[Lydia_the_goat]

I have a two year old doe that is majorly over weight. (my fault there. She is a spoiled little girl.) We are trying to get her to breeding weight by fall. Any advice? Ive tried feeding them less but she pushes her sister out of the way. They are so close and wont let you separate them. They are nubian spanish mixes. This will be their first kidding if we get them bred. This is only my third year with goats and i dont know everything. The over weight one is more nubian and white and the other one is more spanish. I should have pictures by tomorrow as am currently away. Advice on both of them to get ready for breeding would be nice. I can post a picture of the buck also. He is only 3 months.

 

[nchen7]

do they get out and browse? exercise can help them lose weight, esp if they have to do goat stuff like getting up to get their food and climbing on things.

can you feed them separately, or tie them up on short-ish leads while eating so they can't steal one another's food?

what are they currently getting?

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

They have a feeder that they have to climb over and on top of things to get to. They are in a small pasture bordered by pine trees which they love and look really funny trying to get. They get hay and run around playing with each other. They are being bred for meat goat purposes for my 4-h project. Im only 12 if that helps. They are getting a showmaster sales edge goat and lamb mix with mana pro wormer.

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

They also have large spools to jump on.

 

[Curious]

As long as you have a high quality hay and loose minerals, the easiest way to get her to lose weight would be to take her off of grain. If she's two and open (not pregnant) then her body doesn't need the extra energy from grain. You're doing good to have spools and things for her to play on, that will help her slim up. Daily walks for at least ten minutes will also help her trim up too, and you get to bond with her, which is a plus. If she is bullying her sister, tie her up where she can't reach her, or take the sister out to feed. If you feed the dewormer every day, it breeds resistance with the worms. Having a vet do a fecal test to see what they need and then treating is the best way to go, and they don't charge much for it. Kudos to you for being brave enough to ask for help at such a young age! Hope I didn't overload you too much, hehe.

 

[nchen7]

great advice curiuos! took words out of my mouth (fingers?)!

I have an unbred full sized doe only gets a small handful of oats, alfalfa and sunflower/split peas. I mean, SMALL handfuls of each twice daily. she gets browse and hay.

 

[Curious]

Sometimes I feel like a walking textbook...hehe. Whatever works for you, works for you. We have enough nice hay and browse that everyone is pretty much fine without grain, excepting preggos and milkers. My wethers sometimes get a small handful of grain if I'm feeling generous and they're looking cute.

 

[nchen7]

haha. i give mine a bit b/c we had really bad worm issues with her in December, and she was REALLY skinny. i don't think i need to give her any, but she gives me the saddest looks when i'm feeding my doe in milk that i just want to give her SOME to help keep her weight. i don't want her as skinny as she was again! (she had spine poking out and barely any muscle on her back/ribs).

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

Thanks guys bonding with her isnt an issue! If she could get through the fence she would go everywhere with us! As for the bullying, the sister seems to get enough she doesnt want to eat as much and does well on hay. Ive been giving the grain because the sister has recently been dealing with a fungal infection and had large clumps of hair falling out along with blisters. Thanks for all the help! I will post some pictures tomorrow so you can see them!

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

We dont feed the wormer daily just when they seem to need it.

 

[happybleats]

The feed you are feeding..goat and sheep feed is not a great choice for goats since it has no copper...do you have sheep running with the goats? I agree with Curious...I would stop the feed ..slowly..no sudden changes..just give less and less each day until they get none...stand between your girls so one can't bully the other from their feed....graze, free choice hay and a quality loose mineral is all that is needed for dry unbred does...they will actually thrive just fine without feed..
as for wormer I would worm as needed with an actuall wormer instead of pellet form...IMO the pellet is not as effective and canbuild a resistance ...do fecals and worm based on what the load it...Best wishes
w

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

Thanks. No sheep it was recommended by a friend who also raises goats. I have the same issue as a lot of people as these were my first and spoiled little girls.

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

I will talk to my dad about changing the feed.

 

[happybleats]

Yes..I have a few very spoiled goats too...its easy to give them what ever they want sometime lol

if you are going to take them off feed for a while then no worries..once you are ready to get them back on it then find one made for goats : ) if you dont know what to get...write down some options you have and let us know..we can help you find a good balance for your girls...

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

We used give them noble goat but we couldnt find it anymore. We have been looking for it and think that the place that we used to get it from might be carrying it again. Thanks for everything everyone. Im glad i found this. I got them because i saw them while watching my cousin show sheep and fell in love.

 

[happybleats]

So glad you did....goats are a tone of fun : )

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

Ok here they are! The white one is Wednesday ( the fat one)

 

[Lydia_the_goat]

They black and white one is Lydia. And the baby is our 3 month old buck. He is a boer. The others are spanish nubian mixes. I will try to get a better pic or the buck.

 

[happybleats]

a nice looking group

 

[happybleats]

Wednesday look to have the boer belly lol...