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Goat Feed

1K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  NigerianNewbie 
#1 ·
Hello! I’m new to goats and I feel like this is a dumb question, but I’ve asked around to a few folks in my town and can’t seem to get a straight answer. Can goats eat just weeds for their diet? I have a flourishing 2 acres of mostly Palmer Amaranth, Bermuda grass, purslane, and a few other weeds but do i need to give them anything else to supplement their diet besides free feed minerals while these weeds last? Thank you!
 
#4 ·
I am not too familiar with those weeds, but if they are holding their weight and growing sounds good to me - weeds and bramble are their natural food. Keep in mind they are young and should be growing. They can become picky though if you switch them to hay off season as they are a bit spoiled with this lovely offering, but they will adjust. Just my opinion
 
#5 ·
Okay great that makes sense thank you! My boy weighs 30lbs and has weighed 30lbs for about two or three weeks, if I wanted to get some weight on him does anyone have a suggestion to give them? I’ll have to weigh the girls later. Or is 30lbs normal for a 4 1/2 month old?
 
#9 ·
Lol those are plump little buggers!
Nigis really range in size, I have full grown that are 35 lbs, have seen them as much as 70 lbs.
If you could post some pics that would really help us tell their condition.
Oh yay! That makes me feel better haha! These are of my boy, he looks skinny to me but if that's an okay weight then I'm okay with that
 

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#10 ·
"Dairy Goat Body Condition Scoring" is available as a PDF or on you tube and other websites. This is a way to tell if a goat is thin, overweight or in condition. There is more involved than just how much a goat weighs. Some pictures showing the goat from top down, front to back, and from the side and then posted, could be looked at by others if you aren't sure about his body condition. As for ways to get weight on him, why do you think he appears to have stopped gaining weight these past few weeks? Worms? Not enough food?
 
#11 ·
I was curious about the same thing so I'm actually sending in a fecal to the vet today for worming.
And all day long he's in the 2 acre field full with the weeds mentioned so that's kinda why I asked if that is enough for him or if I need to be giving him some feed with more protein? He can eat weeds 24/7 though so I am hoping I'm not starving him! :(
 
#12 ·
Cute little guy. See you had posted pictures while working on the post above. Thanks. As Redbarn posted above, ND goats vary in weight and also in height. One of my 2 wethers is 1 1/4" taller and weighs 6 pounds more than the other. They are 3 days apart in age and the oldest is the smaller of the two. I am giving the heavier male extra food to put a little weight on him. He had a recent negative fecal test, so it's extra groceries that he is needing.
 
#14 ·
Since he is a wether he will need more calcium rich foods added. Alfalfa hay, alfalfa pellets are good sources of calcium rich food. Since my guys are still young and growing they get a 17% protein feed, oats, BOSS, and alfalfa pellets. Their hay is a 60-40 blend of alfalfa and orchard grass. They also go out into the pasture to forage on days when it isn't rainy. Fecal is a real good place to start. :)
 
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