# How old should you stop giving grain to wethers?



## copper905 (May 27, 2011)

How old should you stop giving grain to wethers?

I know they need grain to grow. And how much? :whatgoat:


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

My mini guys get 1 cup 2x a day til they are a year old, then if condition is good and stays good I cut the grain and ensure they get a good hay as well as browse and loose minerals with added ammonium chloride


----------



## copper905 (May 27, 2011)

so 2 cups a day?


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

How much will depend in part on what breed of goat.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Yep...totally depends on the breed of goat, wethers tend to get fat with grain after they've hit a year old and I've seen pet wethers from standards to mini's that are entirely too fat, you'd think they were does carrying quads!


----------



## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I gave grain past a year old but I don't think I should have. However my goats aren't fat... so hopefully it didn't do them any permanent damage  You need to learn what is a good body condition for your goats. You should be able to feel the ribs fairly easily but you shouldn't be able to see them. (at least in my opinion) My goats change shape throughout the day as the fill up on grass and hay and then deflate as they digest it.


----------



## copper905 (May 27, 2011)

so how much grain a day for standards?


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

For growth of my mini kids...I give one dry measuring cup of an 18% goat feed twice a day...doelings I give it longer.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I give 1 lb. per 50 lbs of goat and use lower protein for wethers...16%. They also get free choice alfalfa pellets and grass hay.
When they quit growing so fast I give beet pulp instead of grain. For long term health of wethers you want their protein to average @ 14%. Higher protein can cause metabolic issues including UC.


----------



## DJ4wd (May 26, 2011)

Well that raises some questions for me. We have been feeding the Boer whether 1lb twice a day plus all the free range, multi floral he can eat. I noticed the other day that there was some left over in the food bowl ( like crushed up stuff). Don't I we want him to pack it on? Our fair is in October.


----------



## DJ4wd (May 26, 2011)

bump


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I am not familiar with feeding boers. I would think that as long as he is used to that amount and no major increases in food it would be fine. I know some people increase up to letting them eat as much as they want in a 15 min feeding.


----------



## DJ4wd (May 26, 2011)

Makes sense though. I figured that the bigger the better (healthy wise)


----------



## DJFarm (Jul 18, 2011)

New to goats, had no clue I had to stop feeding my guys grain at a year old... Does it hurt to keep them on it longterm. I'm just thinking of how loud they're going to be when they no longer get their grain...


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

A lot of mine still get grain older. They are working animals that must keep their weight and condition. Now,when I say grain I mean oats, barley, etc. Pelleted feed or textured ration are actually different and contain things that I won't feed my boys.
For example I might feed my boys a mix of:
2 cups oats
1 cup barley
3 cups alfalfa pellets
1 cup beet pulp
2 teaspoon sea kelp
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
Just to give you an idea, I actually feed this mix while camping. This amount lasts each boy 3 days.


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

DJFarm said:


> New to goats, had no clue I had to stop feeding my guys grain at a year old... Does it hurt to keep them on it longterm. I'm just thinking of how loud they're going to be when they no longer get their grain...


You can feed them grain for their whole life if you want but use a grain with Amonium Chloride or buy the powder form and add it to the feed. Some grains do have a bad imbalance of stuff for boys. Oh and if you don't want to give them anymore grain the loud will go away after a while. :wink:


----------



## DJFarm (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks for info I'm sure my guys would like that as well.


----------



## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

Everyone has a different opinion on grain feeding. Something you can do if you want to give them a nice treat is to give them a bit of beet pulp instead of grain. I wouldn't do this if you are feeding alfalfa hay but if you are feeding grass hay it would be a good option.


----------

