Lets talk about goats!

[waddles99]

Yes, she can develop a hay belly.... But you just have to do the best you can with the situation you have. How many other goats are in her pen (I can't find the post where you had discussed it previously)? It is going to get expensive to feed Calf Manna to all of them at a rate to benefit just one... I wish you were able to separate her out into a pen with just her and another goat, so you had better control of feeding her.

Another contributor to the "hay belly" look can be worms.... And with a bunch of goats sharing 1 pen it raises the chances of parasite load... Lots of factors to consider such as size of pen, footing, feeding stations/areas, lot rotation, fecals, worming protocol, etc.... Do you have a parasite control program in place?

We have a few >2yr old breeding does that we can literally pull straight off the pasture, shine them up, and be competitive with them. But our junior - senior - yearling does we try to "get fit" alongside our market kids. They get walked (or run for short distances if they are feeling spicy) multiple times a day. The junior does bulk up, but the seniors & yearlings just seem to get "toned" and less soft. We just compete within the state of Maryland, so we are not uber-competitive, but for being home-raised Boers that keep getting further and further out from their Ennobled pedigrees, we do okay. Kids born spring 2017 will be 3 generations out from full Ennobled parentage. Most of our competition is first generation from Ennobled (several local families have $xx,xxx Ennobled bucks as herd sires).

There are 2 pens and 6 goats including her. I think that I could get her to go in with 1 other goat and have 4 in the other side. That would be ideal. But worst case scenario is she's in with 2 others. Thats not too bad. I worm my goats too. So I don't think worms should be an issue. Their pen is probably....30' x 80'? With 3 goats. The feed and water is all next to each other by the fence. They stay on that lot 365 days a year. The footing is firm everywhere but soggy in the first 30x30 section of the pen where they hang out.

I'm not working with amazing genetics here....the best she's got is her great grand sire is chicken on a chain. So she is far removed from ennobled genetics. Also another one of her great grand sires is ennobled too. But I forget their name. Hopefully I can pull her out of the pen and she'll be decently competitive! Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[res]

After helping the kids with their 4-H Record Books for this year, you may not want to follow my feeding protocol.... Goats cost us $4651.71 for 2016 and the horses cost us $6256.32, for a grand total of dang near ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

I am now wishing I had NOT helped the kids with the cost figures... Ouch.

 

[ShrekDawg]

After helping the kids with their 4-H Record Books for this year, you may not want to follow my feeding protocol.... Goats cost us $4651.71 for 2016 and the horses cost us $6256.32, for a grand total of dang near ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

I am now wishing I had NOT helped the kids with the cost figures... Ouch.

Dang that's expensive!!! How many goats do you have? I've been thinking I wanted maybe 2-4 goats, either wethers or does, for pets, brush clearing, and milk if does, but not if they cost that much!! Dang! Lol

 

[waddles99]

After helping the kids with their 4-H Record Books for this year, you may not want to follow my feeding protocol.... Goats cost us $4651.71 for 2016 and the horses cost us $6256.32, for a grand total of dang near ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

I am now wishing I had NOT helped the kids with the cost figures... Ouch.

Well, its all relative I guess. I know a farm who gets national champions and they spend probably 500 dollars each month per goat.

 

[res]

Dang that's expensive!!! How many goats do you have? I've been thinking I wanted maybe 2-4 goats, either wethers or does, for pets, brush clearing, and milk if does, but not if they cost that much!! Dang! Lol

Usually between 12-17 goats. Mainly does, I have 2 bucks and 2 wether companions. I feed "show feed" year round, which is big factor in the cost. I was feeding a brand that was running me $19-20 per bag, and just switched to a different company, with the same nutritional profile, that is $12 per bag, so I am hoping the costs are less in 2017. The majority of my does are either pregnant or nursing for 9 months of the year, so they are fed VERY well. In comparison, the 2 "pet" wethers at my work go thru ~1lb of pellets per day, so a 50-lb $12 bag of feed lasts them almost 2 months. They also get fed the "scrap" hay - great quality horse hay that is swept off the floor or not suitable for the horses for one reason or another. So goats can DEFINITELY be cheap.

Well, its all relative I guess. I know a farm who gets national champions and they spend probably 500 dollars each month per goat.

I know, I cannot imagine. I hope the goats "pay them back" somehow. Mine have yet to make me a profit, but the experiences the kids are gaining is priceless!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Usually between 12-17 goats. Mainly does, I have 2 bucks and 2 wether companions. I feed "show feed" year round, which is big factor in the cost. I was feeding a brand that was running me $19-20 per bag, and just switched to a different company, with the same nutritional profile, that is $12 per bag, so I am hoping the costs are less in 2017. The majority of my does are either pregnant or nursing for 9 months of the year, so they are fed VERY well. In comparison, the 2 "pet" wethers at my work go thru ~1lb of pellets per day, so a 50-lb $12 bag of feed lasts them almost 2 months. They also get fed the "scrap" hay - great quality horse hay that is swept off the floor or not suitable for the horses for one reason or another. So goats can DEFINITELY be cheap.


I know, I cannot imagine. I hope the goats "pay them back" somehow. Mine have yet to make me a profit, but the experiences the kids are gaining is priceless!

That makes more sense then, that is a lot of goats to feed, especially if they're getting a more expensive feed. But I hope the lower cost feed works out and lowers costs some! I admittedly hadn't even really thought of having to feed does more. I'm sure it probably wouldn't cost as much for only a couple versus how many you have but I still may avoid it. I'm not sure I want to milk them anyway, have to think about it. But that's good to know that goats can be cheap and not all of them cost that much

 

[res]

No wonder my back hurts....

Pounds of GOAT feed fed in 2016: 6,900 lbs (138 bags)

Pounds of HORSE feed fed in 2016: 8,600 lbs (172 bags)

Pounds of hay consumed in 2016: 10,360lbs (148 bales of hay, not including alfalfa)

 

[waddles99]

Usually between 12-17 goats. Mainly does, I have 2 bucks and 2 wether companions. I feed "show feed" year round, which is big factor in the cost. I was feeding a brand that was running me $19-20 per bag, and just switched to a different company, with the same nutritional profile, that is $12 per bag, so I am hoping the costs are less in 2017. The majority of my does are either pregnant or nursing for 9 months of the year, so they are fed VERY well. In comparison, the 2 "pet" wethers at my work go thru ~1lb of pellets per day, so a 50-lb $12 bag of feed lasts them almost 2 months. They also get fed the "scrap" hay - great quality horse hay that is swept off the floor or not suitable for the horses for one reason or another. So goats can DEFINITELY be cheap.


I know, I cannot imagine. I hope the goats "pay them back" somehow. Mine have yet to make me a profit, but the experiences the kids are gaining is priceless!

I breed and show chickens, and while it is not on the scale of goats due to size, I spend $100 a month on feed which I don't get back. $1200 a year isn't much compared to what you spend, but it helps me get an idea of what goats must cost. Now, I knew from day 1 what I was getting into and how I wouldn't make a cent of it back, but I do make around $200 a year on premium money. It helps. I dont sell eggs and I dont sell birds either. Most of the money I spend is from conditioning pens. My birds prepping for show eat twice as much as the layers and breeders do. They eat about a half pound a day.

So here is my plan. Tell me if it needs adjustment:

Separate the pens so she is in with 1 or 2 other goats.

Feed free choice hay. It is orchard grass hay grown right next to the pen, you can see the field from the pen. I wouldn't say its the best quality but it is medium quality, rarely weeds or stems, decent green color and fresh smell. Picky eaters like it.

DuMor 16% goat feed premixed with calf manna fed twice a day at a lb each per goat.

Walk her every weekend.

 

[moomoodiddy]

I have a Nigerian dwarf doe that is going to be old enough to be bred in the spring, so what should her diet be to increase fertility? She gets free choice hay and around an hour of green time every day along with a cup or two of 17% feed (accidentally got sweet feed last time) and I keep a mineral block in front of her and of course constant fresh water supply.

 

[cassie]

What you are feeding her sounds just fine to me. Make sure she does not get too fat. That will hurt fertility. If she starts to look chunky cut back or even eliminate the grain.

Something else did occur to me though. While I raised full sized dairy goats for years, I am not all that familiar with minis. Dairy goats, particularly the Swiss breeds (the ones with the upright ears) are seasonal breeders. The usual breeding season is from about September through February. I have on occasion had does come into heat as early as August and some can be bred as late as March. I have no idea if this applies to Nigerians or not, but I thought it was something to be aware of. Check with an experienced Nigerian breeder. The worst that can happen is that your doeling gets bred next fall rather than next spring.