How much cup feed?

[chickylou]

I'm a little mixed up.

The person I bought my does from told me she gave about 3-4 cups of feed a day. Now by feed is has some cracked corn, some pellets and it smells sweet. Is that what is meant by SWEET FEED?

I got the back and I'm going to have to switch maybe to DuMor or Purina. Any advice here?

I'm just worried I'm going to get them fat. Some folks say they only give theirs 1 cup a day. Others 2 cups.

These are Nigerian does and only one of them is milking. I've reduced the other does food down to 1.5 cups a day of sweet stuff (I think that's what it's called). They also have plenty of hay, but I don't know if it has alfalfa in it. Hmm...how do you know which is which?

Anyhow...could you let this novice know what you do for your goats and how that might work out for the littler breed?

Thanks so much.

 

[Chatychick]

If your milking you want to feed her more as she is putting most into milk. I feed goat chow and whole oats and alfalfa pellet when I milk. This is standard what I feed all of my goats. I use 1 cup of goat chow to 2 cups of alfalfa pellets. I make sure there is more pellets than grain. so basically I feed 1 cup oats, 1 cup chow and 2 cups alfalfa pellets. This is what I feed and I try my best to find feed without corn as that is very fattening...like candy to goat...lots of empty calories.

 

[Goattalker]

I would not feed Sweet Stuff to goats (if it is the same product available in California). It has very little nutrition, and a lot of waste products.

 

[username taken]

Hi Chickylou,

dont worry, all of us start out this way and it can be confusing and overwhelming at the beginning!

This is alfalfa hay:

Notice it is VERY green and has kindof round leaves and fairly thick stalks.

This is grassy hay:

Note the absence of the little round leaves. Also, this is probably softer when you touch it (those alfalfa stalks can be HARD!). Grass hay can be fairly green or pretty brown.

Cereal hay (usually oaten hay or wheaten hay) will have 'heads' of grain that look like this:

As far as what to feed your does, if you can get alfalfa hay the doe in milk should get that, free choice, and ideally you would feed your non-pregnant, non-lactating ones grassy or cereal hay. But if you only have alfalfa or they all eat together, they can all have the alfalfa. If you can only get grassy or cereal hay, that is fine but you will need to add the alfalfa pellets, cubes or chaff to the milking doe's grain feed.

"Sweet feed" is a term used to decribe grain - usually it is a commercially mixed ration that includes molasses, hence the sweetness, but any grain mix can be called sweet feed. You want to find one with at least 16% protein - 18% is better. Use either a goat, horse or cattle feed but not sheep - sheep feeds dont have the copper that goats need.

As far as amounts to feed: the milking doe needs 2+ cups of grain per milking. If the other doe is not milking and not pregnant, she doesnt need any grain at all, just free choice hay.

 

[chickylou]

Oh! Thank you all! I really appreciated those picures as well.

I'm pretty sure, based on those pictures that I have the alfalfa hay. WHEW!

Now, I get it.

I have started to diminish the second does' ration of sweet feed (now I realize that's what I have!). I did know enough to do that part, but I've been nervous to take her off of it completely. Now, I won't worry so much.

Thanks again!