[Coffee&Chickens]

I have also put sunflower oil or black oil sunflower seeds on the feed. VERY moderate amounts.
If you're worried about your girls getting fat, though, you will want to be careful with those.

I could possibly add some sunflower seeds to the ration mix in the future, but I feel like neither one of them could use any extra weight, especially Zeppy. She definitely is more robust. I think Coco falls right in the middle and I can feel her spine and hip bones with just a tiny bit of pressure. Zeppy on the other hand, hers are a bit harder to feel. She has always been easy to keep weight on.

Up until about a week ago, they were getting some basic grass/clover mix hay that is harvested where I grew up. It just kinda grows wild, almost like a prairie grass mix. Like nothing is done to cultivate or manage it, it's just grown and cut a couple times a year, plus 2 cups once a day of timothy/alfalfa pellets. They could also graze our overgrowth woods/brush when things were green. They kept a healthy weight easily.

 

[Moers kiko boars]

The pictures I just looked at..your does look great! Your Buck was cute. Yes..goats tear up everything except metal. They do bang into metal too..lol. i try to keep stuff cleaned up...but when you get 30 to 40 goats...its not easy! Lol
Yes kidding is stessful yet exciting. I keep an eye on my does famacha score and their body scores. I give a small amount of selenium each.month the last 3 months of pregnancy. The last month I give my girls a small amount of calcium drench. Just so the kidds will get a touch extra. I also give my does a CDT shot the last month of pregnancy. I know this is alot to take in all.at once. The first kidding is mind blowing. When the doe does start.her labor....please...just watch. I have to just watch and wait. She will prefer to do all she can by herself in delivery. If you see 2 hooves down..and a nose...thats great..dont touch. Once the kidd is out and on the ground...is when you are needed. If..you see 1 hoof..or two hooves up..you will need to get.her help. For me...patience and smooth loving voice is what the doe needs most.
You will do great! You already.are!

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

The pictures I just looked at..your does look great! Your Buck was cute. Yes..goats tear up everything except metal. They do bang into metal too..lol. i try to keep stuff cleaned up...but when you get 30 to 40 goats...its not easy! Lol
Yes kidding is stessful yet exciting. I keep an eye on my does famacha score and their body scores. I give a small amount of selenium each.month the last 3 months of pregnancy. The last month I give my girls a small amount of calcium drench. Just so the kidds will get a touch extra. I also give my does a CDT shot the last month of pregnancy. I know this is alot to take in all.at once. The first kidding is mind blowing. When the doe does start.her labor....please...just watch. I have to just watch and wait. She will prefer to do all she can by herself in delivery. If you see 2 hooves down..and a nose...thats great..dont touch. Once the kidd is out and on the ground...is when you are needed. If..you see 1 hoof..or two hooves up..you will need to get.her help. For me...patience and smooth loving voice is what the doe needs most.
You will do great! You already.are!

Thank you! I called my vet's office yesterday, and they said we dont need to do BoSe or extra selenium because we're ok in our area. As I'm sure you read above, I offer TruCare top dress with my minerals, and sometimes free choice as well. The girls have both Manna Pro Goat Mineral and Purina Goat Mineral available free choice and Sea Kelp is put out 2-3 times a week, plus I sometimes mix 1/2 tsp in their daily ration.
I use Molly's Herbal dewormer and also have started adding Molly's Herbal daily herbal blend to their rations again.
Aside from their hay and pellets, should I be doing anything else? Are the alfalfa/Timothy pellets enough for now? I mixed the A/T & straight alfalfa pellets half and half this a.m. for Coco and just under 1/2 for Zep. Should I switch to all alfalfa at some point during pregnancy, or just wait until after delivery? I'm planning to add a bit of non-gmo all stock to their milking ration after delivery as well, if that matters.

 

[Moers kiko boars]

If you decide to change anything..please do it slowly. Give it a few days. They look good & your Vet says they are good. I would follow your vets advice.

 

[Caileigh Jane Smith]

I could possibly add some sunflower seeds to the ration mix in the future, but I feel like neither one of them could use any extra weight, especially Zeppy. She definitely is more robust. I think Coco falls right in the middle and I can feel her spine and hip bones with just a tiny bit of pressure. Zeppy on the other hand, hers are a bit harder to feel. She has always been easy to keep weight on.

Up until about a week ago, they were getting some basic grass/clover mix hay that is harvested where I grew up. It just kinda grows wild, almost like a prairie grass mix. Like nothing is done to cultivate or manage it, it's just grown and cut a couple times a year, plus 2 cups once a day of timothy/alfalfa pellets. They could also graze our overgrowth woods/brush when things were green. They kept a healthy weight easily.

Sounds like you've got a good handle on things!

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

Sounds like you've got a good handle on things!

Thank you. Up until now, I feel like I've done fine with keeping them fed and in minerals. I wasn't even second guessing myself until I started reading online blogs saying that they needed this and needed that. That they need the alfalfa hay or pellets, and grain or rations, or whatever else because of toxemia and ketosis.

I know that they will need extra nutrition these last few weeks, I just don't want to do the wrong thing.

 

[Caileigh Jane Smith]

Thank you. Up until now, I feel like I've done fine with keeping them fed and in minerals. I wasn't even second guessing myself until I started reading online blogs saying that they needed this and needed that. That they need the alfalfa hay or pellets, and grain or rations, or whatever else because of toxemia and ketosis.

I know that they will need extra nutrition these last few weeks, I just don't want to do the wrong thing.

Yeah...the thing is, you're the only one who is seeing your goats on a daily basis. No one else can observe them for you. You're going to be the one to notice first if you have an issue. Internet resources are great, but take the advice with a grain of salt. What works for others is not necessarily what you need to do!

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

Just an update. Here are the ladies yesterday. Coco's belly is getting so hard. You can definently feel the roundness.
Zeppy does NOT like her belly rubbed/touched so she's a lot harder to get to cooperate when doing checks View attachment 195327

View attachment 195333

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

And Zeppy

 

[MellonFriend]

I love Coco's little white sock.

They are looking good! (thumbup)

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

I love Coco's little white sock.

They are looking good! (thumbup)

Me too! I seriously love it. She's so sweet too. She's more mellow and laid back, so she doesnt beg for attention, and she kinda makes you work for it in a way that's so rewarding. She just needs patience to be rewarded with her attention. She loves being scratched all over her back and sides, but not as much on her face until she is comfortable and ready, and then she will let you scratch her cheeks/face. I just love her

 

[MadHouse]

:inlove::inlove:

 

[Moers kiko boars]

Awww they are both adorable! I cant wait to see the wee ones!

 

[toth boer goats]

Very nice.

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

So this was Zeppy's messy rear end on Oct. 19th... I dont really have anything to compare it to, but does it mean she was bred? Or is there this much mess and discharge with heat?

 

[ksalvagno]

Could be either. You can't go by that for pregnancy.

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

Could be either. You can't go by that for pregnancy.

Thanks! She didn't come back into heat in November, so Im hoping this means that she was bred then and I didn't just miss the heat for some reason.

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

Coco's udder is developing more. We're 5w 2d from her EDD. It's so cute because it jiggles when she walks.

Zeppy is even starting to get a tiny baby udder I think. She's a little fluffier so it's a bit harder to tell by sight alone. View attachment 196097

 

[Coffee&Chickens]

Zeppy above, left is from today, right several days ago.

Coco top 2 are from today. The others the last couple of weeks

 

[MellonFriend]

Looking good! :neat: