# What do you feed your growing kids???



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Ok, so right now I have around 10 young does 3-5 months. I would like to breed some of them in December, if they're big enough. What would you recommend feeding to keep them growing?? Minerals, pellets, etc.??? They are on premium alfalfa and show goat pellet formula. What do you think??? I haven't seen to much growth so kinda curious...Thanks for any input!


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## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

how are they on copper and selenium.. that could help them grow. 

you could give them some b12 to increase their appetite, might make them grow


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

We used to feed our goats pellets, and they never did that well on them. We have bought goats from farms that fed pellets, and farms that fed grain, the ones that were fed pellets don't have near the rumen development as the goats from the grain fed farms.

We give our kids a cup a piece twice a day of our mix(its on my website under articles, it has been changed, those changes are mentioned in the thread "Grass Fed Goats') They get free choice hay, usually alfalfa but sometimes lesser quality. Free choice graze, free choice minerals and baking soda, and they are bottlefed or dam raised until they are four months old.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

bump


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I got Angel at just 6 weeks last July after a scare with her dams owner and she took to my pygmy doe and would nurse if Tilly was on the stand, she also took a bottle from me and the same as with my 2 4 month old kids now, got all the browse and hay she wanted, a cup of 18% goat feed 2x a day and they are all doing well...my little doeling Heidi is very pygmy in build and my buckling Teddy is very nigi..long and lanky..they are at a great weight too..Heidi..17# and Teddy at 21# so what they are getting now with an added pint of milk they drink out of a pail...they are coming along very nicely. As long as you can make sure they each can get their share without having one get more than the other when it comes to the grain ration I'm sure they'll do fine. The kids I've raised to adults and still have seemed to "take a rest" in growth at 5-6 months old then all of a sudden got a spurt at 9-10 months old.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

We feed a grain mix with at least 14% protein. We blend dry and wet cob, alfalfa pellets, black oil sunflower seeds, kelp meal, and soybean meal. The goats love this grain and thrive on it. It also makes their milk taste SO delicious!! Our young does get at least one cup of grain. We adjust it if we notice a change in too much/too little weight gain. I have two young does that share 4 cups of grain each day, two in the morning and two at night. 

I have to weigh them again. I tried the tape measure in May and it said they were 33 lbs (they are 7 & 8 months old). I find that hard to believe so was going to weigh them on a scale. Does anyone else use weigh tape?

Oh, make sure they do not have cocci. Cocci is in every goat but young animals are not as immune to it as mature animals. Maybe a de-wormer too just to be on the safe side, Valbazen is good for those young ones and it is broad-spectrum. . . . we also use lots of herbal/natural products. Probiotic pastes, herbal tinctures, etc. They really do help a lot. 

Enjoy your goats!


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Oops. Forgot. . . they also have free-choice quality grass hay and some alfalfa, also high quality pasture/brush. 

It sounds like you have the right things going on so maybe just give them a little time?


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