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Help please! Vitamins and anything else

5K views 64 replies 11 participants last post by  toth boer goats 
#1 ·
hey! We are raising Nubians , I love Nubians but I haven’t been happy with how ours look. I need a list of everything I need for my Nubians! Vitamins,grow gel, everything I need please help!
 
#5 ·
what kind of hay and how much do you use? grain? minerals? wormer: what kind, how often/schedule or checking of needed? I'm assuming they have free choice clean water, what if anything else are they eating, do they get pasture? if so info on pasture
 
#6 ·
@Jarrod & Jody this is something to get you started. The trifecta of healthy goats, what you need as a base, is quality hay, quality loose minerals, and quality water. We'll need to know what you are giving and any issues you have before we can move forward into supplements. Like, is your hay of poor quality or extremely stemmy? Is your water full of iron or calcium? What loose minerals are you giving them?

Then you'll need to tell us what results you are getting that you are so unhappy with, such as poor milk production, or goiters.

Management practices are of immense influence in how a herd flourishes, or doesn't. We'll need some notion of how you keep your herd, such as do you pen, pasture, or free range? Do you worm on a routine or according to FAMACHA or fecals, and with what? Do you feed on or off the ground? Anything like that that you can think of can help us to help you.
 
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#7 ·
I feed cracked corn I have wormed with the horse wormer that’s ok for pregnant does, I have wethers, young does, Bucks , and nannies. I haven’t given any vitamins cause I don’t know a good selection to give that’s why I’m asking. The hay is fescue and alfalfah mix the water is just clean water kept clean.
 
#9 ·
Cracked corn is generally not a good diet for goats. There are a lot of opinions out there as to brands, etc., but a general rule is a good all purpose GOAT SPECIFIC feed - I stay away from all sweet feed and feed a pelleted 16% with lots of good stuff in it formulated specifically for goats. I also add some beet pulp if my milking girls look a little too thin during milking/kidding and offer free choice hay. I feed a higher % pelleted feed to growing kids. Add alfalfa pellets if hay is poor quality. Good free choice LOOSE minerals for goats, cobalt block, copper bolus 3-4x per year, selenium as needed, run fecal check every month and worm according to worms or parasites found and dose appropriately. That's just my basics.
 
#10 · (Edited)
well, are they showing signs of copper deficaincy? Fish tail, discolored coats ( like a rusty color)https://www.newcountryorganics.com/copper-deficiency-in-goats/ free choice loose minerals(only loose minerals) are great for goats a few good brands are cargill onyx, sweetlix meatmaker (can be used on dairy goats) and purina wind and rain storm minerals, but they have to be loose minerals. Probiotics are good for their rumens. either the paste or the powder that goes into their water will do
only deworm when needed if you supect your goats have worms, some symptoms are weight loss, anemia, acting "off" etc a way to be for sure if the goat has worms is to take a fecal sample to the vet and the will tell you what to deworm with and if the case is serious they will give you some red cell, b complex etc. worms arent something to take lightly, they can and will take a goat down quickly
hay and alfalfa is great for goats too, because the long stems help them digest easier. Goats chewing cud is a good sign that their rumen is working
if a goat is acting "off" take its temperature. all you have to do is put vaseline on the goats but put the thermometer in and wait for the results. a normal goat temp is from about 101 to 103 degrees farenheight.
apple cider vinegar in your goats water is great for them! it makes their coats nice and shiny and healthy! i recomend that you give it to them but it isnt required
selenium gel is also a good thing for them if you suspect that theyre deficiant https://thefreerangelife.com/selenium-deficiency-in-goats/
it is good to have antibiotics on hand just incasehttps://www.thegoatspot.net/threads/the-tgs-medicine-cabinet-what-you-wont-be-without.112010/

can the goats graze regularly?

if the goats get bloated give them a very small amount of baking soda.
do they have d draft free house? do any of them have a wet cough or runny nose or sneezing? these a re a few signs of pnemonia and ways to treat that is with draxxin of nuflor which are vet rx only TREAT IMMEDIATLEY!!!!!!!!!!!! pnemonia WILL take a goat down within a day!
a dry cough could just be allergies and so could a runny nose so be careful when determined if your goats have pnemonia

This is only a few things lol. goats are NOT east keeper but theyre worth it
 
#12 ·
I'd stop the corn. It is all calories, no nutrition. Alfalfa pellets are much better, and an easy buy while you research more. You need a loose mineral mix, and either kelp meal or sea salt. If you have access to a TSC, then they usually have Purina Wind and Rain, Storm cattle minerals. They are pretty easy to find while you get more research done Here is a thread on minerals you may want to read https://www.thegoatspot.net/threads/excellent-minerals-you-know-how-i-love-me-those-minerals.194612/

Loose minerals and salt is absolutely critical. They need access to them 24 hours per day. Don't ignore this.

How do you feed, on or off the ground? Are any bullied out of a communal feeding area? And are they in pens, pasture, or free range? Do they have any natural browse?

How is your milk production? Lots of milk is the best way to get kids to grow. Alfalfa is the best feed for that, imo. Lambars are a good way to ensure that bottle babies get enough to eat.

My favourite supplement (I don't count loose mineral mix to be a supplement because it is vital) is a weekly dose of Replamin Gel Plus. Here is a link. https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/products/replamin-plus-vitamin-mineral-gel young kids should have a pea sized dose placed in the mouth with your finger, you don't want to risk them aspirating it. Give it to everyone every week.

Do you worm according to a schedule, or according to FAMACHA, or according to what fecal exams tell you? And when you worm, what do you use, specifically? There is a vast difference in wormers, and "horse wormer" is unclear to me.
 
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#13 ·
a good diet for goats can be dumor goat peleted formula or, what i feed, whole oats and barley and for a treat black oil sunflower seeds. But dont give too many black oil sunflower seeds it can coat your goats stomach, and they cant absorb nutrients
 
#22 ·
@Jarrod & Jody My favourite hay is 2nd or 3rd cutting Orchardgrass/Alfalfa mix. I can't find it often, and sometimes what I find is pretty poor quality. That does no real harm unless it is moldy or has poisonous plants in it. As said above, you can make up for poor quality with alfalfa pellets. I like, and am able to buy, Summit brand, out of Canada. Non-GMO, not a lot of dust, always full weight and no mold or toxins.

You should have a gel tube of probiotics on hand, always. When your goats don't want to eat (when they SHOULD want to eat, I mean) immediately, like NOW!!! give them a dose of the gel. Probios is probably the most common brand. Be certain it is for ruminants, not equines.

There is an old saying, Take care of the rumen, and the rumen will take care of the goat. That is simplistic, but still a truism.

If you bottle feed, then store bought whole milk is much better than milk replacer.

What do you do about coccidiosis prevention, if anything? Cocci can cause a host of 'failure to thrive' issues, and they do not respond to normal wormers, because they aren't worms. You need a special coccidiostat to treat for that. But it is really worth it regarding having a thriving herd. The only one I can easily get is Corid. But there are others.
 
#23 ·
Minerals are going to be your and your goats best friend. Same as mariarose I use the wind and rain. If you can not find it maybe she can post a link on the discussion she had made on minerals. Lots of super good info!!
I also agree on the corn. Granted I am not anti corn but as said it’s not the best and even though you can get it cheap you get more bang for your buck getting something else. Look around and see what feeds you can get and you are always more then welcome to post them and people will give you their 2 cents on them.
Most people under dose their goats on wormers when first starting because they need to be dosed at a different level then cattle and horses. Someone mentioned a fecal. That I think will be a excellent start. See what that has to say and then come back and if they need to be wormed people can also help with the dose and what wormer you should use. Different wormers for different worms ;)
The thread that you asked about how to post. Look at the part on the eye lids and see what you see.
Back to minerals sorry it’s scattered. There are usually signs that they will show when they need different minerals. If you can just post some pictures of your goats so we can take a look.
If you don’t know how you are more then welcome to email them to me and I’ll post for you. Just let me know and I’ll message you with my address.
 
#24 · (Edited)
This one is very good. A lot of people use this.

This one is OK, certainly better than a lot of them out there.

The following is excellent. I have a grudge against Cargill, but that has nothing to do with the quality of their Right Now minerals. This is a national brand, but the formula changes somewhat according to the area of the country. So it has the benefits of both regional and national. Onyx is best, no antibiotics.

From what I can see, this next one is the king of the national goat-specific minerals. It is not weatherized so more care needs to be taken in how and where you place it for consumption. My mistake, I read that it is now weatherized.
Meat Maker® 16:8 Mineral
Product number: 60717

Here is the sea salt lick that @goathiker uses (last I knew)
This is in addition to, not instead of, the loose minerals.

So far as I can tell, almost everyone here on the site also has a cobalt block. If you have access to a Redmond brand cobalt lick that is best quality, I think.

But more usual is something like this. Heavier, and probably cheaper, so a better deal.


I don't know what you have available in your stores (or what stores you have) so if you let us know what you have, we can do some quick evaluating for you.
 
#25 ·
Wow...Good advice here! And I will second the recommendation for Replamin Plus. Even with a decent feed and mineral regimen my girls looked a little scrappy. With the addition of the Replamin they are looking sleek and shiny and their coats are soft and lush! However, the Replamin is a supplement. First up is supplying good goat grain (for does and kids in particular), loose minerals and horse quality hay.
 
#27 ·
One last thing, because I have to start my morning. You will see a product out there called protein tubs, or mineral tubs. If you decide to use them, then use them as a protein supplement, not as your minerals. They don't have enough minerals to help. Stay away from the ones with Urea as an ingredient. This is very important.

A few of us here were in a good discussion of this topic, a while back. I'll find that thread when I have a chance. @Jessica84 or @HoosierShadow, do you remember that thread? About protein tubs?
 
#28 ·
#30 ·
I don't know yet how you are feeding your hay. It is important that it be up off the ground in some way. Here are a couple of ideas that may help.
Wood Working animal Plant Grass Tree

This next one is an idea for round bale feeding. The bale is on top of a wooden frame below (like a pallet). I mention that because it was in the article, but you can't see it. They use different sized gates and panels to enclose the bale as it shrinks (because the goats are eating it). They said it works well with horned goats if they are diligent in adjusting the size downward.
Grass Wood Rectangle Landscape Plant

These are images I've saved for personal ideas on my farm. I no longer have the original postings, I'm sorry.
 
#49 ·
I don't know yet how you are feeding your hay. It is important that it be up off the ground in some way. Here are a couple of ideas that may help. View attachment 137735
This next one is an idea for round bale feeding. The bale is on top of a wooden frame below (like a pallet). I mention that because it was in the article, but you can't see it. They use different sized gates and panels to enclose the bale as it shrinks (because the goats are eating it). They said it works well with horned goats if they are diligent in adjusting the size downward.
View attachment 137737
These are images I've saved for personal ideas on my farm. I no longer have the original postings, I'm sorry.
Hay manger
 
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