DellaMyDarling
Songster
I made an error in research and feed management. Backyardherds can be real slow responses and my FB groups tend to give bad goat info, hoping better here.
2 of my Nigerian goats have been getting a pellet mix containing alfalfa/timothy pellet plus hay stretcher pellets. They share, twice per day, 1 3/4cup until I realized the issue and have started to decrease each feeding a tad this week.
The hay stretcher has caused quick and excessive weight gain in my doe. The buckling seems to fair ok in comparison. She was previously so thin that some added weight for winter is good, but this is wayyy too much.
I thought, in the first week or so the gain began, that she was simply scarfing down all the hay she could to not let the newest doe have any. I'm fairly confident it isn't the case now.
We started hay stretcher at a time when I could not source hay they wanted to eat. Source now located, less pellets needed and no stretcher needed period.
I dried her off from milking over 3 weeks roughly October beginning to end. She had freshened, a FF, in April and just wasn't going to hold nice lactation any longer. At that time, I was concerned she was way underweight, another reason to dry off. We could see the last ribs appearing. She no longer receives any grain, ending all grain entirely about 1 week after dry off. She was quite attached to milking routine.
I cannot recall precisely when we began hay stretcher mix. Perhaps mid Sept? End August? I have bought and mixed twice with green pellets, and we are halfway through that second batch. (No, I'll not buy again, learned my lesson!)
It is possible for her to be bred, but not a guarantee. EDD as early as final days of January. I didn't intend to breed so soon or if at all, shit happens and I cannot fix that now. If she is bred, even more crucial to fix the weight.
Suggestions please? I'd say "take more walks" but a goat's idea of a walk=snacks!
2 of my Nigerian goats have been getting a pellet mix containing alfalfa/timothy pellet plus hay stretcher pellets. They share, twice per day, 1 3/4cup until I realized the issue and have started to decrease each feeding a tad this week.
The hay stretcher has caused quick and excessive weight gain in my doe. The buckling seems to fair ok in comparison. She was previously so thin that some added weight for winter is good, but this is wayyy too much.
I thought, in the first week or so the gain began, that she was simply scarfing down all the hay she could to not let the newest doe have any. I'm fairly confident it isn't the case now.
We started hay stretcher at a time when I could not source hay they wanted to eat. Source now located, less pellets needed and no stretcher needed period.
I dried her off from milking over 3 weeks roughly October beginning to end. She had freshened, a FF, in April and just wasn't going to hold nice lactation any longer. At that time, I was concerned she was way underweight, another reason to dry off. We could see the last ribs appearing. She no longer receives any grain, ending all grain entirely about 1 week after dry off. She was quite attached to milking routine.
I cannot recall precisely when we began hay stretcher mix. Perhaps mid Sept? End August? I have bought and mixed twice with green pellets, and we are halfway through that second batch. (No, I'll not buy again, learned my lesson!)
It is possible for her to be bred, but not a guarantee. EDD as early as final days of January. I didn't intend to breed so soon or if at all, shit happens and I cannot fix that now. If she is bred, even more crucial to fix the weight.
Suggestions please? I'd say "take more walks" but a goat's idea of a walk=snacks!
