We are currently feeding our dairy goats lots of grain (wet cob) in the hopes that we get more multiple births in next year's kid crop. This process is known as flushing, but the "experts" don't always agree on whether this works or not. Have any of you tried this and found that it actually works? Thanks.

-- gita (gschmitz@directcon.net), September 02, 2001

Answers

Feeding goats lots of grain, especially lots of wet cob, which means Corn, oats and barley which is usually never over 11%, and dripping in mollassas, is only going to upset the does rumens. It also has no vitamins or minerals in it. To flush you increase protein, through a better quality grain, soy etc. or a better quality hay. To improve the protein of your wet cob and to also decrease the amount of molassas in your does total ration, you could add alfalfa pellets and black oil sunflower seeds. The problem is if they then ovulate more eggs than normal, and then you plumet their protein and energy back to just the wet cob, they will simply absorb the extra fetus anyway. Improve their overall diet with the alfalfa pellets and BOSS or simply move from grass hay to alfalfa/grass mix. Put out a good loose cattle or horse mineral that contains sufficient copper, worm the does before breeding and make sure you are not in a selenium defficient area, if you are then give Bo-se shots, these are what will improve your kids numbers and health, the health of the does, and of course your buck. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 02, 2001.

You flush sheep the same way. I have gradually changed the corn to protein, about half and half now, I use a lamb pellet and mix it with the corn then get the girls up to 2 pds a day. During the summer there on just enough corn for extra calories and they know it time for bed! I usually stay on 2 pds for the entire gestation and nursing and then drop when I wean.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), September 02, 2001.

It seems to work for my goats. Another thing that seems to help is to breed early in the breeding season, September or October and not anuary for example. I can't say that this is a hard and fast rule, but it does seem as though the does that kid first have more triplets than the later births. It could also be because those does had extra treats and pasture at the time when they were bred, the apples and squash run out as the season wears on. We do feed extra BOSS and a little extra grain (we use a 16% dairy goat ration with pellets). I agree with Vicki, it's important, once they have conceived, to keep them on a high plane of nutrition and not let them get too stressed if you can help it. This is especially critical once the doe gets past the three mpnth point in her gestation- when the fetuses really start to grow and take a lot of energy from the doe- and if you have bred doelings that are not a year old yet. I feed these especially well because they are still growing and pregnant as well, and try to feed them in a pen where here is less competition and bullying from the older does. Ours have grown well and almost always have healthy twins, which I would rather see than a big single kid for a first time mother with a smaller pelvis. I do not start feeding extra grain and BOSS until a week or two before the does will be bred. If they get too fat, that would actually decrease conception rates.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 02, 2001.

What is BOSS?

-- gita (gschmitz@directcon.net), September 02, 2001.

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. You can get them in 50 lb sacks at a feed store. They are very high in fiber and protein.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 02, 2001.