Author Topic: wipes (Read 12419 times)

Roxy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 27, 2010, 10:30:55 pm »

Thanks for the conversion of weights .....being old I do not understand new fangled measures

This is just my opinion, but yes, you are feeding too much goat feed. Your two goats are not milking, not in kid, nor feeding kids, therefore they do not need that amount of goat feed. I think I mentioned in a previous post, too much hard feed can make them ill. They need fibre .....hay, branches, grass, whatever, and only a little feed. For two goats the size of yours I would definitely reduce the feed.

I think we may have hit the nail on the head regarding Mollys udder - you are over feeding the concentrates. It must be costing a fortune in goat mix, so you will now save some money every week.

langdon · « **Reply #16 on:** April 27, 2010, 10:42:39 pm »

oh i do hope so,

thanks for all your advice through this, how am i to reduce the feed,
how much should they be getting.
funny how milly seems to be less effected than molly is

i cant remember if i was talking to you or beth early this morning but i was saying that i felt her udder and it was hottish,
would overfeeding cause that too in the udder.
lets hope mastitis is rulled out.
thanks again roxy

p.s. have you ever seen or heared of this happening before?
thanks again langdon

ballingall · « **Reply #17 on:** April 27, 2010, 10:48:33 pm »

Lol, it happens all the time Langdon.

If I remember correctly though, Milly is the one that Roxy and I thought looked like she might have Anglo-Nubian in her? ANglo-Nubian's are less likely to come into milk early, they very, very rarely do. Between my sister and I we have had A's since 1980, and I've never known one to come into milk before it kidded.

Beth

Roxy · « **Reply #18 on:** April 27, 2010, 10:57:54 pm »

The castrated boys, and the non milkers including youngsters, get a mug of goat mix each, at this time of year, with just a little horse chaff added. Cannot begin to imagine how many mugs your two girls are having daily!!! I definitely think that is causing Mollys udder problem. I would cut them right down with the hard feed. I know you probably think thats cruel, but it isn't. I am surprised they are not both like little barrels putting all that feed away every day!!! its probably why her udder is feeling hot too. Don't expect a miracle right away, it may take a few days for the udder to go down.

You will be rich with all the goat feed you will be saving by reducing their feed!! Out of interest, why are you giving them that amount of feed? Does it say so on the bag of feed?

langdon · « **Reply #19 on:** April 27, 2010, 11:06:50 pm »

fantastic reply lets hope the nail has been hit on the head!

ive been feeding them that amount with out the knowledge of how much they should be having.
to get it right from the beginning do i stop the dry mix completley from tomorrow.
will educate myself further with regarding feeding e.g. online books etc.

langdon

Roxy · « **Reply #20 on:** April 27, 2010, 11:17:00 pm »

So, it was like an educated guess at the amount of feed? I bet my goats would like to come and live at your house, seeing as you are so generous with the feed

You don't need to stop the dry feed completely - Milly and Molly would wonder what had happened. Can you put your normal feed into a bucket and tell me how many mugfulls each goat was having? I was going to suggest a mugful each of feed, but of course you can mix in veg, etc. too. And if you do feel that I am being mean suggesting such a measly amount, then do as Beth suggested - next time you go for goat feed (and the amount you will be using from now on, that could be months away!!) get a bag of alfalfa, like the horse Alfa A, or sugar beet (make sure you soak this first though - if its the speedy beet, its quick soaking but the normal stuff I soak overnight. This will bulk out the goat feed and make the goats think they are getting more, and also slow them down eating it.

langdon · « **Reply #21 on:** April 28, 2010, 09:23:34 am »

will do so!

molly bless her was wondering where all the food had gone this morning since i left the bucket empty,
she was putting her foot inside and pawing at it awwww,.
will by a bag of that other stuff too.
how much of that alfa stuff do i give with dry mix and how long do i leave it to soak?
silly question coming up cold or hot water?
dont laugh remember im only still a novice, but with your help and beths help i shall master goat husbandry!!!!!!!
langdon

Roxy · « **Reply #22 on:** April 28, 2010, 10:11:28 am »

As I said before, Langdon, its better to ask questions than do the other, and mess it up. Incidentally, I have looked at a goat feed bag, and can see that it does say feed an adult goat between 0.5kg-1kg feed per day. What it does not say is in relation to the size of the goat!! A Big dairy goat, the large sanaan, alpine, and Nubian, yes, but yours are what I class as the smaller "pet" or utility goats. They are not made for giving a gallon of milk per day, and some are crossed with goats such as my large pygmy billy, and therefore are small in relation to the other breeds, and would not need such an amount. So, you can be excused for reading that on the bag and feeding your goats accordingly.

My pygmy goats have three quarters of a mugful each morning and night, and that is what is recommeded for the pygmy sized goat. You have to keep a happy balance to get minerals and vitamins in.

Roxy · « **Reply #23 on:** April 28, 2010, 10:24:15 am »

This was a wipes thread, and now we are discussing feed?!!

Anyway, forgot to reply to the sugar beet question.

Right, if you get the sugar beet pellets, they need soaking to be on the safe side. Ruminants can have them dry, but I never do. Must be the horse owner in me, when you have to soak for horsea!! The pellets need soaking 24 hours, the shreds you can get away with overnight soaking.
But you can get speedibeet, which is soaked and ready within 10 minutes, and we use that for ease. About the same price as your goat mix, but will last ages.

Obviously the one that needs soaking long time, you would put cold water on. The other, speedibeet, you can use warm if you want, but we use cold water. As to quanitity .....well, with any new feed, I introduce cautiously. You goats will like it I am sure, but although dry it does not look much, one soaked you get a lot more soaked sugar beet than you started with. So, think about what to soak it in, or you will have it overflowing!! I would suggest no more than a mugful of dry beet between the two girls, morning and night. Depending on what you buy, you will need to add between two and three mugs of water to that, its got to be well covered, and the pellets soak up lots of water.

Do make sure that you keep the bag of dry stuff well away from your goats - they will eat it dry, and the whole bag would not go down too well.

I do not want to suggest more that this quanitity, because it can increase milk production, and we do not want that, do we?!! See how you go on with that amount, added to the reduced goat mix.

langdon · « **Reply #24 on:** April 28, 2010, 07:33:03 pm »

there is only four of us in the family so i am hoping that we can gat a decent bit of milk from them both.
as that is why we bought them for, yes they are nice pets and the kids do love love them, but we do live on a smallholding
with the idea of been as selfsuffecent as possible.
im sure you know what i mean.
i measured the feed that i was given them and it worked out to be four cup fulls twice a day.
now it two, is that about right?

please say yes!!!
langdon

Anke · « **Reply #25 on:** April 28, 2010, 09:54:55 pm »

MIne are on Allan & Page All round goat mix (I prefer mixes to pellets), BT gets about 600 - 700g/day (1.5 pounds) in two meals, plus out on grass and clover for about 4 hours each day, also have very good meadow hay. Used to feed soaked sugar beet (I buy the shreds and feed it to the sheep, goats and pigs) in the winter, but now with the grass coming through have stopped, only on rainy days as a treat. GG gets about 400g of concentrates per day, she gives just around 2l milk per day. Don't know how much BT gives, she's still feeding her twins during the day and I take 700 - 8ooml off in the morning, kids are away during the night.

The BT does look a bit skinny, but her stools are quite loose at the moment, and I think she gets lots of clover at the moment. I like to feel their backbones, and judge them from that. Seems to work.

Also if your goats are fat they might have difficulty getting in kid and more difficulties during birth, especially if its their first time. So slim them down now, so they get into good condition for the autumn.

ballingall · « **Reply #26 on:** April 28, 2010, 10:21:34 pm »

We use the beetpulp shreds and soak them in warm/hot water, for about 1/2 an hour and then feed them to the goats. They have no trouble with them not being soaked for 24hours as horses do. The pellets need to be soaked for ages- I hate them!

Beth

Roxy · « **Reply #27 on:** April 28, 2010, 11:15:22 pm »

Thats why we use the speedibeet - so much quicker, than waiting all that time for the stuff to soak. The feed merchant put in Allen and Page goat feed, which I thought is good. I like their horse feeds (well, not to eat myself!) but some of the goats are turning their noses up at it!!

Goodness Langdon, your goats will be a bit miffed having their feed halved. You will notice a difference in how long a bag of goat food lasts now.

langdon · « **Reply #28 on:** April 30, 2010, 05:29:27 pm »

hi roxy hope you had a great day, mine was frutrating,
one of those days where nothing goes right for you and you have to do things 2nd or 3rd time.
never mind anyway

i bought a bag of that speedybeet today, do i just give them a cup each with the 1 cup of dry mix each?
milly and molly are deffently noticing a change in their food as they keep looking into the feed bucket, having a sniff
and walking away.
thanks once again for helping me get this right

langdon

Roxy · « **Reply #29 on:** April 30, 2010, 05:36:19 pm »

Yes, but I would definitely soak it, as it says on the bag ....more palatable.

Fussy girls your two .....in a huff cos you have reduced their feed. Langdons weight watchers club.

I have had a frustrating day too. Range Rover was in for MOT all week, as was the van. Van passed and back, good, as we were walking everywhere. But RR not been tested yet. Not happy, as we are due up in Durham for a horse show tomorrow. Looks like we will be going without the ponies as nothing to tow trailer with.

wipes - The Accidental Smallholder