# Nigerian Dwarf Wether needs to gain weight



## Tigerhoss16 (Oct 31, 2014)

Hello everyone! I am a new goat owner. I have read several threads since I got my babies (2 1/2 months ago) and have found many of them helpful. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me. I have 3 Nigerian dwarf goats. 2 wethers and 1 doe. My older wether is 6 months and my doe and younger wether are 4 months. None are related. My older wether and my doe are doing great. Very healthy and happy little fatties  My younger wether is losing weight. He is down almost 2 pounds in 1.5 months. He is active, playful and has no diarrhea. I took him in to the vet and he was deemed physically healthy, just under weight, but we are treating him for a coccidia infection. The vet said he needs to eat more. My kids get free choice Hay, minerals and baking soda. They spend several hours a day out in our yard eating grass and leaves. I think my other 2 goats are more aggressive about eating and Beckham is a little intimidated. We have started giving him some alone feeding time as well. He LOVES his treats. I think he is not a huge fan of his hay though. Any suggestions on what else I can feed him? I was afraid to give him any grains or alfalfa because he is a wether, but I've been reading some may be OK. I don't want to cause any issues with urinary calculi, but I want my baby to gain weight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He is just the sweetest little thing ever! I have been sweeping out their pen every day instead of weekly to help keep contamination down? Do I need to disinfect? It is a dirt floor. Thank you all in advance!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First, I would take the baking soda away. It deactivates ammonium chloride. What type of hay and minerals?


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

You can try grain , alfalfa pellets and a handful of calf manna and give him time by himself to eat what he wants. I feed my boys Southern States Goat Pellet and alfalfa pellets , and they do quite well on it.
My wethers are very plump and happy  Whatever you do give them , add it slowly to their diet , so as not to upset their tummies 
Wethers and bucks do not need baking soda , it upsets what the minerals are doing for them and can wreck their system. If you can have it available to your doe only , that would be best. You may need to find a different hay as well. Have you heard of Chaffhaye ?


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## Tigerhoss16 (Oct 31, 2014)

They are eating 1st cutTimothy hay and Goat Minerals from MannaPro


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would definitely be adding alfalfa pellets to that diet. You may also want to consider getting second cut hay for them.


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## Tigerhoss16 (Oct 31, 2014)

Thank you for the tips! The baking soda has been removed. I will try the Calf Manna and alfalfa pellets. I have heard of Chaffhaye. I looked into it before, but I was concerned about feeding only that due to it being Alfalfa and my boys being wethers. I looked up the Southern States Goat Pellet and since I am in Michigan there are no locations around here that sell it. Are there any other brands that you can suggest? I guess I was a little over paranoid about not feeding grain and alfalfa to my wethers. What is an acceptable amount as to not cause any stone issues? Also in regards to minerals, I have been using Manna Pro's Goat Minerals. Is that Ok? I was considering switching to Golden Blend, but you have to order at least a 20# bag and my babies haven't even gone through their 8# bag yet. And the shipping seems to cost more than the minerals. But if it is a better supplement, then I will get it. I want to do whatever is best for them. Thanks again!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

On the chaffhaye , did you widen your search a little ? 
Sometimes when you widen the search on their site , it finds more dealers close to you. I didn't find the farm i buy mine from till the second or third time doing it. The search option on their site can be a bit temperamental i have found , lol. 

Second cut might be more enticing for them  I haven't heard of Golden Blend , maybe others here have. But the Manna Pro minerals are really a good mineral , if you don't mind buying the small bag.
I know there is a 50# bag , but i haven't looked into getting it.
So , if you can get your hands on one of them , it would be totally worth it. I understand the shipping for some of the minerals is crazy . Maybe talk to your feed stores and see what they can order for you , might be way cheaper that way


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

The Manna Pro Goat Mineral is fine. If you do a search, you will find lots of threads on feeding wethers. The entire diet needs to be at least 2:1 calcium to phosphorus.


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