# New girls I am picking up soon



## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Here are my new girls I am getting. They are rescues. They were at a dairy but sold to slaughter. I am picking them up in a few days. Now to get them nice and healthy and happy again. They will be my first full sized goats so just have some questions about what to feed dairy goats and how much?
They will be in quarantine, wormed, fecael, CAE and JD tested and copper bolused in the first week. Will have loose mineral available as soon as they are home. Free choice pea hay and then some alfalfa. What other grain and amounts will they need? All 3 are currently in milk.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Congratulations on your new goats! They look very sweet, but maybe need some good feeding. I've only ever fed the Goat Chow mixes, but when I got my last goats they weren't very shiny so I fed them black oil sunflower seeds, a couple tablespoons each, per day, or corn oil mixed with the chow. Make sure to check the insides of their lower eyelids for anemia. 

How many goats do you already have? A while back there was a thread with"recipes" for making your own goat feed, but I didn't have enough goats or space to make it worthwhile.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We have a fair few goats and happy to make a mix. Most of my current goats don't get grain, just hay minerals and browse unless they are feeding kids. 
Yes they need some good feeding and hopefully I can make them nice and shiny soon. 
Will add boss and some oil to their feed too! And check their eyelids. These will be my first real rescue goats so nervous and excited too.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

View attachment 111765

View attachment 111766


This is the togg doe approx 2-3 years of age















Togg x saneen about 3-4 years old
















Saneen doe. Older doe. Estimated 6-8 years of age.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Sorry photos of the togg girl.

Do you think their breeds are accurate?
Willbe able to check their teeth when they are home


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

They definitely need some hoof work! With good groceries, they should be nice goats for you.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Start out slow with the grain. Maybe 3 cups then slowly work up to 6 or 8.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Also, if they are still milking, I would milk 1x a day to make sure they don't get mastitis and to check the udder and milk. Then I would slowly dry up. Make sure you are sanitizing teats before and after milking, and milk away from your other goats until you are sure everyone is testing negative for CAE/Johnnes.

They look so sweet!!!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes they will always be last done on the chores list morning and night, plus we have different shoes with show covers and coveralls to wear when in with them. I was going to milk them 2 times a day to start with. The man that is holding them right now says they fill really quickly and if he doesn't milk them twice they get so full and uncomfortable. Can't wait to get them home and start fixing them up! Will start them on 3 cups and build them up.

Is that 3 cups a day? Or 3 cups a feed? I will also be feeding them chaffhay and the fibre beet? Alfalfa hay and pea hay. 

Their pen won't be huge until they have been completely quarantined and tested. Only 10m x 10m which we have 2 of these pens so I can rotate them through the 2 or if one is being bullied it can be by itself. It does have grass in it now but that won't last so long once they are in there so their main diet will be hay we provide them.
Also my copper boluses are 2.5g (I run minis) should they have 2 of them each? Or just the one and see how they go?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you know how much they were fed per feeding? Maybe 2 to 3 cups per feeding.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Oh..Their poor feeties!


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Seeing that makes my heart ache. They look very sweet, I hope they start looking better fast. Unfortunately I don't have any useful input, but I'm rooting for them.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

They have come from a dairy that shut down due to going bankrupt. They were in the slaughterhouse about 1 week and were picked up Monday night by a man that is holding them until this weekend for me to pick them up. I was going to just give them hay and a small amount of grain the first few days and get the grain up to 3 cups in the first week and continue to add more over the next week- 2 weeks. The saneen girl that is the oldest is apparently really sweet and chats and gives kisses and it just really loving. The togg girl is a bit skittish and not settled well. The togg x is a bit quiet and stays uninvolved in everything.


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I can't wait to see what they look like after you've had them a couple of months. I give my milkers free choice alfalfa hay, free choice loose minerals, and as much grain as they want on the milk stand, with a handful of BOSS mixed in. When my doe who had quads was feeding her babies, I gave her a little COB with her grain to keep her at a good weight. Those carbs worked well, and she didn't need it very long.


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## 2appsloosa (Apr 12, 2016)

Those pics make me very sad. I am so glad that you rescued them. Anxiously looking forward to see them when they fill out and look more healthy.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Aw poor things  Glad you're getting them. Keep us updated!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Will keep you updated on them. Will post more photos as soon as I get them home. I'm hoping they will pick up quickly. I have also just been told they could be potentially pregnant to a saneen buck,togg buck or Nubian buck. Once I have had them here 21 days they will be preg tested! Can't wait to make them all healthy and happy


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

This is the saneen girl















This is the saneen x togg






















Togg

Do you guys have ideas on age?
And any ideas for names? 
The saneen gets called chatty or nanny but maybe another name would be better? 
They arrived at 2pm and it's now almost 6pm. They had 5 hours in transport today. Arrived and all had a good drink. They are nibbling their hay and have all tried their little grain rations. 
I milked out the little bit that was there and have also given them loose minerals. They have had it rough  ones horn has been broken off at some point, the togg needs minerals and copper and is nervous. The old saneen girl udder needs some serious care. I am pulling bloods for pregnancy tests tomorrow but have a feeling the saneen girl is carrying :/


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

After a few days, they should relax. Are you giving them Vit. B complex? The poor Saanen doe looks like she had been crying. Poor girl.


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

They won't dry up easily unless you let the udders get full; the pressure is what tells the body to slow down production. You definitely don't want them sitting around with a swollen udder but let it get full enough to be tight, then only milk them out partially to relieve the pressure, and gradually back off. Milking them out completely tells the body to keep making more.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

I was just going to keep them in the same routine for the first few days of what they are used to and then start trying to change them  
Yes getting b complex. Had it when they arrived home and then again this morning. 
The saneen girl does seem to have been crying  this morning she just put her head in my lap and laid there for ages whilst I patted her face and neck.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

I'm so happy she found you. Those tear marks will dry soon and she is on the path to recovery. If bred will you terminate or keep the pregnancy? Would the pregnancy cause any health issues for her with her poor condition?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Aw poor doe


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

I'm not sure. They said a few of the other does have kidded in the pens at the slaughter house over the few days they were there before being processed... the man that got the 3 I have also managed to get all the babies born there and a few of the does that had kidded as well. 
I don't know if terminating now will be worse if they are already a fair way along? When I feel the older girl I am almost certain I can feel a kid, on the cross girl I think I can also on the togg girl nothing. If their bloods come back positive I'm guessing the best next step would be ultrasounds. 
Does anyone have an idea of their ages going on the teeth?


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Terminating when they're farther along can be hard on them, I'd go ahead and let them kid, just give as much supportive care as possible. I had a rescue who was literally skin and bones - probably not over 60 lb as a full grown, full term pregnant Nubian - birth a perfectly healthy single kid 2 weeks after I picked her up (fastest delivery I've ever seen too!) and nursed him until weaning. She had full access to hay, gradually increased grain rations, and a weanling kid so she'd have a buddy that wouldn't compete over her food. Plus I let her out to browse when I was around to keep an eye on her.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes the bloods have been pulled and sent today. I'm really hoping they are negative. We have free choice grassy Lucerne hay available to them and keep offering them 2-3 cups of grain to them morning and night. They just don't seem to like any of my grain I have given them.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Top dress with kelp? I've heard that goats love that, though I don't have any experience. I can't remember, did you give them probiotics?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Maybe give some b complex shots and try mixing some molasses into the feed.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

They have had/ are getting both probiotics and b complex. They some what eat their hay, just not nearly as much as my other goats. I thought they would eat more considering size?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

If they haven't had a lot of decent hay, it will take awhile for their rumens to stretch. They will probable nibble more after a few days to a week.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

No they have not had hay for a long while. But were still being milked so would think they would like their grain? They will nibble grain but not when I am milking, only afterwards. 
The dairy that had them went bankrupt ages ago. The bank took over and sent a team of people in to "care" for the animals. They turned everything in together and brought every goat into be milked every day, even goats that were dry... there were kids all over the place and they had no idea. They were left to their own most the time to graze on a pasture and that was about all they were given. There were over 1000 goats!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Ages

Saanen is aged 8 to 9 years and will soon need her teeth floated. 

Mixbred is easy, she's 4

Togg is 5 to 6

What you describe in their temperaments are completely right for their breeds. The Saanen sensitive and loving, the toggs off-standing, one person goats that need to respect their owners before giving their hearts away.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Thanks  good to have an idea on age. I picked most of them pretty close. Was a little off on the togg. I thought 4-5 years  
I'm waiting for the blood tests to come back so that I know and can go from there. 
This afternoon they finally ate their grain better. I gave them 2 cups and each ate between 1-2 cups. The older saneen girl ate the lest at 1 cup, the togg 2 and the cross about 1 and a 1/4


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Oh and each afternoon their udders are not full so I haven't been milking then. This afternoon now they are eating better their udders are full.. seem to be going a little backwards in the drying off part. I am just going to milk a little bit and hopefully they drop back again soon. I don't want them to stay in milk as I want to get them healthy and then hopefully breed them after that. If they are already pregnant then it will be a slightly different plan. The saneen if she isn't pregnant I don't believe I would breed her again in the future.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

The older doe looks sick to me...I'd be careful deworming her too quickly and give her a good look over. 
My saanen doe in milk gets 4 c alfalfa, 2 c sweet, 1c beet pulp, 1 c whole oats and if needed 1 c calf manna TWICE daily to keep her a good weight while producing.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We have sent of fecael samples now. Eyelids are all nice pinks. 
We have them well away from any of our other goats. 
One of the older does eyes is cloudy and the vet has given a ointment to go in the eye. We are treating both eyes. They are getting better and better at eating their hay and They are eating more of their grain. They don't like eating when being milked but will happily eat once they are finished so I milk them then give them each their own bowl of grain to eat.
The other odd thing is the older doe likes to drink milk? When I'm milking her she tries to drink out the bucket and after milking if I leave it down she will drink the milk... 
they will be getting bloods pulled for CAE and JD testing once they have settled more.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

The girls are eating better now and much more relaxed. They all chew cud when I'm milking them. The togg is getting heaps better with me but not anyone else. I have found they all love sultanas. They are now eating their grain within 1 hour of giving it. They will eat about 3 cups each. Pregnancy tests should come back today


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad they are doing well.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Results are back and not detectably pregnant will redo in 30 days now  what a relief


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

That's awesome!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

So they are now eating 4 cups grain twice a day  plus 1 cup twice a day alfalfa chaff. Slowly increasing their chaff and will be introducing beet pulp soon. They are only just finishing their current mix. Plus they have 3 biscuits of alfalfa a day and free choice pea hay. They have gained some weight but the more they eat the more milk they produce too..


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sounds like they are doing well.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)




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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)




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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

She already looks better!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes I thought so but didn't want to be over hopeful. They are loving the attention. I just clip each to the fence with their breakfast or dinner and milk them. All 3 love to lick and talk to me now when I am milking them and they are all enjoying the cuddles. Toggy likes routine and still a little standoffish. She doesn't understand the cuddle and pat part but is there ready each feeding at her spot. 
I believe the cross girl is in heat today. Very moody and chasing toggy a lot.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Togg x















Saanen (old girl)








Toggy

Their coats are getting softer and are kind of gaining weight..


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They really do look great! They are coming along nicely.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

They look awesome! Great job


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Good job, they look great


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

How much would you say is too much for grain? I want to give them as much as possible but not over do it. I am only used to minis so don't want to feed too little either :/


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

How much are you feeding now? Most people feed by the pound. I don't weigh my feed. I have full size dairy goats. I feed 8 cups of feed per milking. I do basically free feed alfalfa pellets.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

They get 12 cups a day total of grain plus a few cups each feed of alfalfa chaff (maybe 3-4 per feed) split over 3 feeds a day. So I could go up to 16 cups a day? Or more? 
I have gotten them down to just morning milking. 
Saanen I'm trying to fully dry off. I have been taking about 1/2 of what she has. She will easily give 2L if I milk her out so been taking 1L for the last few days and about 100-200ml at night as she gets so full if not milked out in the morning
Togg makes 1.5L in a milking 
Cross makes 1.8-2L in a milking


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Since you are trying to dry off, I wouldn't increase the feed anymore.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

We had to have the toggie girl put down last night  she started thrashing around then would pass and she would stand up get wobbly and start again  we are getting an autopsy done on her. The vet said they should get it done today 
They are all still in quarantine and the other 2 girls are going amazing. The one with horns has really improved in condition and coat, the old girl (nana) has gained weight well but not as much as the horned girl. Her coat is coming really good though


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I'm sorry the Togg didn't make it. You sure gave her the best life she had ever had.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm sorry you lost her.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes it's upsetting loosing her but I'm just glad she had her last few weeks somewhere she wasn't just a number and she was loved and pampered. And when she went she wasn't alone in a slaughter house scared and suffering


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

Awe so sorry. Glad she knew love and comfort at the end


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Awe, sorry you lost her


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I'm so sorry


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

So for an update on our 2 girls. Just took these photos whilst they were enjoying breakfast. 



























This is Barbra. She is the boss and is really picky about who she likes and can catch/ pat her. So far she seems to love me, wants cuddles pats love and attention but not my partner. He even tried to feed her for 3 weeks to get her to like him but she doesn't at all.. she hates all strangers and so far only likes one other person other than me. She is about 4/ 5 years old.





























This is nana, the old girl. About 8-10?? Years old. She loves everyone loves giving kisses and loves snuggling up for cuddles. She has one cloudy eye that she can't see through, the vet said it was too far gone before we got her to really save. The other eye has come good. Both eyes still weep a little if she isn't wearing her fly mask. We have just ordered her one that is being made to measure. She is a sweet old girl that just loves everyone. Every time she sees us she will call out and chat. When we sit with her she will chatter quietly right near your ear whilst she is resting her head on your shoulder. She feels in good condition but is always just a little hollow at the top. I think it may be from age and years of kidding.

Currently both are empty and Barbra is pretty much completely dry, nana is a little fuller but doesn't need milking. Never fills any more just takes her longer to dry right off. They have free choice loose minerals, free choice grassy lucerne hay, free choice pea hay and then about 2-3 cups of grain mix twice a day. They get molasses water 2-3 times a week. Nana loves molasses water! They also have plain water, acv water and moliphos (spelling?) water available at all times. I'm not sure if we will ever breed them. We were think about joining them to a mini Buck but still not sure. I think nana will be retired permanently thought just to relax.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Amazing how far they have come. They look great.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

They look incredible!! You have done an amazing job!!! :-D


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## Clehmanktm57319 (Aug 6, 2016)

Was also going to comment about the feet trimming. The goats not the human lol


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Thanks been a long road but so worth it for these two beautiful girls!


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Clehmanktm57319 said:


> Was also going to comment about the feet trimming. The goats not the human lol


Sorry not sure what you mean? Have confused me a bit haha


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Wow, they've come a long way. You've done an awesome job with them


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

Thank you  they are such sweet gentle girls. I have never been able to decide what dairy breed I wanted and always thought either togg or BA. I think now I will always need a saanen.


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