hi, I am getting my first goats, 2 12 week old Nigerian dwarf wethers. They are going to be shown 4H. I know that they are supposed to get grain until they are 6-8 months old. My question is how much should they be getting during this time? They will be on grass hay and loose minerals and kelp also.
Feeding 12 week old Nigerian dwarf wethers
- Thread starter Laura09
- Start date
Greetings Laura from the front range in Colorado 
Welcome to BYH! Glad you joined us.
@12 weeks the wethers should be completely weaned and be on hay. They shouldn't need grain and in fact it can be bad for them and cause urinary issues. A good nutritious treat/supplement would be alfalfa pellets (with the kelp). A little grain, like a handful can be used to train them to come to you/follow you used as a treat. They should do fine with just a good quality hay free choice and of course the goat minerals (make sure it's for goats as it contains more copper) free choice. Seems most like the granulated better than the "block" as they can chip their teeth on the block. You can put out some baking soda free choice in case they get "indigestion". Some do, some don't.
Goats are browsers more than grazers, so they like bark, leaves, fresh tree buds, pine needles, and such. If you have young trees, you'll want to keep the goats away from them as they'll strip them and kill them.
Good luck with your new goats and 4H!
Welcome to BYH! Glad you joined us. @12 weeks the wethers should be completely weaned and be on hay. They shouldn't need grain and in fact it can be bad for them and cause urinary issues. A good nutritious treat/supplement would be alfalfa pellets (with the kelp). A little grain, like a handful can be used to train them to come to you/follow you used as a treat. They should do fine with just a good quality hay free choice and of course the goat minerals (make sure it's for goats as it contains more copper) free choice. Seems most like the granulated better than the "block" as they can chip their teeth on the block. You can put out some baking soda free choice in case they get "indigestion". Some do, some don't.
Goats are browsers more than grazers, so they like bark, leaves, fresh tree buds, pine needles, and such. If you have young trees, you'll want to keep the goats away from them as they'll strip them and kill them.
Good luck with your new goats and 4H!
Cathy Mohni
Exploring the pasture
Cathy Mohni
Exploring the pasture
Hi I have 2 5 month old Nigerian Dwarf wethers and hve been giving them 1/2 cup of grain in the morning and 1/2 cup at night for the 2. I think they are starving but I think tht is all they need for the day and full feed on the grass hay. They don't seem to be eating alot of hay so I let them out in the back yard to graze foliage , weeds and plants, Whoops! Not a good thing for so much of a fast change of diet. now they have huge poops the size of dog turds from eating dry leaves and cleaning my fence line. They are now back into my pen until I see raisin poops again.
The thread you responded to is 18 months old... Changing diet should normally be done slowly. They are wethers, so you need to be careful about grain as it can cause urinary calculi. www.ansc.purdue.edu/SP/MG/Documents/SLIDES/Urinary%20calculi.pdf Many/most with wethers feed them hay only, 24/7 availability, possibly a little feed while they are growing, and then let them browse as they will. You can buy pelleted feed that has AC (Ammonium Chloride) added to help prevent UC. You can put them on a leash and let them out on the fence line for periods of time that increase in length over time. They are great weed and brush devourers ... They prefer leaves and bark over grass... They also need goat minerals... you're better with the granulated over a block and after introduction, should be able to put them out free choice. They'll eat them when they need them, and most goats self regulate well.
