So I am not one to fuss and worry over things much, infact I am possibly at times a bit too laid back at times. Not that I don't care, but every one I talk to has a different way of doing things, and they all seem right..That being said, and now that it looks like Lance is recovering nicely from his run in with rhodies (thankfully they are not crystalized or he would prob. be dead.) When I had him at work with me i ran a fecal on him, just to check a fecal. The poo that I collected was from the bottom of a pen, and there was some urine on the bottom as well. The fecal had tons of struvite crystals, more than I could count, which I figure came from his urine. No he is not blocked, and my understanding is most the boys that do block are wethers, by most I am going by what we see at my clinic which is 99% are wethers. So I have talked to different ones, and have been to plenty of farms where the bucks get what the girls get, and that has worked for me until now..I need to lower his protien intake and am just wondering what ya'all feed your bucks?? Should I just feed him hay and call it good? Normally as I said, I don't fret, but I am really concerned about him blocking with all those crystals in the urine...
As you said, everyone is different in what they feed and in what works for them My bucks get the same grain as my does as well as the same mixed grass/timothy hay. The only difference is the amount I give...each boy gets 1 cup of grain (18%) and enough hay that each has a flake to munch on. Loose minerals I add ammonium chloride to the boys, it is a "just in case" type thing that gives me peace of mind. Now, I have NEVER dealt wwith stones in my boys and I have not heard of any of the wethers I've sold getting them so I am wondering ifin fact the calculi is maybe hereditary as well as diet based?
My buck and my wethers get the same thing my does do, I mix my own grain and they are given grain twice a day and have all the hay they can eat. I also keep two water troughs/tanks per breed (my alpines and pygmies are in separate pastures), one trough is fresh water the other has ACV mixed in with it and I have never had a problem, but like you said what works for one might not work for someone else.
yes Liz I think there is a mixture of heredity and diet that can cause UC (I use colesterol in humans as my analogy lol) I dont have a buck right now but when I had a wether I was very cautious about having grain that was 2-1 (calcium/phosperous) this is very important. I plan to have ammonium chloride mixed into my minerals for the boys (when I get my buck and my friend gets hers - they will be housed together at her place).
my boys don't get any grain unless they are breeding. but then again, the does don't either unless they're preggo or milking. everybody gets alfalfa oat and alfalfa bermuda pellets.. bucks get alfalfa grass , does get alfalfa
No one here gets grain unless it is a treat (handful) or they are on the milkstand to prep for milking (later pregnancy) or actually milking. My boys - when I have alfalfa get about 1/2 a flake of it so they do not feel left out - but if I can, I keep them on a timothy, brome, orchard mix or they get "hot" like horses do and get fat. During rut - I do give them extra hay for condition.
Our bucks get fed grass hay with occasional alfalfa and grain once a day. We feed them the same grain that we do the does and we feed them about 2 cups a day and around 4-6 during rut. We have never had a problem with UC. I've read that corn is a big factor for UC and stones in bucks, something about when corn is fed there is a greater chance of the urine getting calcified so I just avoid it all together.
Awesome! Thank you so much for all your input!! I think I will just watch to corn intake, that makes total sense, and add in ammonium chloride, or what was the stuff you add to the drinking water?? You guys are great!! Thanks again!
You could add Apple Cider Vinegar to their water. . . I do but it also has a lot to do with how much they love it. Makes them drink more water too, which is great. Corn is very limited in our grain mix and our bucks get that mix once a day. About a cup each. During breeding season, they get about 2-3 cups. Never a problem with UC and never a problem with it when we had our wether. Jo-Jo, the sheep "wether" gets about the same amount and never a problem with him either.
I only feed the bucks grain during rut. Its mostly for the minerals i mix in. They have free choice, but in winter they get a litte extra copper. (if needed) But for the most part they just get a good sized helping of a high quality orchard hay. beth
