feeding question

murphyjamie · #1 04/26/06, 08:24 PM

I am new to pygmy goats. I bought two males that will be wethered soon for my kids to show in 4h. Unfortunately, one of the bucks has has to have surgery for stones. The vet tells me not to give the goats feed anymore, only hay and free choice minerals. The breeder I bought the goat from insists that my goats will not be healthy without giving some goat feed. I'm not sure what to do. I cant pay for this surgery again if the feed causes stones again.The breeder I bought from says that if I only give hay, then the goats will will get a different type of stone. And I dont like seeing my goats suffer. I forgot to mention, the feed I was giving has ammonium chloride in it and I was also top dressing with extra ammonium chloride. Someone please help me.

dkdairygoats · #2 04/26/06, 08:32 PM

If you just bought these goats, it may not have been your feed that gave them stones. You should be perfectly fine without feeding grain if they are wethers. If they look thin, then that is a different story, but as long as their weight looks good, you should be okay on just hay and minerals. You can have the stones analysed to find out exactly what they are. Your vet would also be able to advise you as to how to prevent this from happening again.

murphyjamie · #3 04/27/06, 11:14 AM

its not that I dont trust you dkdairygoats, but I would feel more comfortable if I would get more suggestions.

Freeholder · #4 04/27/06, 11:51 AM

Pygmy wethers shouldn't need any grain at all, as long as you are giving them grass hay and not alfalfa (which would need some grain to balance the calcium in the alfalfa). But pygmies don't need alfalfa, either -- it's comparable to giving rich feed to Shetland ponies. Listen to your vet, as far as feed goes -- he (or she) knows what he (or she) is talking about.

If your breeder was feeding grass hay and grain to these goats, that is probably why one already has stones. Grass hay does not need the grain to balance it, the grain actually causes an imbalance.

Just so you know, I haven't heard of anyone having a good long-term outcome with a goat that has already developed stones. Surgery is just putting off the inevitable, unfortunately.

Kathleen