Feed & Milk Questions

[jil101ca]

I have 2 girls in milk, Libby gets milked 2 times day but still has penny on her. Fawn gets milked 2 times a day and was giving me 1qt morning and about 2/3qt in the evening. They both get 1/2lb 17% dairy pellets + 1/2 lb 12% hay extender 2 times a day plus free Alfafa/Timothy hay plus free choice loose mineral. This is what they have been eating since I bought them in March. Fawn's milk production is dropping very fast and I don't understand why. I milk her empty twice a day. I would welcome any thoughts.

My second question/concern is the 17% dairy pellets. I am wondering about the quality. It cost $13 and change for a 55lb bag and it cost $16 and change for a 55lb bag of 16% dairy texturised. I always though it cost more to make pellets and they were more money as a result. What does every else feed and would feeding grain versus pellet be better?

[pookshollow]

When did Fawn kid, and what is her breeding? I have a 3/4 Nubian doe that has been switched over to meat goat production. When she has kids on her, she won't let her milk down for me, and once they're weaned, she dries up faster than you can say "Jack Robinson"! It's not that she doesn't have lots of milk - her kids usually have milk goiter. Some does just aren't good milkers.

OTOH, I have a FF grade Alpine/Saanen doe - when she lies down before evening milking, the milk is squirting straight out of her teat. She was producing milk last summer before she ever met a buck, and her mother (grade Alpine) went 22 months in her first lactation. I'm getting close to 4 litres a day from her.

As for the feed, I was feeding 16% dairy cattle texturised feed, as that was what I could get. Then Shurgain came out with a line of pelleted goat feed, 14% dairy ration, so that's what I feed now, along with alfalfa pellets (slows down their eating ). They've done fine on both, but I believe the goat ration is a little less.

[steff bugielski]

1/2 lb of grain might be a bit on the low side. Try increasing the grain a little at a time and see if they give more milk.
Mine get 3 lbs a day divided into 2 feedings, of 16% dairy goat and free choice grass hay. They all milk around 1 gallon a day and they are not any breed of goat, all mutts.

[jil101ca]

Fawn is a Nubian and kidded twins beginning of March, 1 died at birth and the other drowned in a bucket at 1 week. This was before I bought her. She gets in total 2 lbs a day. I did increase the 17% dairy this morning to see. Hubby mentioned that it could be the hay. We are down to old bales in the loft and although it is ok it just doesn't seem as nice. Maybe that is why?

[pookshollow]

Yes, could be the hay. Do they get out on pasture at all? I'm not feeding very much hay right now, because mine get out for 8 or 9 hours every day and the pasture is quite lush.

If your hay is crummy, start feeding alfalfa pellets and see if that makes a difference.

[jil101ca]

Pasture is a catch 22, they're not used to so need to be introduced slowly, I know this... but I'm not there to monitor their time out until they get used to it so they only get out for about 1 hr in the evening and weekends when I am home to bring them in before they get tummy aches. Nobody up here can source Alfalfa Pellets for some bizarre reason. I do however have access to cubes, would that do the same as pellets?

[pookshollow]

The cubes are too big, unless you want to break up the whole bag with a hammer. Not fun.

[canadiangirl]

I've used the cubes and just pre-soak them with some water. In winter I pre-soak with warm water, my does love them and it gets extra water into them.

[pookshollow]

I've done that with horses (choke hazard if you don't) but the goats weren't too impressed. It's worth a try, though - maybe your goats will love it.

ETA: soaked hay cubes will go bad real fast in the warm weather!

[jil101ca]

We bumped up the 17% yesterday morning and I fed more hay which it looks like they just wasted and her milk is back up this morning.