# hay/grain



## thorneridge (May 10, 2013)

I have boer nannies. I just bought a kiko/savanna buck to bred them. What is the best hay to feed them. Also what is the best grain. I am feeding Purina goat noble grower now but its expensive


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## SunnydaleBoers (Jul 28, 2012)

Early on in their pregnancy they can get by with a minimal amount of grain, and a good quality grass hay. In those last couple of months of pregnancy you'll need to gradually up the grain- they'll be eating roughly 2 pounds per day by the time they kid. Once the does kid we'll start to offer 1-2 flakes of a good alfalfa hay too, in addition to the grass. They have free choice mineral and access to pasture throughout their pregnancy.

Langston University (in Oklahoma) has lots of good nutrition information on their website, and Jack Mauldin does a nice job of simplifying goat nutrition on his website as well. 

We do put up our own grain and essentially make our own ration- we aim for an 18% protein mix. The noble goat is expensive, but I think you'll see much better results than if you buy Allstock, or whatever the store brand, cheapy sweet feed is. We've also had good luck with Kent and ADM goat feeds as well, but they're pretty comparable in price. 

Good nutrition is the easiest way to avoid most major health issues, (and get strong, healthy kids on the ground). Unfortunately the Boer breed seems to need more pampering than some, and we've really noticed when we've tried to cut corners. 

We have had good luck buying a bulk 16% pellet through our local feed store- Cargill makes this particular one and we've been very pleased with the quality of it. We're able to buy it in totes (think really, really big plastic sacks) and it typically runs $150-200/ton. If you have the ability to handle that quantity of grain (or a neighbor with a loader tractor) I'd encourage you to see if anyone if your area offers that option. You could also look into buying a pallet of bagged feed- you'll generally get a discount that way as well. The pallet takes up less room than you think (and you'll go through it way quicker than you ever thought possible) and as long as you have the bags in a shady, dry area they seem to keep just fine.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

thorneridge said:


> I have boer nannies. I just bought a kiko/savanna buck to bred them. What is the best hay to feed them. Also what is the best grain. I am feeding Purina goat noble grower now but its expensive


If you can find a good quality grass/alfalfa hay you won't need grain. My does are Kiko crosses and they do very well on just grass/alfalfa hay regardless of whether they are open, bred, or lactating.


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