3 part question about feeding my bucklings and my milking doe.

1) How much should my doe Surrey get in grain now that she's nursing? I feed her Dumor Sweet Feed and alfalfa pellets and she browses and eats hay (minerals and baking soda free choice). In a week or 10 days I will begin to milk her in the mornings. She has an incredible udder and amazing amount of milk.

2) Since the bucklings are bucklings, is it okay for them to nibble the sweet feed when they start nibbling solid food? Would something else be better for them to transition into?

3) Should I worm the kids or feed them medicated feed or something? I recently had Surrey and the other does tested for parasites and no one had any. Shouldn't I just treat them if they show signs? I hate to treat for worms when they don't have them but so many places I read, including the breeder I got my does from, say to worm them and Surrey too.

Thanks for your help!

According to the label, a ND doe in early lactation should get about 3 pounds a day (2 pounds plus 1 pound for every 3 pounds of milk). I generally give mine one to two 12-ounce can of feed morning and evening, depending upon production and body condition, and they seem to do well on that ... so you can probably do something between what I do and what they recommend. Mine do get a lot of great weeds and browse this time of year.

I've never had a problem with bucklings nibbling at their mom's grain. When I sell wethers, I usually tell people to buy one bag of grain, and when it's gone, don't buy any more because by then the wethers shouldn't need it. I usually stop feeding bucks grain by 4-6 months of age, depending upon the pasture and hay quality. When they're growing rapidly, all of those minerals go towards growth. It's when the growth slows down (by six months of age) that you generally have to worry about those minerals going towards growing urinary stones. I have heard of a wether here and there getting stones at an early age, but it definitely the exception. It really works best if the kids can nibble whatever Mom is eating because they will readily imitate what they see her doing.

Provided the goats' living space is clean, they should not need any type of dewormer or coccidiostat for at least a few months. It takes three weeks for coccidia to go through their life cycle, so if the kids were born and fell into dirt, which is generally full of decomposing poop (with coccida and worm eggs), and they got dirt in their mouths, then you should worry. Otherwise, it takes quite a bit of time for them to start to have problems with worms or coccidia, and when dam-raised, they may not have any problems with either until they're weaned. I have had two does surprise me and give birth in a "dirty" place, and their kids did have trouble with coccidia at three weeks, but it was easily treated -- especially the second time because I was expecting it and being super watchful, so the minute one got diarrhea, I treated for coccidia.

You may or may not want to give Surrey a dewormer. Some people do it as a matter of habit, but if she did not have a high worm load before kidding, she may be fine now. However, given the traumatic birth she had, she may have a rise in parasites due to the stress. The main reason we kid in Jan/Feb is because I don't usually have to deworm my does because all the parasites on pasture are frozen. However, if you have only a few does on a large pasture, you may not have a large parasite load on your pastures at this point, regardless of the time of year. So, in other words, it's your call. There is an argument to be made either way in this situation.

Replies

Julia @Woody Glen Farm August 19, 2013 at 9:07am

Thank you, your answers are a huge help! I can't wait for your book to come out (I pre-ordered!).

My "pasture" has no grass so my goats don't do any ground grazing -- just browse. I think that's why I haven't had any parasites at all since I got them. I will keep an eye on Surrey particularly since she does nibble stuff off the barn floor which is her afterbirth drippings.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle August 18, 2013 at 9:25pm

According to the label, a ND doe in early lactation should get about 3 pounds a day (2 pounds plus 1 pound for every 3 pounds of milk). I generally give mine one to two 12-ounce can of feed morning and evening, depending upon production and body condition, and they seem to do well on that ... so you can probably do something between what I do and what they recommend. Mine do get a lot of great weeds and browse this time of year.

I've never had a problem with bucklings nibbling at their mom's grain. When I sell wethers, I usually tell people to buy one bag of grain, and when it's gone, don't buy any more because by then the wethers shouldn't need it. I usually stop feeding bucks grain by 4-6 months of age, depending upon the pasture and hay quality. When they're growing rapidly, all of those minerals go towards growth. It's when the growth slows down (by six months of age) that you generally have to worry about those minerals going towards growing urinary stones. I have heard of a wether here and there getting stones at an early age, but it definitely the exception. It really works best if the kids can nibble whatever Mom is eating because they will readily imitate what they see her doing.

Provided the goats' living space is clean, they should not need any type of dewormer or coccidiostat for at least a few months. It takes three weeks for coccidia to go through their life cycle, so if the kids were born and fell into dirt, which is generally full of decomposing poop (with coccida and worm eggs), and they got dirt in their mouths, then you should worry. Otherwise, it takes quite a bit of time for them to start to have problems with worms or coccidia, and when dam-raised, they may not have any problems with either until they're weaned. I have had two does surprise me and give birth in a "dirty" place, and their kids did have trouble with coccidia at three weeks, but it was easily treated -- especially the second time because I was expecting it and being super watchful, so the minute one got diarrhea, I treated for coccidia.

You may or may not want to give Surrey a dewormer. Some people do it as a matter of habit, but if she did not have a high worm load before kidding, she may be fine now. However, given the traumatic birth she had, she may have a rise in parasites due to the stress. The main reason we kid in Jan/Feb is because I don't usually have to deworm my does because all the parasites on pasture are frozen. However, if you have only a few does on a large pasture, you may not have a large parasite load on your pastures at this point, regardless of the time of year. So, in other words, it's your call. There is an argument to be made either way in this situation.

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