What do you think...??? PIC

First off, you want to make sure she's been tested negative for CAE. Also ask about CL and Johnnes in the herd. If she's negative and from a healthy herd, $100 for a registered Nubian sounds like a real bargain. Second, she looks like a nice goat. Since she's going to kid in July, and you'll have her with horses or sheep until then, I'd seriously consider not purchasing a companion keeping one of her kids to be her companion. Wethers eat as much, or more, than does, and there is a very special bond between a doe and her doeling. It's really neat to watch.

With this upcoming freshening being her third, there's a good chance you can milk her through to December '08, breeding her in October '08. As long as you're milking once a day, it shouldn't be any strain for her. She will taper off in the winter, but if you persevere, production normally picks up again in the spring. By the time you're ready to dry her off, her doe kid will be old enough to have been bred and kidded, so you'll still have milk. Sounds like a heck of a deal as long as she's healthy.

I would take special care to provide her with good nutrition, though, starting now. She does look thin, and with the way she's been kidding it's no wonder. She'll need some reserves to work with when she kids again in July. Is she milking now?

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www.glimmercroft.com
The basic message of liberalism is simply: The true measure of a society is how it treats the weak and the needy. A simple Christian message (Matthew 25:40). -Garrison Keillor

She is and has tested negative for CAE, and the owner has told me she has never had CL in her heard, and nothing was mentioned about Johnnes.

I was thinking about not getting the wether as in the end it would be a loss of money, and instead keep a doe kid, or if for some reason she doesn't have a doe I might have to keep an eye out and look for one.

She is dry at the moment.

Around here we don't have a specific goat feed, many people just feed dairy ration-ment for dairy cows, its a 16% protein level, we also have access to Alfalfa pellets or in some cases I have used rabbit pellets for my Show lambs its a 16% protein and the main ingredient is Alfalfa. What would you all feed and how much, I'm willing to feed her grain to increase her condition and make her in good condition for kidding. In the summer she will also have access to pasture and browsing at her own wish.

Melissa

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Fergusons Family Farm
Lanark County in Beautiful Ontario
http://www.freewebs.com/fergusonsfamilyfarm/
We raise sheep, cattle, poultry, rabbits and horses.
Melissa

What I personally feed goats is free choice alfalfa pellets, very nice grass hay and loose minerals. Milking does get around a pound of grain each day. This keeps my does in very good condition and gives me healthy babies that aren't so big they're hard to deliver. I would use the alfalfa pellets rather than grain to increase condition because it's easier for a goats system to deal with the pellets than with large amounts of grain. You might also slip in a little beet pulp, starting very small and working up to maybe a cup a day, adjusting according to how she's handling it.

The one thing you have to watch for in feeding goats as opposed to cows is that goats cannot take much urea in their feed. Urea is used heavily as a protein source in cattle feed, but too much will kill a goat, and most cattle feeds that use it, use too much for goats.

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www.glimmercroft.com
The basic message of liberalism is simply: The true measure of a society is how it treats the weak and the needy. A simple Christian message (Matthew 25:40). -Garrison Keillor

It would be a good thing to find out exactly how the present owner has been feeding this doe. Make your dietary changes gradually to allow the rumen to adjust its flora. Also, use a good wormer that is safe to use during pregnancy.

Also add alfalfa pellets gradually. Too much too fast can cause bloat...

I recently got a 2 month old nubian buckling, bottle raised. I didn't have any others his age to put him in with, and he was intimidated even with my more docile goats, so I put him in with the sheep. Of course, I had to seperate them at feeding time, but the sheep are so gentle, he felt right at home. After about a week of him getting adjusted i was able to move him in with some of "his own kind". Most of my goats get along fine with the sheep, especially the youngsters. However the sheep are definitely at the bottom of the totem pole!

I actaully work at a feed store, so makes things a little easier for me to get feed and know what exactly is in them. The Dairy Ration 16% has no urea in it, the beef ration though has lots, that is a definite no no, for anything. and Dairy ration is a no-no to sheep for the copper!! So much to be careful with no a days, but better safe than sorry.

If you all think she will be fine on Alfalfa pellets I think I can work that, I also have beet pulp, bought some for a steer when we were feeding him but he didn't like it.

ALFALFA PELLETS- How much per day?
Beet pulp- is 1 cup before soaked or after?

Melissa

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Fergusons Family Farm
Lanark County in Beautiful Ontario
http://www.freewebs.com/fergusonsfamilyfarm/
We raise sheep, cattle, poultry, rabbits and horses.
Melissa

I'm going to start a new thred with this does registration info, if any one wants to take a look.

Melissa

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Fergusons Family Farm
Lanark County in Beautiful Ontario
http://www.freewebs.com/fergusonsfamilyfarm/
We raise sheep, cattle, poultry, rabbits and horses.
Melissa

I've found that my goats aren't terribly keen on alfalfa pellets. They'll eat them, but only after they've picked out the grain first!

But . . . we can grow or get good alfalfa hay up here in Ontario, so that's not a big concern. ONThorsegirl, I'm guessing that you folks grow your own hay, right?

I feed first cut, mostly grass hay to my boys and my dry does. My milking and pregnant girls get free-choice second cut alfalfa and first cut grass hay. On the milking stand, they get 16% dairy ration (I inquired about the urea - nada) and alfalfa pellets. The pellets are mostly to keep them busy until I'm done milking . They also get some VitaPlus horse supplement - about 1/2 teaspoon.

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"Crivens!"

Half Caper Farm - breeding Saanens, Boers and Nigerian Dwarfs

We do grow our own hay but no alfalfa found on our property, we have beef cows so really we don't have any need for the alfalfa. We have a good quality grass hay with a good amount of clover. We plan on doing some reseeding this year of our pastures and hay fields, hopefully next year we will have fields with higher lugume %.

Melissa

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Fergusons Family Farm
Lanark County in Beautiful Ontario
http://www.freewebs.com/fergusonsfamilyfarm/
We raise sheep, cattle, poultry, rabbits and horses.
Melissa

That would do nicely.

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"Crivens!"

Half Caper Farm - breeding Saanens, Boers and Nigerian Dwarfs