My husband and I have discussed raising dairy goats for almost 2 years now... This past Christmas he surprised me with a pair of Nigerian Dwarf kids! A doe and a buck. They're almost 9 weeks. My biggest concern at the moment is keeping them alive and healthy...
After reading about a dozen blogs and a post on this site I have determined that there is a copper deficiency, and have ordered kid copper bolus to fix that. The female (Kimber) started getting a rusty patch on her black coat and the male (Buckshot) is 3lbs smaller than her even though their kidding was only 1 day apart. She was 15lbs on Tuesday and he was 12. Otherwise they seem healthy. No floppy feet or scours (although some of their "pebbles" stick together like a grape cluster, if that makes sense).
Another concern I'm having is feed. Well, specifically, hay. There are so many options, and reading blogs and books... well everyone seems to have a differing idea of what is best. At the local feed store the choices are: Alfalfa, Orchard Grass, Bermuda, and Timothy... Also, I get conflicting opinions about feeding bucks grain. Right now the kids have free choice: orchard hay, kelp and baking soda. In the morning I give them each 1/4c grain (3 parts whole barely, 3 parts whole oats, and 1 part boss) with the goat mineral (which they seem to leave most of in the feeding tray) and about 1/4 tsp of ginger powder sprinkled on top. They are being weaned off bottles and are getting just one bottle in the evening, 8oz of whole cow milk. No bloating or any issues with that, but I'm not sure if they are getting enough to eat and information seems to be lacking when I look online for this breed!
I'm very glad that I found this community, I only know of one breeder anywhere near me (we had to drive 6 hours to get these kids), and I'm feeling a bit lost!
Kimber is black with horns and Buckshot is Buff and polled. We're separating them in the next few days. Have to get the other pen finished!
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I forgot to say to read through the archives here. When I was considering buying my girls (and after!), that was my most valuable resource! It searchable as well so that is helpful.
Welcome to the group, and to the world of Nigerian Dwarf goats! They are so precious, aren't they? Your two look similar in color to mine, only I have two does. We dealt with a copper deficiency earlier with one of mine and bolused them at a few months old, but not as early as yours.
I feed my girls only alfalfa (though I did take a detour with some sweet feed for about 6 months), minerals, and water. Every now and again I give them some BOSS, and when we run out of good quality hay, I do alfalfa pellets. From time to time, I'll give them a little timothy hay too, but not often. I just recently learned that I should be offering them baking soda free choice as well, so I'm doing that too. When my Willow kids, I'll be adding back the sweet feed for her on the milking stand.
I second the suggestion for Deborah's book, it's been really helpful for me.
All your answers will, of course, be in the references Deborah posted for you.
Short answer is good quality hay. No grain for anyone except does in milk. Now, about the hay. When I first got mine, I bought six bales of hay, all different. They did *not* like the ones I would have thought they would like. They settled on good quality orchard grass hay so that is what they get. Here, it's a bit more expensive than some of the others, but less waste actually makes it less expensive.
I highly encourage you to buy, if you have not already done it, Deborah's book, "Raising Goats Naturally." I send it with my kids when I sell them.
Congratulations to this wonderful word of these sweet little goats.
We're looking at wethers from the same breeder. We plan to purchase in the next 2 weeks. I don't want them being lonely :( I know that my children (5 still at home) playing with them is not enough. Thanks for the links to the posts!
Welcome to the group! I'm glad to hear that you realize they should not be together much longer because you don't want Kimber pregnant at this age. However, they are herd animals, and they are going to be miserable if they're alone, so you really need a companion for each of them.
This post answers most of your questions about feeding the kids:
http://www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com/2014/05/7-things-goats-n...
This post will answer most of your questions about your buck:
http://www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com/2015/05/7-tips-for-keepi...