# Adding weight to boer does



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

My kids does really do need to add on weight. They lost a lot around the hip and back bone area after being weaned.
They are getting grain pretty much anytime they want, since graining 2-3x a day only doesn't work great with them, but leaving it so they can get what they want through the day has been good so far, they don't typically like to eat a lot at one time.

I have just been having the kids give them show chow xclamation, with BOSS, and the middle of the day and last feeding of the day we add in some of the medicated sweet feed.

For does I am just not sure where to start with adding weight. I know they may not be big beefy girls, but I know they can gain some weight and look a bit more 'meaty.'

We haven't been offering alfalfa hay lately because we ran out and hadn't bought more. Should I buy alfalfa, and add beet pulp into their diet <I have some just haven't been consistent in adding it in>. Or try calf manna? We've used it a while back, and mixed in into everyone's feed, but it's been a while since we've used it.

Biggest thing is not only getting some more meat around the hips and back, but also keeping them from looking sunken in. They looked okay when we left, but as the day progressed they looked sunken in.
Is the hour or so before their breed show the time to be giving them alfalfa? I noticed another breeder pu hay out for their goats an hour to an hour and a half before they showed.

I have to keep it inexpensive, so that's why it's confusing...just not sure which way we need to be going with them to get the look we want.

The kids have a little over a month before their county specific 4-H/FFA show where projects are picked for State Fair, and if my kids get a chance to go to state, I'd love for the girls to put the weight on and look better...they have 2 months until state fair.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

Play toys in their pen may help with the back muscles, elevating their feeder so they have to stand on blocks to reach their feed may also help strengthen back muscles. We found our goats ate better when not confined to a pen all day and had a little room to stretch their legs. 

We also found that goats eat better when the feed is just left out and not limited to just the 2 or 3 feedings, This seems to be a big difference between sheep and goats, The sheep can easily be tied to eat their individual portions and they scarf up their feed, the goats not so much. 

You would want to be shooting for atleast 3% body weight, probably closer to 4% of 17% feed and some walking and exercising to turn the calories into muscle. 

Limit grass and grass hay so they don't fill up on that and eat less of their show feed. 

I am a little confussed about the top-dressing of the medicated sweet feed. Doesn't xclamation have a medication in it for show goats? Also,not so sure I would add the sun-flower seeds to it. They are very high in fat and you are increasing the amount of fat they are consuming and drecreasing the amount of protein. You would want to increase the amount of protien to add muscle. Perhaps by adding a protein top-dress or some vanila Ensure to the ration.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks so much  We do have their feeder where they have to stand on their back legs to eat, and they have a large pen during the day. THe only time they are confined is at night in their stall or if it's raining then they are in the stall. 
They aren't crazy about pelleted feed, so during the day when we add in sweet feed they eat it up much better. I add BOSS mostly for the smaller girls, but we put some BOSS in everyone's feed. BTW, another breeder mentioned adding in some sweet feed as their goats aren't big on the pelleted feed either, but when they add in the sweet feed their goats clean up through the day much better. 

They don't graze much these days since we started creep feeding. Would getting some good alfalfa hay and offering them a little each evening when they are in their stall be a good idea? I'll have to see if the feed store has anything we can add as a top dress. Never thought about adding ensure!


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

If you are adding just a little top dressing of sweet feed to a pelleted feed, its very likely that they will pick through the rest to find the 'sweet stuff'.
You can give them Calf Manna, I love the stuff, it has really bulked up a skinny horse we've had. Also helps with pot bellies!
I would not stop the BOSS. Yes, it may be a little fatty, but they need that fat to be shiny, and it also has protein in it as well.
What is the protein level in the xclamation? We feed our goats (when we raised boers,and also now with the Nigies) a 16% mare and foal horse feed, with the black oil sunflower seeds, calfmanna, and minerals etc.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

The xclamation is 16% Sweet feed is 15%. So far they've done good with finishing up the feed. First feeding of the day is the pelleted xclamation about 5 cups, then about this time of day we give a couple of cups of pelleted feed with BOSS & a couple of cups of sweet feed. Kids check again in a couple of hours to see if they cleaned it up, if so, they put out another cup and a half or so of each grain. Evening feeding isn't until about 8pm, we feed the latest we can in the day especially when it's hot. We give about 5-6 cups with BOSS in the evening to get them through the night. 

BTW, I don't know the exact measurement of the cup, we use one of those plastic Christmas cups, you know the cheap ones that Walmart sells in a 4 pack? I need to find out. We haven't measured grain in weight, but I'm going to try to take the scale out later if it doesn't rain/storm. 

I'm going to see about picking up calf manna today or tomorrow, seems to be the best choice. 

Would giving them a couple of handfuls of alfalfa a day be good. I don't want the hay belly, but also the problem we're having is they start looking sunk in when we are at the show, despite eating their grain and if they don't drink water we drench them. Would giving them some hay at the show help with that?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

They DO need hay. If they arent used to alflafa you going to only give them small amounts mixed in with grass hay & build up the amount over a few weeks or they will get mild runs as alfalfa is considered "hot".
By small amounts like maybe a flake to begin with depending on how many you are feeding.
I wouldnt take out the BOSS either. Protein content on your grain should be 17%.
If no one is gaining you might want to look into possible parasite loads. :wink:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks Nancy! I forgot to mention we are feeding 4 does together. The oldest is Jan 5th she weighs around 65lbs or so, the other 3 were born Feb 23/24 and are all right about 45lbs, but one went off the feed during feed change and scoured so she's lost a lot of weight when I had to stop graining her - yep I did a gradual change but it didn't sit right with her. Now she has no problems eating it.

They are used to alfalfa but we don't give it much, just here and there, and it was the real good horse quality alfalfa. 
I'm going to pick up a bale of alfalfa/orchid grass from the feed store. THese people are super nice and honest, and she said they just got in some really great hay in their last shipment.
She also told me her husband helps set up feeding plans for sheep/goat raisers especially for 4-H in the surrounding counties, and he used to show when he was a kid, and knows a lot about it, so she told me to talk to him when we come in this afternoon.

BTW, they have something called Animax not Calf Manna, she said it's better than Calf Manna so they started selling it instead.

They were recently wormed, and I'm going to worm them again this evening. I used Equimax, but planning to switch to Cydectin soon. I may have a fecal ran to rule it out but the lab isn't knowledgable on goat parasites, but hopefully if there is anything there they can identify it.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Well everyone approved of the animax as I am giving it to all of my goats since my does can use some extra protein as well, and I can buy this stuff by the pound so it's so much more affordable for a poor person like me....LOL 

I gave the girls <and my nursing doe/kids> some alfalfa/orchid mix and they went crazy, sure made me feel good to see them so happy with it  
I do need to find a local place to get some bales though as this is good stuff but it's $8.00 a bale....


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

$8 a bale!!?? Girl that's great! It's twice that up here!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Really? OMG that's awful! My husband was complaining because I paid that much for one bale LOL 
I'm going to call someone that has some really nice looking alfalfa for $5 a bale, but I dont' know if I can pick up anymore until next week.


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## BreezyMeadows (Jun 13, 2011)

I had two skinny does and I gave them a mix of sunflower seeds and oats. Seeds in general have natural copper in them and sunflower seeds are a great source for that, my goats turned around in a week, and their coats are nice and shiny now =)


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