New to Goats

[Homesteadwi5]

We're new to goats just got our first two.I was just wondering how old are goats before they reach full size? we have a nubian/toggenburg that is a year old but still quite small.

[Freeholder]

Originally Posted by Homesteadwi5

We're new to goats just got our first two.I was just wondering how old are goats before they reach full size? we have a nubian/toggenburg that is a year old but still quite small.

They will grow quite a bit after the age of one, and a little bit until they are around three.

However, a well-bred and well-fed yearling should be pretty good sized. Your goat (doe?) might have had coccidiosis as a kid -- they often don't grow well after having that. She also might have had untreated worms; and may not have been well-fed. Toggs are one of the smaller full-sized goat breeds, so that might be part of the reason, also. Nubians, however, are usually the tallest breed. Kidding too young can also stunt their growth, especially if they aren't extremely well fed.

If one of these things is the reason for your goat's small size, you can help, at least to some extent. Make sure they are wormed (check with a local vet to see what to use in your area). Make sure they have their vaccinations (CD & T shot, at least -- vet will tell you if they need anything else in your area). Make sure they have the right mineral salt (one for goats with at least 1700 ppm copper, or if you can't get a goat mineral, horse will work. Sheep mineral does NOT have enough copper for goats, and cow mineral often contains urea, which is not good for goats -- can kill them.).

What are you feeding them?

Kathleen

[Homesteadwi5]

we just got them friday, so right now they're just browsing in an overgrown area by our back field.

[Zone]

They need a source of calcium or they can get sick. I use Alfalfa pellets because they do not waste the pellets versus the alfalfa hay. Do NOT get the alfalfa cubes. They will not eat them. Ask me how I know. I even tried mashing them, soaking them, etc. Nothing worked. They will not eat the cubes. That is just my experience. I have heard several others say the same thing.

Welcome to goats! They are very addicting.

[AnnaS]

The minimum height/weight for Nubians is 30" and 135 lbs, and for Toggs it's 26" and 125 lbs. Both at four years of age. So your doeling could be an acceptable size. BUT-

without knowing the size of her parents & grandparents, it's impossible to tell if her small size is environmental or genetic. Goats can have their growth slowed by the aforementioned factors. There are also lines that are slow to mature, and lines that will never have much size to them regardless of management.

Do you know the breeder of this doe? He or she could have a lot of answers for you.

[Homesteadwi5]

I think she's only maybe 40 or 50 pounds she appears very healthy,but i'm very new to goats also.

[whinnyninny]

Ha Zone, I keep telling my children that (goats will not eat alfalfa cubes) but do they listen to me? NoOoOoOoOoo!!! I don't know how many alfalfa cubes they wasted, trying to feed them to the goats...