Does anyone have approximate weights that NDs should be at different ages? Like 2 mos, 4 mos, 6 mos, 8 mos, 10 mos, 1 yr, 1 1/2 yr, 2 yr, etc? For bucks and does? Thanks!
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Actually, I just started him back on grain about 2 weeks ago.
For about 2-3 months he refused to eat any grain I gave him and lost condition as a result.
He has never had scours or coccidia as a kid; always good fecal egg counts and up to date w/ copper bolus and deworming. My vet's opinion is that he just lost weight when he refused grain in favor of grass. (He is the only kid I have ever raised who didn't deal with coccidia at some point; he was a bottle baby.)
Since I got grain he will eat, he has gained condition and weight, I just wanted to see what else would help him keep gaining.
If you've been feeding him that much grain, and he is not gaining weight, something else is going on. You've got a problem with parasites or coccidia or something. If he had a bad case of coccidia as a younger kid, it could have permanently damaged his intestines so that he doesn't absorb nutrients properly. He should be quite the chunky monkey with that much grain.
OK... I'm just not sure about beet pulp b/c it is GMO... :(
I will start lowering his grain a little, he's also got ammonium chloride to prevent UC.
Julia @Woody Glen Farm said:
I wouldn't feed him that much either. He'll put on weight anyway if you give him just a small amount of grain (like a 1/4 cup 2x per day. They can easily get urinary calculi eating too much grain and it's a horrible way to die (they get little crystals in the urinary tract which blocks the pee). If you want to fatten him up faster, give him some beet pulp. My bucklings LOVE it and it won't hurt them and is high in fiber.
I am feeding so much grain b/c the buckling got very underconditioned, and I am trying to get him to put on some more weight. :)
I have been using Purina Goat Chow, but I am transitioning to a non-GMO, whole grain sweet feed.
All of my goats have access to Southern States goat minerals. (contains right amounts of copper, also ammonium chloride for the bucks.)
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
That is a LOT of grain for a buckling. The only goats on my farm that get that much grain are milkers. When you say "sweet feed," are you talking about Dumor Goat Sweet Feed or just a generic all-species sweet feed? If it's an all-species sweet feed, it doesn't have much nutrition in it. He needs a goat feed that has at least 35 ppm copper and other nutrients specific to goats.
Liberty Homestead Farm said:
I have been using that info you posted, (actually found it myself a few weeks ago). I would say my buckling is around a 2. For about a month he refused to eat grain, just grass, and lost condition.
He did have a parasite load a month ago, that was treated and he is now much better; eating 1-2 cups of sweet feed per feeding (twice per day). He gets free choice alfalfa pellets at feeding times.
First, make sure he doesn't have a problem with parasites. Also, check to see how tall his parents are. Some lines grow slower and don't get as big as others. Did you see the info I just posted on body condition? It's a link to a PDF with some great pictures.
Liberty Homestead Farm said:
I got a buckling a couple of months ago that was seriously underweight (5 months old and 16 lbs). I have fed him 1/4 cup sweet feed 2x per day plus some beet pulp and a little sunflower seeds in addition to free choice hay and minerals, and he now weighs over 30 lbs (in 2 months) and looks 100% healthier. He is finally growing a beard and even bred one of my does yesterday!
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