# question on putting weight on a wether



## jcarr492

We have a small wether that is an alternate. Our other wethers are weighing in at 70, 72, 64, and 32lbs. As of today, we are 104 days out from the day of them have to weigh in and qualify to show at the fair. Weight limits are 70-135lbs. The wether that weighs 72...has a bit of a sway back we've noticed. The small wether, 32lbs, is a nice looking goat. Hes got a real level back, and I think once he gets more weight on..he'd be a really nice looking goat to show. And if we can get his weight up and put some muscle on him...I think one of the kids would rather show him than the one with the sway back. My question is, is it gonna be possible to get him up to 70lbs at least to qualify..or preferable a little heavier than that so we can really exercise him? Currently the wethers are fed Purina show goat Impulse pellets and they get a small handful of hay about 3 times a week. Is there anything we should try adding to his feedings to help get him gaining? When we got him in May(about the second week) he weighed 23lbs. So its taken this long to get him to 32lbs feeding only the grain.


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## odieclark

following!

Good luck!

:stars:


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## Suzanne_Tyler

I think it'd be really hard to get him to that weight that fast, but I don't have any experience with boers. Good luck!


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## goatblessings

I also think it would be really hard to get that much weight on. I did have one dairy wether that gained 46lbs in 10 weeks. Make sure he is wormed with no cocci problems, good loose minerals. I added alfalfa pellets, beet pulp shreds and calf manna to a show goat feed - but not in huge quantities....


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## odieclark

Seems like goats grow slow


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## jcarr492

This has to be the slowest boer wether we've ever had.  it's almost ridiculous how slow he is gaining. But he is shorter legged too than the other three.


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## jcarr492

Someone on my fb group page suggested to give him Dyne liquid supplement. Ordered some from Amazon so gonna give it a try.


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## goatblessings

Forgot to ask....is he fed separately from the others? Best to feed him all by himself. Dyne is good, but it's not something that is automatically going to get him to the type of weight gain that you are looking for.


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## crazygoatlady_inthemaking

My wether I have now was gaining about 3-5 lbs every two weeks so I think you can make it. Feed him separate from the others and make sure he has full feed all day every day and also full choice of hay. You can also add a supplement like champion drive from the prurina feed line over his feed. Feed as directed on the bucket for pushing weight which is like a lb a day or something like that. Make sure you clean his water every day so it's fresh and cool every day. Water is the best thing for helping him gain weight so he can stay hydrated especially with the summer heat. Also give him a little b12 like 15-30 mL ever morning before feeding to help with his appetite. It depends on the goat as well. I have a wether who converts feed very well so I had no problem getting him to 80 lbs in 4 1/2 months. Try these tips and let me know how it helps. Definitely exercise every day regularly to help build the muscle and even raise his feed bowl up a little higher than normal and have a block for him to stand on the reach his feed. Sprinting and dragging weights are the best exercises.


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## crazygoatlady_inthemaking

Also there are drenches like dyne or egg drenches you can pour over his feed that contain a lot of protein and fat that can help him gain.


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## jcarr492

Okay...so this is where we are at with him:

Dewormed him on Saturday with Cydectin.
Adding MannaPro Optizyme to his feed daily.
Drenching him with Purina High Octane Heavy Weight daily(to help put on weight)
Decided not to do the "Dyne" at all..so sending it back.
He is fed a pound of Purina show chow twice a day in his own feed stall.

My question is..if I'm to allow him to eat his feed all day...how do I do that? We have 4 feeding stalls and one big gate that closes them all in during feeding times. I can't leave feed in his stall and leave the gate open because the other three goats will just go and eat his feed and he won't get any of it during the day unless they leave something. I don't have a separate pen for him either. So this is a problem if I'm to allow him to free feed all day.


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## Suzanne_Tyler

Maybe just let him eat until he stops eating at feedings, giving him as much as he wants, and then let him out when he is done?


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## crazygoatlady_inthemaking

Maybe leave him in his stall all day? Our goats stay in separate small pens/stalls with fans on them all day until we exercise them or if I let them run around outside at the end of the day. We sometimes work them twice a day so they get extra play time.


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## jcarr492

I don't think I can leave him all day in the feed stall...they are only 24" wide and 4ft long. I think the sun would cook him as it passes over head during the day even with a fan on as their in the open at the front of the pen.


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## jcarr492

I was going to use Dyne, but decided not to use it, at least not at this time. I'm going to add Di-Methox to the water for a week as this small goat was apparently ill when we picked him in May...or not fully recovered. I'm thinking he may have been treated for Coccidia before we picked him up, and worms. He was just so fricken small. Like 23lbs and was born at the end of Feb. And scrawny. His lids were pink but she said he had been wormed. Then here we are 7 weeks later and the hair on his back end was ruffled, tail down, only gained 9lbs in 7weeks, still pretty scrawny. Eyelids pale. He wasn't off feed or water and no diarreah. But would eat then go lay in the shed by himself and not play really. So wormed him with Cydectin and my sis in law wants me to worm him again 14 days after the first dose. Is that right? A friend of mine who raise sheep and goats said I should follow up with Valbazen instead. And he wants me to add Di-Methox to the water because he sounds like he has just had it rough from the get go and may have been fighting coccidia before we got him. Also, he went through respiratory stuff when we got him home with all the rain we've had for weeks and then heat. He never ran a temp though. But I did treat him with pen G and B vitamins, probios, and VetRx. He got over that pretty well. I've seen a difference in him already with the Cydectin dose on Saturday. I'm going to worm the other three today. Couldn't do it on Saturday with him because he was light enough for me to pick up and weigh on my home scale. The other three are not light enough for me to pick up so I ordered a scale and its arriving via UPS today so I can get weights on them so I know the correct dosing. 

So...should I follow up in 14 days with another dose of Cydectin or Valbazen..and is it 14 days after first dose...or 11? I have read differing things. Drenching him with the Heavy Weight has been going really great and he loves it. Its cheesecake in a bucket basically. Even smells like it to me especially after I mix it with water to drench him. Only drenching him with 2oz of the powder to 1oz of water once a day for now.


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## LeapofFaith

My local feed store had a Purina respresentative come do a market animal nutrition meeting last night. He said if you need an animal to eat a lot, hand feed them for like 10 minutes each time. He said it was "teaching them to eat". They will learn in a few days that they need to eat when food is available and that can actually make them eat more then if they graze all day. However, I am new to livestock so I am not sure if this will help you. Just thought I would mention ir


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## catharina

If he has pale eyelids, he's anemic & you need to give him extra iron right away. He'll gain weight better if he's really healthy. People here like a horse product called Red Cell, but you can get started with a human iron supplement or whatever you have on hand. Some brands of molasses have a bit of iron & mixing a little in their food makes them want to eat more too. Sounds like maybe the little guy got sort of a rough start in life before you got him.


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## jcarr492

Yes, rough start definately. I'm still holding out hope for him! He has such a level back! He'll be just beautiful once he's got weight on and can start building muscle I believe. If he doesn't make it in time for our fair...he'll definately be worth it to someone else with a later show coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to sell him if we can't use him.


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## jcarr492

Okay...took a fecal sample to our vet on my lunch break. Barber Pole!!! Said he was infested with them and most likely was sick with them when we got him from the breeder. Said he recommended to treat him with Prohibit. Where do I find that and whats the dosage per pound and how often or how long?


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## Suzanne_Tyler

Never heard of that. I'd use Cydectin.


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## jcarr492

small wether seems to be doing amazing. He is up to 44.6lbs!


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## ksalvagno

Glad he is gaining weight for you.


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## TDG-Farms

If it where me, Id give him a dairy quality alfalfa, cut his grain back to maybe a pound a day. I would do this cause the natural fiber in the alfalfa will slow down digestion. Although the fiber content might read the same in grain, goat stomachs are designed for grasses, legumes and brows. I understand its a market class animal, so him eating nothing but grain isnt an issue as he will be butchered. Id also worm him.


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