I have my first doe due Jan 29th and know I need to start offering her some grain...I also know her previous owner always used Noble Goat...but I have some questions as we have never bothered with giving our other 2 grain for the year+ that we have had them as we have abundant improved pasture and if anything need to limit their diet not increase it...(my weather eats until he wobbles back to the pen to nap a while and head back out again.)
Anyway Sarah Goat is due in just 27 days, we intend to separate her to a small but adjacent pen to give her space to have her babies in piece...She is 4yrs old and done this before...we however have not.
Ok so enough prattle...my questions.
Was just reading the other thread about Noble Goat Feed...and my bag though it did not say it on the bag, just the tag is medicated...we have not opened the bag yet and think we will be returning it tomorrow for something non-medicated.
We also have a first time fresher Deenie due March 12th...so it would just be 2 momma goats and the off spring to consume the 50lb...I think too long to expose them to unneeded medications??
Next question and my main one.
How much is the correct amount per goat? I want to say 1/2cup each is what I was told when we first brought our original goat but that was 16months ago and I really do not recall since we ended up feeding the goat grain to the chickens when it began sweating in the summer heat and at that time only had one doe and a weather whom we do not feed grain to.
Please help, I would like to get Sarah Goat on grain soon...Thank you in advance
Kelsie
Replies
When it comes to commercial goat feed, you really need to know what the manufacturer recommends because it can vary widely -- some say feed as a "complete feed," meaning you don't even need to feed hay, and those tend to be very low in nutrients because they're assuming the goat will be eating so much of it. Most of the big manufacturers have their nutritional info online, and you can download the feeding instructions and nutritional info that is on the feed tag.
A doe needs to be making 1-2 pounds per ND kid that she is feeding. One pound is absolute minimum, and you'll probably have kids that are growing slowly with no extra fat on them; two pounds a day will make fat and happy kids growing like weeds! :)
Kelsie Aman said:
If I am not milking her how do I know how much? ..I did try and find it on the bag of food but all it said was read the sewn on label...the label has the nutrition list on one side and at the bottom, said "see reverse for use and cautionary notes"...alas the reverse side was blank lol
I seriously need to hit my goat books.
They typically say one pound of grain for every three pounds of milk, and this is true of Purina Goat Chow. Read the label, however, because some cheaper feeds have such a low lever of mineral fortification in them that you are supposed to feed a lot more. And they are more grass-based than grain-based. You don't need to offer grain to the kids specifically, if you are feeding mom with the kids. They'll start to nibble at the grain when she is eating.
also I have noticed both my pregnant does are hitting the free choice minerals really hard and that I am now having to refill daily were as before I would end up tossing some and refilling...the new doe (one mouth with us) seems especially eager for the mineral.
We will not be milking this time round....but what would a milking ration be? and how soon should I offer grain to the kids?
The lady I purchased my goats from is in the middle of moving inter state so I am feeling rather on my own right now.
Feeds with coccidiostats are not approved for use in dairy animals.
The textbooks say that pregnant does don't need more than .5% of their body weight in grain, which is about 3-5 ounces for most NDs. I usually start giving a little bit of grain during the last week or two of pregnancy. Too much grain causes bigger kids, which can be harder for the doe giving birth. You can gradually start building up to half of a milking ration by the time the doe kids. Always make feed change gradually so as not to cause diarrhea or other digestive problems.
Kelsie. I don't know a lot about this, but I will say this: you may want to wait til you here from some folks before you return the feed, because if I am not mistake the "med" in there is not something that will cause a problem if you feed it for a while. What I do know is this: the med is to prevent coccidia in your kids and coccidia is one of the quickest ways for kids to die. Therefor you might decide to go ahead and use it after you get some advice from the real pros on here. I know I am interested to here what they say. I haven't used any Noble Goat in a while but I think I am fixing to buy some myself.