Feeding wethers
A wether's diet should have a calcium/phosphorus ratio of 2:1, or 3:1.
Click here for an article on Urinary Calculi -- wether owners should know about it.
Click here for an article on Urinary Calculi -- wether owners should know about it.
Hay
Hay, and/or grass and roughage should make up the majority of a wether'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.
Due to our area being deficient in calcium, I include alfalfa in my wethers' diets either in the form of alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets, to provide them with the 2:1 calcium/phosphorus ratio they need.
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.
Due to our area being deficient in calcium, I include alfalfa in my wethers' diets either in the form of alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets, to provide them with the 2:1 calcium/phosphorus ratio they need.
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.
Apple Cider Vinegar can be added to the water. As long as the wethers will drink it, some breeders feel the ACV helps dissolve developing urinary stones before they become an issue.
Apple Cider Vinegar can be added to the water. As long as the wethers will drink it, some breeders feel the ACV helps dissolve developing urinary stones before they become an issue.
Minerals
Goats without good minerals will not thrive and are more prone to wormloads and illnesses. We currently use Southern States Top Choice Goat Mineral. For wethers, we like to make sure that ammonium chloride is added to their minerals, as an additional preventative for urinary stones. We copper bolus as needed.
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
I do not recommend that pet wethers get grain. In my opinion there is no need for it, and it is a leading cause of Urinary Calculi. Depending on the calcium levels in your area, alfalfa pellets or timothy pellets can be given to wethers instead of grain.