# What to feed pregnant Boer goat



## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

Alright ladies, I purchased this yearling female boer in January. She came with the possibility of being pregnant. Shes very skittish still so I dont get to check her often only if I can get her on the stand. I was able to feel what I thought was a baby moving last month so possibility is very high that she was bred before she came. That being said she is due next month. If she isnt due next month then she is due July or August (that's when my buck went in with her. She has developed a small udder that I just noticed. My question is what do I need to feed her? I know her being a Boer she should have been on meat goat feed but she has only been on grass and hay since I have had her with the occasion treat. Help!!!


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## SandyNubians (Feb 18, 2017)

I know a lot of people don't feed anything. As long as she is in good condition she will probably be fine. If you want to you could add some grain or sweet feed. Maybe a 2-4 cups a day. Just be careful, you don't want to feed her too much. It's good to add a little grain in the end of pregnancy to avoid PT, but too much can be just as bad. Depends mostly on her condition. If she has a good BCS she should be alright, if she is on the lower side or underweight I would definitely add some grain. What kind of hay are you giving her? I would be giving her alfalfa, or alfalfa pellets. If she just now started her udder I would lean towards a July due date. My FF start to develop their udder around 8 weeks before they are due. Not all does do this so of course, you should still watch her on her first due date, some does can fill up right before they kid.


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## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

Well I thought she felt like it was starting to develop one last month when I felt her but figured maybe with her being a bigger girl that she would have a little udder. So I didnt think much of it, but thought I had felt a baby move so was unsure. They get brome but I feed BOSS and since our store quit selling the big bags we moved to shredded beets. Heard they all have calcium in them so maybe I will just give her some shredded beets on the stand. Trying to get her use to the stand because her babies will be bottle fed. She has 2 nipples on each nipple (will take a photo later maybe) so she will not be able to feed her babies. We are going to attempt milk her but unsure how well that will work out.


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## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

After reading on the beet pulp again I think I will just get some boss or alfalfa lol, guess it helps them keep weight more than the milk production.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

My two cents? Alfalfa is a pretty good feed to feed. Even pretty crap alfalfa is good in calcium (which will help with milk) protein (which to a point you still need protein for growing fetus just not to be gone over board on) and energy (which will help with PT) by late gestation and all threw out nursing I am feeding free choice alfalfa. I’m pretty sold on it. Now I do put protein tubs out there for the girls. What I like about protein tubs and why I cut grain out and went with them, is they really only eat it when they need it. Not all alfalfa is the same. So when I get a cruddy load of hay they will attack the tubs and when it’s good alfalfa they back way off of it. I don’t have to worry about half grown kids coming out of my does or little dinky kids like I did with grain because there just seems to be such a fine line between too much grain and not enough. Maybe I’m just grain brain dead I don’t know. But this works for me. I think this is my 4th year doing this and I’m very pleased with it. 
About the BOSS just in case you didn’t know, a little goes a LONG ways so just a small amount.


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## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

Yea they only got one of those small kids cup of BOSS so maybe a cup a day. We dont give alfalfa because our hay crops were bad in the area last year and we havent been able to find much hay or alfalfa. Hopefully this year we dont end up in a drought, although it's been very rainy already this year, so hopefully it hasn't washed the crops out either. Over the winter I gave shredded hay which they did ok with but still not free choice. The have loose minerals and get sweet feed and beet pulp, and corn because they are dairy breed and that's what they do really good with, but our Boer on the other hand I'm new with, I will try some chopped alfalfa when I put her on the stand in Hope's that it keeps her occupied enough to get the job done. I may also try the tubs. I will look into it.


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## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

We have also always have had great birth weight on our kids, and havent dealt with any deficiencies, only in our new goats.


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## Firsttimegoatmom2018 (Feb 8, 2018)

Both nipples are like that nipple. They each have a nipple to the side.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

All good advice. Plenty of resourceful information here.

Alfalfa pellets are much easier to source than hay, and your goat may be more interested in them as opposed to the hay or chopped hay. Chaffhaye, however, is usually made from alfalfa, and has great probiotics in it.

Just something to mention


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Many many Boer goats have four teats. They can nurse their kids just fine. You don't have to bottle feed her kids if that was your only reason. When she kids, check to see if all four teats are functional or if those front ones are duds. She looks like all four will be functional. However, her rear teats are quite bulbous and newborns may not be able to latch on them easily. Just help the kids in the first hour and make sure the flow is good in all four.

Be sure she gets selenium supplements leading up to birth and it looks like she could use copper supplementation as well.

I agree, adding alfalfa to her diet would be a great choice! How does her spine feel when you run your hand over it? She may need so additional weight gain.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree.


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