# New Saanen Doe



## kramsay (Mar 7, 2013)

Picked up this doe a couple days ago, We also decided to keep her buck kid "Snow man" {Hubby named kids from Smokey & the Bandit} I wasn't planning on adding to the herd but I couldn't pass up this deal, best thing is she will foster random babies of all different ages:fireworks: 

I have a couple questions 
How is her weight? She is thin, but I am not sure if it's dairy thin or thin thin, if that makes sense. I haven't milked her yet, she is feeding 4 kids  
She is eating 4# of oats, and all the alfalfa she wants. Tomorrow I should have my order in so I will also be adding in 20% pellets. 
How does her udder look, conformation wise? This picture is on a 5 hour fill, I won't be able to get a picture on a 12 hour fill until the weekend (I use hubbies phone for pictures) 
I should have got a good conformation picture, it was a bit crazy at the barn tonight so it slipped my mind.

When we brought her home her hooves where over grown by at least 4 inches, I have never seen feet look so bad. Yet she was still so sweet. We named her Momma  

I also pictured her 3 week old buckling who weighs 22#. He is on his dam but loves to suck on fingers, makes picture taking easy. His ears got frost bit the night he was born.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

She definitely needs more weight on her. The little guy is cute!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Congrats..sounds like she landed in good care!! I do agree..she is too thin...be sure to make feed changes slow and up it slow...if she gets loose stool..you need to go slower...her udder doesn't look too bad...should fill up nice..if she is feeding four kids..that is a heavy load and she will need a lot more feed then 4# of oats...
She needs loose minerals and looks to need copper ( her tail tells all :wink...

How does her lower inner eye lids look? you want deep pink to red ..if she is pale...she needs worming...a fecal could tell you whats she dealing with or you can use a broad wormer like ivomec plus or valbazen...


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## kramsay (Mar 7, 2013)

happybleats said:


> Congrats..sounds like she landed in good care!! I do agree..she is too thin...be sure to make feed changes slow and up it slow...if she gets loose stool..you need to go slower...her udder doesn't look too bad...should fill up nice..if she is feeding four kids..that is a heavy load and she will need a lot more feed then 4# of oats...
> She needs loose minerals and looks to need copper ( her tail tells all :wink...
> 
> How does her lower inner eye lids look? you want deep pink to red ..if she is pale...she needs worming...a fecal could tell you whats she dealing with or you can use a broad wormer like ivomec plus or valbazen...


I thought she was but just wasn't sure if I was over reacting, as I don't have a lot experience with large producing dairy goats. She is on oats, because that is what they where feeding her (in a lot smaller amount, with grass hay). I will be adding in the 20% pellets tomorrow (I have to order them, this order took forever to come in), starting with 1 cup, and slowly upping it. With feeding alfalfa should I also feed alfalfa pellets? I will probably add BOSS too, if she will eat it.

Poops are good so far, I am keeping a close eye on them. We will be copper bolusing and giving every one BoSe in the next week. She has a loose mineral and is eating some.

She is bright pink, I was very surprised when I checked them, I keep checking them every couple of days so I can stay on top of it.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Good deal..pink lids are encouraging : ) here is a pic of 2 two year old Saanen I have...your girl looks to be about their size..just to give an idea...you want to see a little hip but not a l
I think I would stick with no more then a 16% protein feed...I remember reading too much protein can build up in the udder..Ill have to look that up to confirm..but Dairy do not need that high of protein...other wise sounds like you have a pretty good plan of action...she's a lucky girl!! and baby is a doll..


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## kramsay (Mar 7, 2013)

Quick question.. I am making an order to Jeffers.. Which one do I want? I have been using the Fortified one, didn't know there was another. 

Fortified Vitamin B Complex, 250 mL 
Vitamin B-Complex Plus, 250 mL


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## kramsay (Mar 7, 2013)

Beautiful girls! 

I didn't know to much protein could be bad... I have been feeding it to my meat girls. It's actually a cattle feed, 50# bag is $9, so it has been a great way to add protein during lactation and not break my bank account. 

With the low protein of oats, won't it bring the total protein down to a better level, or should I cut it out totally?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I get the fortified B Complex. Adding the oats will bring down protein.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

when you add other grains..you are basically diluting the feed, so yes..it will change the total protein...but not knowing by how much Im not sure what ratio would be best, so I would buy a lower protein and cut the oats...I feed a mix of whole oats, whole barley and BOSS..then for every scoop of that I give three times the alfalfa....my dairy girls do great on it...

Fortified Vitamin B Complex, 250 mL is B complex with extra Thiamine and 
Vitamin B-Complex Plus, 250 mL is B complex with extra B 12 : ) 

both are great to have on hand..but if you can only get one..I would get fortified B complex..


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Oats average 9% protein. 9 + 20= 29 /2= 14.5% protein, if you feed equal amounts (by pound) of the oats and alfalfa pellets. You also have to figure in any other feed, including hay, to get your daily % of protein. I mix native (and organic) whole oats, 16% dairy pellets and alfalfa pellets to feed to my girls when they are not lactating. That averages out to a 13% protein if mixed in equal amounts. (I use a scale to weigh out the feed) I also use other additives and my hay is just a late cut, mixed grass/weed. By using more alfalfa and pellets and less oats, I can raise the protein higher, and lower it by adding more oats and less of the other. (I had 4 years of animal science in school, most of which was nutrition and balancing a ration. I absolutely HATED it at the time, lots of math, but once I started farming, it came in so handy!)

Once they start milking, I replace the 16% with a 20% dairy pellet. 


Too much protein will stress out and over work the kidneys. The body does not use that much protein, so the liver and kidneys have to filter it out and eliminate it from the system. That causes the kidneys to work overtime and can make the urine very acidic, giving them urine scald. It can also cause them to drink more water, which can disrupt the electrolyte balance. If given before kidding, too high of a protein can cause horrible edema in the udder. While most of this probably won't cause many problems at first, it will wear your dairy girls out faster than their lower protein fed sisters. If you don't plan on keeping them long term or just have them as dairy animals, then that's fine. I want mine around for the long haul (teens were common in my herd), so I try to minimize the high protein diets.


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## Abra (Aug 11, 2012)

I agree. She needs more weight.
Here is a photo of my almost 2 year old doe. She is 50% Oberhasli, 25% Alpine, and 25% Nubian. She was a bit on the thin side right after she kidded, but picked up within a month and has stayed a good weight since. She is a First Freshner, has been milking for nearly a year (month shy). She weight 125 lbs, and produces 1 gallon a day (on average).
Sounds like you are doing all the right things... 
Has your girl been wormed? Worms can cause drastic weight loss. I suggest worming her too...


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