Feeding does
Pregnant and lactating does need extra calcium in their diet.
Hay
Hay, and/or grass and roughage should make up the majority of a doe's diet. The hay will keep their rumen healthy and functioning properly. Fat is stored on the rump, along the spine, and on the chest. If their back is squishy and it's hard to feel their backbone, they may be a little chubby. If you can feel the spine sharply and easily, they may be too thin.
Young, pregnant and lactating does need calcium to support them through growth, pregnancy, and lactation. I free-choice feed alfalfa pellets to all of my does; giving them just enough per day that they leave a couple pellets behind in their dishes. It needs to be refreshed daily to prevent mold.
Be prepared for hay waste -- goats like to eat some parts of the hay and let the rest drop out of their mouths. Resist putting the wasted hay back up into the basket, that is an invitation for worms, and goats do not usually eat hay that has been on the ground.
Young, pregnant and lactating does need calcium to support them through growth, pregnancy, and lactation. I free-choice feed alfalfa pellets to all of my does; giving them just enough per day that they leave a couple pellets behind in their dishes. It needs to be refreshed daily to prevent mold.
Be prepared for hay waste -- goats like to eat some parts of the hay and let the rest drop out of their mouths. Resist putting the wasted hay back up into the basket, that is an invitation for worms, and goats do not usually eat hay that has been on the ground.
Water
Water should be fresh daily, or twice daily, and the buckets should be scrubbed free of muck when needed. Goats need fresh water, or they will not drink as much as they should.
Minerals
Goats without good minerals will not thrive and are more prone to wormloads and illnesses. We use Southern States Top Choice Goat Mineral for our does. We also copper bolus them as needed, and give them selenium gel a few weeks before kidding.
Note: Some people believe goats, like sheep, cannot have copper. This is not true, goats need copper to be healthy. A sheep mineral won't have the copper levels a goat needs. That said, be careful to follow dosing advice. Too much of anything is a bad thing, and copper poisoning is possible. Copper bolus is much safer than the paste.
Goats should be given loose minerals or herbal minerals, not in a block. Goats often cannot get the minerals they need from a block, and will wear their teeth down trying.
Note: Some people believe goats, like sheep, cannot have copper. This is not true, goats need copper to be healthy. A sheep mineral won't have the copper levels a goat needs. That said, be careful to follow dosing advice. Too much of anything is a bad thing, and copper poisoning is possible. Copper bolus is much safer than the paste.
Goats should be given loose minerals or herbal minerals, not in a block. Goats often cannot get the minerals they need from a block, and will wear their teeth down trying.
Grain
Lactating does usually need some sort of grain to keep on body condition, and to aid in proper production. We found that when we were feeding top quality NY grass hay and alfalfa, they did not need any grain. However, when we could not find this hay anymore, production dropped. So, depending on what hay is available to you, you may or may not have to feed grain.
Grain during pregnancy is controversial. By not feeding any grain during pregnancy, we had smaller birth weights, which was a good thing for delivery, but we also had issues with "ring-womb", a lack of dilation in our does. We have decided to add a small amount of grain back into our pregnant does' diets to see if we have any instances of "ring-womb", and decide if the two are related.
Grain during pregnancy is controversial. By not feeding any grain during pregnancy, we had smaller birth weights, which was a good thing for delivery, but we also had issues with "ring-womb", a lack of dilation in our does. We have decided to add a small amount of grain back into our pregnant does' diets to see if we have any instances of "ring-womb", and decide if the two are related.