I have 2 new dairy does...

[whinnyninny]

We picked them up on Sunday. A 5-year-old purebred/registered Oberhasli, and a 2-year-old purebred (unregistered) Nubian.

They both freshened back in February. We get 6 pounds out of the Oberhasli and 2 lbs out of the Nubian... not much, but she's on the small side, and DH fell in love with her and really wanted to buy her (she was only $100, and this is her first freshening).

8 lbs between 2 goats doesn't sound like much, but it's more than we use right now! Looks like I'll have to start making yogurt or pudding or something.

Still haven't sold our other doe and her kids yet... haven't gotten any responses to my classified ad. Might have to list them on Craigslist.

I could not get these girls to stand still for a picture. I also had a smudge on my camera lens that I didn't notice until I uploaded the pics, and I'm too lazy to get more.

It's wonderful to have does that willingly jump up on the milkstand and don't kick while they're being milked!

[Minelson]

They look very pretty! Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!

[tailwagging]

OHHHHH I just love Oberhaslis. I miss mine. =(
Lucky you! =)

[Kittikity]

Is it just me or does the oberhasli doe look a little on the thin side? Congrats on getting some actual dairy goats..

[Alice In TX/MO]

Gorgeous! And yes, I think they need groceries!

Congratulations. You will love having good goats!

[whinnyninny]

She could be a little on the thin side. We're giving her 3 lbs of concentrated feed per day with free-choice hay. (It's supposed to be 1 lb "base" then 1 lb of feed for every 2 lbs of milk above the first 2 lbs, right?) Should I up that a little? The Nubian is also skinny, so we're giving her 1.5 lbs of feed along with free-choice hay (fed fresh daily, whatever they don't eat by the next morning is tossed into our compost pile).

Let me know if y'all think I should up the feed amount. I've only had them 3 days so obviously I won't be able to tell yet if they're gaining.

And now I'm trying to figure out what I want to breed them to this fall. It won't be too hard to find a good Nubian buck I'm sure, but if I want to breed the Oberhasli to another Oberhasli it might be a bit trickier... closest stud service I could find is 3 hours away (they offer AI... is that a good option for a beginner?) But as long as I can find a really good dairy buck, I don't think that it's necessary to have her bred to another Oberhasli. What would be a good breed to cross her with? Alpine, or does it matter as long as the buck is really good quality?

[Alice In TX/MO]

What is concentrated feed?

Are you feeding alfalfa - either hay or pellets? They need that for calcium to make milk.

[mpete]

I would worm them and start a maintenance record for them. If they are wormy, no matter what you feed them they won't gain weight. Also, with them producing they need all the nutrients that they can get. Give them free choice hay/pellets and grain on the stand. The nubby's production should go up with the proper feed.

They are very pretty.... your nubby looks like the one I'm waiting for next week. Congratulations!!!!

[southerngurl]

To me, the oberhasli looks wormy. My understanding is that upping feed on a lactating doe does not cause her to grain weight. A good doe will just put it into more milk. So take care of any worm and cocci situation (with them being moved, the stress will increase these), and just worry about maintaining their weight for now (if you want to add calories, do it in the form of something like beet pulp instead, it's fiber calories instead of starch calories, no founder or stomach issues that way). When they are dried up, then you have your chance to get them in better condition.

[whinnyninny]

It's a 16% dairy goat concentrated feed (not sheep), I don't remember the brand or what exactly is in it, as DH dumped the bags into our feed storage bins and tossed them out. The lady we bought them from was giving them DuMor goat feed and sweet feed, and they had free-graze pasture.

I don't even know where to find alfalfa hay around here (everyone uses bermuda or coastal), should I give them alfalfa pellets instead of free-choice bermuda hay?

[southerngurl]

Yes, get them some alfalfa pellets, and I personally would cut back on the grain, (but that's just me), replacing it with the 17% alfalfa pellets. The grain has an inverted phosphorus to calcium ratio, more phos than calcium. They need to have MORE calcium that phosphorus, especially a lactating or pregnant doe. The general rule of thumb is 3 lbs of alfalfa to 1 lb of grain. The alfalfa is roughage, so it is more along the lines of what the goat is designed to digest, and it contains plenty of protein and calcium (enough calcium to make up for the excess phosphorus in the grain), so it's an excellent lactation ration. As with anything in a ruminant diet, add it slowly. Then you could try backing off your grain, seeing if it affects your milk amounts or not. If they start backing off their milk, add back a little grain and this way you will find how much they need.

[whinnyninny]

Originally Posted by mpete

I would worm them and start a maintenance record for them. If they are wormy, no matter what you feed them they won't gain weight. Also, with them producing they need all the nutrients that they can get. Give them free choice hay/pellets and grain on the stand. The nubby's production should go up with the proper feed.

The seller's records say that she wormed them 2 weeks ago.

[Patty0315]

Never mind what the sellers records say. Worm them now and again in 10 days . Stress will bring on a worm load. And for all you know she really did not worm them . Also give them cdt and bo-se


Patty

[whinnyninny]

Thanks!

Looks like I need to make a trip to the feed store...

[whinnyninny]

Okay, what is the best worming method for goats? I have some Ivermectin for my horses (says for horse use only... can I still use it with goats? And I have to dump the milk for the next 4 days, right?) I'm 8 months pregnant so I do not want to use the Molly's herbal stuff right now.

[southerngurl]

Ivermectin for horses can be used.. I can't remember how much, I THINK it's 3 times the horse dose, so 300 lbs dose for a 100 lb goat.

But you will not know if it is effective for your goats without a fecal.. which vets will usually do for like 10 bucks.

You live in Texas and I think Ivermectin may not be real effective down there. You may want to use cydectin instead (which is Quest BTW)... and I can't remember the dose on that either lol.

[southerngurl]

OK, here's the quest dose

http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,60.0.html

And check out that whole forum too!

[jBlaze]

OH, I am SO excited for you! Yippee!
They look so much more like what you want than that poor boer doe. And your ober has great handles for an ober. The obers in this area have tiny teats mostly, lol. I would breed ober to alpine or lamancha. Any good dairy would be fine, but that would be my pref. You could breed the nub to alp or lm too, and get cute crosses.
WooHoo, so glad you found nice milkers!

[oceanmist]

yep that's the first thought that crossed my mine seeing the oberhasli doe

she looks wormy

I dont' know where you got her, but some ober breeders choose to be all natural and or don't worm at all...

I'd say hit her with some Ivermec dosing at 1cc per 50 lbs and again in 10 days because that is the life cycle of the worms... if you use white wormer dose heavily and repeat for 3-4 days, dose at 1cc per 10lbs. fasting them prior to worming helps empty the stomach of food and allows the wormer to absorb quicker and more efficiently..

Misty

[whinnyninny]

Okay, I should try 1cc of ivermectin per 50 lbs of body weight (measuring tapes/charts would be good for determining weight, right?) then do the same thing 10 days from now, and dump the milk for 4 days after each worming. Is that right?

And then feed a ration of 3 parts alfalfa cubes and 1 part grain (like my "dairy goat pellets")? What about sweet feed, is that good to add or not? DH just bought a 50-lb bag...