[Michaela Van Mecl]

A really well known goat breeder locally lost a doe recently to pregnancy toxemia and it has me overthinking our feed quantity, ratio and frequency.

For those of you with full sized dairy breeds , how much and what type of feed are you giving your girls during the last four, five weeks of pregnancy ?

 

[ksalvagno]

What are you feeding now?

 

[toth boer goats]

Keep their diet the same until the last 2 months of pregnancy. Then feed alfalfa hay 2 x a day.
The last month I feed a little bit of sweet grain. 1 x a day.

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[Michaela Van Mecl]

What are you feeding now?

Non pregnant they get about two cups a day of a mixture that is 50% alfalfa,.and 50% a cracked corn and oat mix. Once they are a few months in I slowly increase that... They're getting about a pound and a half I'd say per day up until this week. One was looking a bit thin so I was thinking of increasing her to two lbs a day.

 

[Michaela Van Mecl]

Non pregnant they get about two cups a day of a mixture that is 50% alfalfa,.and 50% a cracked corn and oat mix. Once they are a few months in I slowly increase that... They're getting about a pound and a half I'd say per day up until this week. One was looking a bit thin so I was thinking of increasing her to two lbs a day.

Alfalfa meaning alfalfa pellets. They get plenty of fresh hay as well and weekly replamin and free choice minerals

 

[goatblessings]

I would like to see an increase in protein with that mix.

 

[Michaela Van Mecl]

I would like to see an increase in protein with that mix.

I was thinking so too. What's your suggestion , just a complete goat pellet?

 

[goatblessings]

You can do complete pellets at 16% or if you like your mix you can add in a little calf manna and a handful of BOSS.

 

[GoofyGoat]

Cracked corn has no real nutritional value, personally I’d lower that and add in the more nutritional pelleted feed in its stead. A Hand full once and A while is ok but it really isn’t that great for them.