Am I overfeeding my goats?

[Long Last Farm]

I am a newbie goat owner,looking for advice on feeding.

I have 2 nigerian dwarf/Boer cross does, currently pregnant--due in the spring. They came to us looking quite fat already!

I have 4 young Boer does all also pregant--due in the spring

Also, I have one Alpine doe and her 2 twin doelings .The doelings are about 5 months old--she half-heartedly lets them nurse occasionally, but she has mostly weaned them.

I have been filling their hay feeder twice a day with mixed grass hay 2 x day. They pretty much empty it within 1 hour after each filling. I would guess they are eating about 1/2 bale total per day--what they don't throw on the ground, that is....

I have been giving them 2 large sized coffee cans of goat pellets in the trough per day also.

None of them look overly fat except for the nigerian dwarf/Boer crosses--They are the most aggressive and seem to push the others away. The littlest doeling was quite a runt and sickly when we purchased her, but we have been feeding her separately, and with a vet's care, she is doing much better and growing well.

They all have access to grass oustide ( at least for now--it is getting colder, and soon it will be totallly brown.) Since the are goats, they have been only marginally interested in the grass, anyway.They have minerals available 24/7.

Does this sound like a reasonable amt.
to feed this number of goats? Thank you for any replies!!! Pat

 

[sawfish99]

To me it sounds like too much grain and not enough hay. We have a total of 11 goats and they consume almost a bale a day (spread between 5 different feeders). I believe in free choice hay.
Our bucks get about 3/4 qt of grain a day. Our does in milk (being milked) get about 3-4 quarts of grain EACH per day. Our dry does get no grain until the last month of pregnancy, then we will start at about 1 qt 2x a day.

Any time I feed grain, it is given to a specific animal. I do not feed grain in a trough so I control which animal gets the grain.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Do you mean cups? You're kidding about the quarts right?

Here's how I feed my goats. http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6788-feeding-goats

 

[Long Last Farm]

Thank you, sawfish! It is taking me some time to get used to the fact that goats in general always act like they are starving! ( At least that's what other goat owners have told me.) I am probably just being too easily fooled by the "Feed me, Feed me--I am starving" act. I am going to set up another hay feeder and go heavier on the hay, and less on the pellets.

Thanks also, Strawhat Kiko--I don't have a way to weigh my goats right now, but your info is helpful in giving me a ballpark idea of how much to feed.

 

[20kidsonhill]

our young boer does are getting 3 cups of pelleted goat grain per day. They are around 8 monhts old and 90 lbs. When they were younger, they were at one point getting a little more than that. Once they are considered juniors, I cut them back to just the 3 cups of grain(1 pound) 17% protein, 4% fat plus hay or pasture.

Half a bale of hay for your 9 goats, (3 adults and 6 younger) seems to me to be a little on the light side, if they have no other pasture) Also would depend on the quality of the hay and the size of the bale. Our small bales are right at 45 lbs each. so that would be about 21 lbs of hay total for your 9 goats. And adult goat should be getting around 5 lbs of hay a day, the yuunger onse would obviously be getting less. by my rough calculations you should be using 5lbs x 3 + 3lbs x 6= 33 lbs of hay a day. This should be digestable good quality hay, not stemy first cutting hay that they pick through and waste.

Your pregnant does are concerning if they are bred, they will be hard to feed with the young growing animals and the dairy doe. Your pregnant Boer crosses are at risk of getting too much grain with your set up, and with that type of cross(BoerxNigie) you may end up with really big kids and kidding problems.
You may wish to set up a smaller pen to luer those two into, to feed them the grain separatly, after the first 6 weeks of gestation, they really don't need more than a couple cups of grain each at the very most. My adults do not get any grain during the middle of their gestation. My younger does 1 and 2 years old do get 2 to 3 cups of grain per day, even during their gestation. This is bumped up after they kid and while they are nursing.

sorry, just realized the young Boer does are also bred to kid in the spring. Gosh, that changes things a little bit. 3 lbs of hay a day may not be enough for them. They are older than I realized.
Just kind of typing while I think.

Your crosses still concern me the most, but you Boer doelings that are bred, should also be cut back on grain for most of their gestation. and given more hay.
The 5 month old doelings can pretty much have all they grain they want twice a day. and perhaps your Alpine doe can have a fair amount of grain, if you are trying to put weight back on her.

HOpe that helped and wasn't too confusing.

your wasted hay is either a result of needing a better hay feeder design or your hay is a little too rough in spots and they are picking through it. Our first cutting hay that we are feeding right now is a little rough in spots and they are wasting some of it. I wouldn't expect them to do this, if I was feeding a better quality 2nd or 3rd cutting grass hay that was more tender though out the entire bale.

2x4 or maybe 4x4 wire for your hay feeder works the best. they can't pull as much out at one time.

I only put enough hay that they clean it up before the next feeding. I find this helps them not pick through the hay as much and waste, but they still waste a little.

Sorry if that sounded like babbling at some point.

Sounds like you have a nice little herd started.

 

[sawfish99]

Do you mean cups? You're kidding about the quarts right?

Here's how I feed my goats. http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6788-feeding-goats

No, I meant quarts. The does being milked are fed grain twice a day and their ration is split between the two feedings.

 

[Long Last Farm]

Thank you 20 kids--getting goats has been a goal of mine 4 years ago-- ever since we moved from your neck of the woods ( Strasburg, VA) to Allegany County in Western NY. We have about 18 acres up here. We looked around the The Northern Shenandoah Valley, but just could not handle the real estate prices down there. The topography is very similar here, although the winters are longer and colder!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Do you mean cups? You're kidding about the quarts right?

Here's how I feed my goats. http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6788-feeding-goats

No, I meant quarts. The does being milked are fed grain twice a day and their ration is split between the two feedings.

Wow. That is alot of feed. Are they on dry lots?

 

[sawfish99]

Essentially, yes. There is no browse left where the milkers are kept. Our dry does are out in a different area that still has browse. I am planning to fence in about another half acre of browse for the milkers.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Essentially, yes. There is no browse left where the milkers are kept. Our dry does are out in a different area that still has browse. I am planning to fence in about another half acre of browse for the milkers.

Got ya. And you're up north where the temps are much colder than here. That means the need more energy which means more feed.