds like she is just lonely. I have never had a doe get hurt head butting. I did have a buck give himself a concussion once, but that's a buck in rut for you. I also had a buck injure his eye butting heads through a fence with another buck, so even if they are not in the same pasture, they will fight through the fence. It is just the nature of the beast, I'm afraid.

    As for hurting the kids, if you have them in the pasture, it is unlikely they will get hurt. I have only ever lost one kid (out of 400+) and I found him laying next to a wall, so I'm 99% sure that another doe smashed him into the wall and crushed him. If they are outside and a doe butts a kid, he'll just get knocked over, but he'll be fine. The kids need to learn that they can only nurse off mom, and they will try to nurse off other goats a few times before they learn. I've seen a couple of does grab a kid by its tail and yank it away from their udder -- and one even tossed the kid, but the kid was fine.

  • Canela remains with her 2 babies (they reached one month of age today, BTW) in the section A of our barn. A large divider made of cattle panel and wood has been built to separate this section from the other one (B) where we have 2 does and one wether... So, yes..the goat remains lonely all day long. I tried the other day to put the wether (neutered goat) with her and her babies and she reacted aggresively towards him ; in fearing something bad was going to happen, I took the wether out of the area. Then, I put one Espresso (not a coffee... it's just the name of one of our black does) with her. Espresso reacted aggresively towards the baby goats, I didn't want them to get hurt.. I took Espresso out and put her back with the other goats. So.. it doesn't work.. Any more ideas?

    Diane Kennedy said:

    Does she have companion goats? If she's by herself, that could explain the screaming. A single goat is a lonely goat and they need to have buddies.

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