I know that this info is in the archives but it seems to be spread out and at times hard to sort out into order. Could you tell me how to feed a goat so that pregnant goats do not end up with hypocalcimia (or any other nutrition illness)what should the feeding plan be for her from before becoming pregnant until after kidding? What would you feed here from month to month to make sure that she remains healthy all the way through? Also if you could add any other information such as shots, what kind and when? Thanks, George

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), January 08, 2002

Answers

Our experience has been that it is important that the doe not be fat from too much grain feeding. If she is fat going into the pregnancy, and if there are multiple fetuses, which usually is the case, she can end up right before kidding time with not enough room to take in the nutrition she needs. It is our practice to feed alfalfa hay free choice at night, and grass hay during the day. We do not grain any doe who is not milking, until the last week before she is due to kid. At that time, we start with just a little (a cup twice a day) and increase each day up to about 1 1/2 lbs. twice a day when she kids. We feed mineralized salt free choice, baking soda free choice, and give a CDT injection 6 weeks prior to kidding. A doe who is milking needs more alfalfa by far than a dry doe. Some people even cut down more than we do on the alfalfa for dry does.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), January 08, 2002.

Hi Diane.

Why feed alfalfa at night and grass hay during the day?

Thanks George

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), January 09, 2002.

This is what I'm feeding now. If this is wrong maybe you can help me adjust.

Free choice minerals, free choice baking soda, free choice grass hay, 1 lb grain grain in the morning and 1 lb grain at night and fresh water both morning and night. sometimes I will give a treat such as apple,carrot,or bread. It seems that I need to make adjustments but I don't know if I should change suddenly or if I should change gradually. I am feeding how the previous owners fed.

Thanks.

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), January 09, 2002.

You should get a bundle of different answers. Every breed, and what you do with them, quality of pasture or browse, and quality of hay is all going to make these very different answers. We can not keep good quality alfalfa here because of the humidity, so we feed a good quality grass hay. Because my girls are expected to milk for 10 months, kid once a year with triplets usually and quads in a few bloodlines, we grain year round. We live in the woods so the goats have good quality browse, our pastures are simply areas the goats have cleared, no improved pastures, though I do winter rye sometimes and spring birdseed/chickory/grains also. We feed about 1 pound per 100 pounds of body weight, approx. since most adult does get 1 pound in the morning and one at night for maintence. I want my girls thick as they kid, we have very good milking Nubians and if they come out of pregnancy lean, they will be way to thin by the time they are 12 weeks fresh, and you can't put weight on them when they milk well. Shave their hair off for a show and its down right embarassing! We feed all grains, not pellets, no animal anything but whey. Flaked Corn, Whole Oats, Crimped Barley, Alfalfa Pellets (because our mineral mix is just barely not enough calcium to counteract all the phosphrous in the mix and all the grain which is high in phosphrous) and BOSS (black oil sunflowerseeds) We keep loose cattle minerals out all the time (which is high in copper), kelp, baking soda and diamond V Yeast out the last 50 days of pregnancy and most of their milking time. The hay is out in feeders and is always full. I feed morning and night in bunker feeders in the barn, the competetion keeps them eating. Once they kid they not only get this two time a day feeding in the barns, but go up onto the milk stand twice a day and get 1 pound of grain for each 3 to 4 pounds of milk they give, most milkers here are eating 4 to 5 pounds of grain. I like the 4 feedings, my girls didn't look as good when we only offered grain on the milk stands. I look at them critical each day, if they start gaining weight, which happens only to the old does, they are decreased in grain, loosing wieght, which happens with first fresheners, they are increased in grain, and I will put the Yeast and baking soda over their grain to start with. My infants live in the haybarn so are able to eat hay from the beginning. I don't bother even putting grain in the pens until 4 to 6 weeks old, before that they are wasting it. Then they are challenged fed, if I put out 4 pounds and there is some left the next morning, I will back down to 3 pounds, until the feeders are empty everyday. Empty for a couple of days, and I up it a pound. They are challenge fed until they are on the same 1 pound in the morning and 1 pound at night. All my kids are bottled for 1 or 2 days then put onto lambars, I seperate bucks and does quickly, mostly because the buckling harass the doelings, and I make considerably more money off of doelings. If I dam raised, I would still put each doe up on the milk stand to keep her udder empty, and I would creep feed my kids, so they didn't have to compete with grain and the other moms. Weigh the grain if you feed all grains, it is incredibly heavier, sometimes by 1/2 as much as pellets, or sweet feeds. The same can which is 1 pound of a sacked feed would only be 1/2 can of all grains. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 09, 2002.