How much feed

TXMissy

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Hello ya'll!
I have 2 goats that are just my pets. I am not sure how much pellets to give them. I have one wether and and doe. Can someone dumb it down for me please? I have a feed scoop that is on quarts. I want to make sure I dont over or under feed them. I have been giving them 3 quarts between the 2 of them. They also have access to Timothy hay.
 

animalmom

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I think 3 quarts is much for two. I feed my guys, once a day, 3.5 quarts and there are two bucks and three wethers in the pen.

If you feed twice a day, then I'd go with a cup per goat per feeding. Check the bowl/feeder after 20 minutes or so and if it is not totally cleaned up then cut back a little.

See how enthusiastic they are for the evening feed.

I've always found the feeding advise on the bag to be unhelpful where they say something along the lines of 3% of animal weight. Yeah, like I have time to do the math. Others might but when it gets past 10 I'm in trouble. :)
 

TXMissy

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Thank you! I agree. I think it is too much. They still had some this morning. There is probably no way i could figure out the math to get it right. I am not even sure how much they weight, only that I can lift her and barely lift him lol. I originally was only feeding them in the evening and splitting 2 quarts based on my scooper which really doesn't look like 2 qtrs but by morning it was all gone and they were ready to eat by evening. Then i though maybe i should feed them once in the am and pm. However, I think I will stick with evening feedings. The Ag guy recommended about half a lb per goat... which I just realized now is a cup lol. Good grief sometimes I wonder about the functionality of my brain. As always, thank you for your help. You are the best!
 

2goatgal

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I'm relatively new to goats, but one thing had been hammered home by pro goat owners is that feeding wethers grain will cause urinary calculi (Dr Pol tells his clients this, too). Here in central FL, gals raising dairy goats keep their goats on hay unless they need to entice the herd into the barn or milking stand. Having said that, my 2 girls at 4 months and 40 lbs were a little too lean so I've added 1/2lb each of grain to their daily feeding.
Again, I'm new. Do Your Own Research (DYOR).
 

chickens really

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I stopped feeding any grains to my goats. I only feed Timothy and alfalfa mix hay. They are doing great. I once in awhile put pellets or grain out as a small treat.
 

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