[CAjerseychick]

so just read about how the Nubian kids should be getting a POUND to pound and a half of goat pellets daily! EEEKKKK so maybe I should be feeding my 2 half size (they are bigger than purebreed Nigerians as they are 1/4 Toggenburg) doelings more than a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of goat pellets each (Purina naturals sweet feed) daily with a handful of grass hay each? Just had nothing to go by, they are in my chicken yard there are a bunch of berry bushes in the corner (they are eating these) and a Maple tree, they seem to like the leaves... Just, I have no idea how much goats eat-- they cant weigh more than 35-40lbs...

 

[CAjerseychick]

Interesting, I just looked at the bag it says Nothing on how much to feed.... Looked it up online at the Purina website, it says Give Free Choice to weaning kids (along with roughage/ browse I am guessin)... Really? I have been using it as a treat to come to me.... but its nice to know i can give them more....

 

[Scottyhorse]

How old are they?

 

[CAjerseychick]

How old are they?

Born 5/20 and not really weaned (eating hay when offered but there wasnt any browse in the pen and they were both still nursing when we got there to take them home)....

 

[Scottyhorse]

Not really weaned, as in, you are bottle feeding? I am guessing not, but just in case, they are plenty old enough to be weaned. If you feed them alfalfa, you could still bump up the grain. They sound small to me. What exactly are you feeding them, and have you weighed them on a scale?

 

[CAjerseychick]

I have a bale of orchard grass hay and loose minerals in which I put some alfalfa cubes in (which they completely ignore)... I see them nibble at the orchard hay alittle but not much ( I put out an armload yesterday and its still there)-- they do wander around the little yard nibbling at the berry leaves and eating maple leaves and when my daughter brings out the goat chow they go nuts (we were only doing maybe a cup a day but today she had friends over and they played with the goats so may be they got 2 cups )...
I can feed them alot more just thought they would Bloat or something....
I have a Great pyreenes / anatolian puppy(same age actually) that weighs about 40lbs and they feel like that (we dont have any scales at the house)....

 

[MsScamp]

so just read about how the Nubian kids should be getting a POUND to pound and a half of goat pellets daily! EEEKKKK so maybe I should be feeding my 2 half size (they are bigger than purebreed Nigerians as they are 1/4 Toggenburg) doelings more than a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of goat pellets each (Purina naturals sweet feed) daily with a handful of grass hay each? Just had nothing to go by, they are in my chicken yard there are a bunch of berry bushes in the corner (they are eating these) and a Maple tree, they seem to like the leaves... Just, I have no idea how much goats eat-- they cant weigh more than 35-40lbs...

Well, to give you an idea of how much goats will eat I had a bottle baby - 1/2 Boer/1/2 Kiko. I weaned her at about 2 1/2 months when she was eating 3 pounds of meat grower pellets a day along with all the hay she wanted and browse. I am not familiar with the dwarf or pygmy breeds or how much they are typically fed, so I can't say how much they should be getting. I'm pretty sure I've seen posts where KSalvagno has fed her ND's a pound of grain/pellets a day, though. That would be all I needed to know to bump them up.

Do you break up the alfalfa cubes? If not, you might want to think about doing that. Cubes tend to be hard and it's difficult for a youngster to eat them.

 

[Scottyhorse]

So it sounds like they are not eating much hay, is that right? Try feeding Alfalfa hay. They usually can't resist it. It is also good for putting weight on them. Just do feed changes slowly. You could also give them a little grain. Also excuse my last post. For some reason I was thinking they were 9 months old. LOL. But adding alfalfa wouldn't hurt, it'll help them grow

 

[CAjerseychick]

NO sweat guys thanks, I will def up the grain (goat chow) and switch to alfalfa hay(after I use up the cubes I have-- I did try crumbling it but they dont seem as interested as in the goat chow, which is supposed to be for all life stages)....
They have a fair amount of browse, in that there is plenty left in the pen for them to eat.... so hopefully that is balanced...

 

[Scottyhorse]

I have noticed that my goats much prefer alfalfa hay over alfalfa pellets

 

[scooter206]

Take your goats weight x 0.03 =feed per day