How much to feed a goat???

[taylohol11]

I was just wondering i have a toggenburg goat and she just had a baby and i was wondering how much dry food to feed her. She has grass to eat and everything but she seems to be getting fat.


We feed her three cups of food a day is that to much or to less.

thanx any help would be much apreciated

 

[Stacykins]

Maybe it is just me but she looks...thin, since her ribs are visible. A good shot of her hips on level ground would help determine that better. Her new 'fat' may just be fluff, since most goats are starting their winter coats. And a fluffy coat can help hide an underweight animal.

Lactating and raising a kid is tough work, so don't cut her back now. If she is actually underweight, her gaining some weight would be a good thing. Though if she has a high worm load, amount of feed won't really improve her condition until she is treated, if that is the cause for her looking thin.

What I found on feeding a lactating goat, full sized.

Supplemental Feeding

While good quality forages are usually adequate, goats may sometimes need supplemental feeding, especially if they are producing high volumes of milk or during the winter. Goats need a proper balance of energy in the form of roughage or grain, as well as protein, vitamins, minerals, and clean water. Protein and energy requirements vary, depending on the type of goat and its stage of production (see Table 1). Dairy goats need both high-quality forage and supplemental grain to reach their full potential, especially during peak lactation or growth.
Goats can be picky eaters, and they may not immediately accept new feeds. Any feed changes should be made gradually to avoid upsetting the rumen microbes. Feeding very high levels of grain can also upset the rumen. Grain should never be more than 50% of the total diet, except for heavily-producing dairy goats. Table 2 gives guidelines for balancing protein requirements when utilizing pasture, hay and grain supplementation. Here are some general “rules of thumb” for supplementing lactating does:

1. Start the doe on grain a month before kidding and have her consuming about 1.5 pounds of grain by the time she kids. This allows the rumen organisms to slowly adapt.
2. After kidding, increase grain slowly to about 3 pounds per day by 4 weeks post-kidding.
3. After peak lactation, feed according to milk production. Feed 0.5 pound of grain for every pound of milk over 3 pounds milk per day, along with good quality forage. For example, a goat producing 8 pounds a day would get all the good forage she could eat plus 2.5 pounds (8 – 3 = 5 lb. x 0.5 lb feed/lb milk) of grain, split into two feedings.
4. Try not to feed a doe more than 4 pounds of grain per day (Smith, 1994).

 

[taylohol11]

we have seperated them at night now were getting so much milk almost a litre a day! Ill send a pic of her and her half sis

i was wondering if i post a pic of her half sister bor bon do you think you could guess wheather she is pregnant or not???

thanx