Hi everyone,

I have gotten so confused. One book has the keyhole 7 3/4" with the neck being 4" with the height of the feeder at 20". But at another point, it says if you are keeping the babies with the mother, you can drop the feed tray to 7 3/4" so they can feed together. This plan has horizontal bar with screw holes so it can be raised as the babies grow so the babies cannot get out. This is what is confusing me. If I make the space 4" can the babies get out? If I make it 3", can the babies use it and for how long until they no longer fit?

My Boer does have been bred (yea) and I am looking forward to spring babies. I want to move them before the weather gets bad so will work on it now.

Thanks for any information

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), November 14, 2000

Answers

Oh, I forgot, I also wanted to put the hay on the keyhole gate but I am not sure if I would be able to grain them if the hay is there. Maybe a flip door? Or would it be better to put the hay elsewhere?

-- Dee in NJ (gdgtur@goes.com), November 14, 2000.

Hi Dee, I use a cattle panel for measurements for our dairy goats, they are about the perfect fit for adult animals, yes very young ones can fit through these slots for a couple of weeks though. Older bucks need larger slots. If you are talking boers you must be talking horns, and key hole feeders don't work on horns, and anything cattle panel size will just mean heads stuck in the feeder that you will be rescueing and then cutting apart. The diagonal slat idea works great for hay, with them only being able to fit their mussle into the slot to reach for the hay, grain feeding is better accomplished with long feeders, pvc and metal tray feeders are very popular thinking more of easy cleaning than trying to keep the stock out of. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 15, 2000.

Hi Vicki,

My does don't have horns and my babies (if they are does too) will not either. I plan to have them in another place once it gets warmer and they get older so if there are buck kids, they will not get caught in the feeders.(these I'll only have at the most 6 months) I only have the two does and will probably only have the most 6, so a buck isn't advisable for me. (Thank goodness, my husband would have a fit over the smell) I already have some 2 x 10's someone gave me and am using them for the gate. I just needed to know which feeder hight was best and if the babies would get out if it had a 4" space. Thanks

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), November 15, 2000.