I bought a doe and a wether about a month ago. The lady I bought them from believes that the doe is pregnant and due somewhere between the middle of December and beginning of January. She does look pregnant. They were on pasture and being fed free choice hay and Dumor goat pellets. I have been feeding them the same thing, as well as a goat mineral block. My question is, should they be on a dairy goat feed? I can't separate them because there's only the two at the moment (I intend to get some more in the spring). Also, can I feed them my rabbit's alfalfa pellets as a supplement? I've given them a handful here and there and they seem to like it.
Do Nigerians need dairy goat feed?
- Thread starter omani
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OneFineAcre
Herd Master
I just feed mine an "all stock" feed. If you are feeding the Dumor goat pellets that is fine for them. Some people we know who show standard goats feed them a more high performance feed when they are in milk, but I don't know if it makes any difference.
Alfalfa pellets are fine.
Alfalfa pellets are fine.
jodief100
True BYH Addict
X2. They need 12% protein and a calcium to phosphorus ratio that is 2:1. Selenium if you are in a selenium deficient area and copper. I would recommend loose minerals instead of a block but than that I would say they are fine. If they look good and healthy, I wouldn't worry.
Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
If she is not actually milking, currently pregnant, no need to do much different. While pregnant, it can be risky to add too much in the way of extra calories anyway and I would imagine that anything made specifically for dairy would have more calories to provide for those being spent on lactation. Hay, water, and minerals will do the trick and the feed you are giving is fine, just make sure to not overdo it.
As Jodie said, the thing with wethers is making sure they have a balance of calcium and phosphorus to prevent urinary calculi trouble.
As Jodie said, the thing with wethers is making sure they have a balance of calcium and phosphorus to prevent urinary calculi trouble.
Fullhousefarm
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You will probably find that while she is pregnant and nursing she will need more than the wether, who will likely get fat if they are given the same amount of feed or eat together. You can always tie the wether while you feed your doe and give him a smaller amount of feed. Our young buckling and 3 yr old wether are housed together and we keep a leash attached to the fence and give the wether some hay and tie him while the buckling (who is still growing) eats. They are so used to it that a few times I've forgotten to tie the wether and he didn't even realize it until the food was almost gone. He does like to clean the crumbs!
Welcome, and congratulations on the new goats! We started with a doeling and wether three years ago. Now we have 8 does, a buck, and the wether.
Welcome, and congratulations on the new goats! We started with a doeling and wether three years ago. Now we have 8 does, a buck, and the wether.
