Nigerian Dwarf Goat Feed Question

[cyanne]

I am trying to fine tune my feeding program, and I need some info from those of you with Nigi's...how much grain do you feed per day for your goats? I found a chart online from Fiasco Farm that has everything listed out all neatly by gender, age, and whether they are pregnant or in milk or whatnot, but it occured to me that Fiasco Farm raises LaManchas which would be standard-sized goats, right?

So how does the Fiasco Farm chart compare to what you would feed a Nigerian Dwarf?

I currently have 4 pregnant does (I hope), 1 doe in milk, 1 soon-to-be-sold buck, 1 little buckling, and 1 little wether (the two little ones are almost 3 months old).

According to the Fiasco chart both the pregnant does and young goats up to 1 yr old should each get 1 lb of grain (I feed a 16% pelleted goat feed), 1 cup of BOSS, and of course hay, water and minerals. For the doe in milk the chart says to give up to 3 lbs of grain per day plus the other stuff. Is this correct, or is it too much for Nigi's?

Up until now I have have sort of been winging it with the grain and BOSS by putting in a big scoop once a day that is a total of 3 lbs for the 3 pregnant girls. I feed hay and minerals free choice, but I am unsure on the grain. The does never finish the grain, though, and the leftovers get vacuumed up by the buck and the LGD.

Now that I have brought home the new goats from the Piddlin Acres herd I wanted to re-evaluate the feed amounts and make sure I was giving the correct amounts. Help!

 

[Chatychick]

First I would separate the buck and this way the girls will eat it when they get hungry. I dont run my bucks with my does as if and when you want to milk the doe the milk will have a bad taste and also when she gets closer to kidding they put off a scent like they are in heat. He can cause her to go into early labor. The feeding your doing sounds good and I would cut down some of the BOSS. Do you feed alfalfa hay? Pellets? They do need alfalfa hay or pellets. I use the pellets as there is very little waste and I mix my pelets with the grain and my girls eat it when they want to.
Yep you want to move the boys into a separate pen. Just afer for the does.
I feed my Nigis alfalfal pellets, whole oats & goat chow. 2x a day and they get BOSS as a treat or very lightly in their feed. I feed about 15 Nigis and 20 large does- LM, Nub, and Alpines The milking does get grain on the stand and when they are milked then turned out with the others and they eat there also.
Each person feeds differently, its just what works for you and you dont want them to overweight either. Just healthy...

 

[cyanne]

The 'grain' I feed is a 16% pelleted feed that is like a the alfalfa pellets just with more protein and whatnot. It is a goat-specific food so it has copper in it and is supposed to be a 'complete' feed (which is sort of a misnomer since they still need roughage and minerals).

In addition to this I feed free-choice good quality coastal hay (tried alfalfa hay and they turned their noses up at it) and they have free access to a goat protein/mineral pail.

I know that most people run their buck separately, and I know why, the buck was in with them for breeding purposes and now that I am sure they are bred he has been moved.

The question I have is specifically HOW MUCH of the grain ration to feed in addition to the hay. I am trying to figure out if the chart that Fiasco Farms has on their site is correct for goats the size of my Nigi's. The reason being, that I measured what I was already feeding against the Fiasco recommendations, and realized that I had been giving them about the same amount of grain per day so I wondered if that meant I was giving them too much since the Fiasco chart is for LaManchas and the Nigi's are so much smaller.

 

[calgal98]

At 3 months I begin giving my girls purina goat chow at the rate of 1/2 cup a day. At 4 months gestation I up that to one cup divided into two feedings (am/pm) They pretty much have free choice alfalfa and grass hay, and whatever grazing they want to do. Even with that small amount of grain the does get hefty and the kids can be a bit big. I limit the amount for fear of problem birthing. My bucks only get grain feed during the winter and grass hay for feed. Even then they only get about a 1/2 cup a day.
My milkers get a couple of cups on the milkstand. Thats about it. My girls are lazy and would rather eat alfalfa, wasting most of it, than graze. I'm experimenting with alfalfa pellets. We will see how that goes.

Hope that helps.

 

[chickylou]

Well, I'm really new at goats, and ours aren't prego right now, but I have two Nigis. One is a milker and one that is not. This is what is working for us.

Milker (Petunia)

Morning milking: 1 full cup of Alfalfa pellets, 1 full cup of grain in her bowl and I throw in a bit of baking soda just because.

Lunch: 1 cup of alfafa in her bowl

Evening Milking: 1 cup of alfalfa pellets, 1 full cup of grain in her bowl while I milk.

Hay: which they don't care for very much, but gives them some chew time.

Non-milker (Buttercup)

Morning: 1 full cup of alfalfa pellets and 1 half cup of grain in her bowl. She eats while I milk the other doe.

Lunch: 1 cup of alfalfa

Dinner: 1 full cup of alfalfa pellets and half a cup of grain.


I guess since we only have two, we have this schedule because I'm a SAHM homeschooler and this feeding works well for us. They are kind of being treated and trained like dogs.

Ours are perfect for their size and not overweight. I give them mostly pellets because it keeps our area cleaner and they love them. They eat them all up and I don't have waste.

This is working so far. I hope we're going in the right direction.

 

[calgal98]

I give baking soda free choice to does as well as a goat mineral. They self regulate both as needed for the most part. I don't give my bucks the baking soda as it can neutralize the acids which help keep their urinary track functioning properly.

 

[momma's chickens]

So is it okay to leave baking soda out for wethers? I am following this thread closely because I thought my nigis were fat, but according to Fiasco Farms they are not.

 

[mamatomany]

Easy peeasey:

bucks/dry does: browse/pasture/alfalfa pellets (fc) grass hay, baking soda minerals. Unless: actively growing or breeding = grain. Bucks should have acconium choride (ac) added to their ration to prevent urinary calculoi (can't spell for beans sorry).

Miling, growing, bred, or in rut = grain ration.

Amount I feed milkers: 1.5 lbs. on the stand 2 x day
preggers: at 100 days bred: hand full for energy...worked up to a lb. twice a day at freshening.

 

[calgal98]

momma's chickens :

So is it okay to leave baking soda out for wethers? I am following this thread closely because I thought my nigis were fat, but according to Fiasco Farms they are not.

No, I don't give the wethers baking soda either. Only the does.​

 

[calgal98]

Quote:
I think thats ammonium chloride..