# At what age do kids actually start eating and digesting hay and/or forage?



## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

At what age do goat kids actually start to consume and digest hay and/or forage? I see them at 2 weeks old nibbling on hay, but I'm not sure if they are actually swallowing anything and if their stomachs can digest it yet? I'm mainly interested in Nigerian Dwarfs if it makes a difference. 

thanks!


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

well if they are with their moms they start eating it early around 2 or 3 weeks old. always give them hay but not grain yet. give grain at 2 months along but in tiny amounts.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

They will start mouthing it as early as a week. Hay is always available, If with mom they will experiment with grain at a couple of weeks.
The rumen is fully developed at about 3 mos.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

It's a very slow transition from them drinking only milk to eating and relying on for nutrients solid food as well. Some kids will start eating earlier than others.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I have week old kids eating some of the little leafs that fall off the alfalfa hay, and they mouth at dirt and rocks and anything else they can fit in their mouths. lol

I don't see kids really really eating till a few weeks, and then not enough to sustain life for a couple to three months.


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## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

thanks for all the replies! This site is so helpful and I appreciate it so much! my main reason for asking is how soon can they at least get some nutrients from things like hay if they don't have quite as much milk from their mother as they would like. One of my doe's kids are 3 weeks old and I leave the kids with the mother all day, but separate the kids at night so I can milk their mother in the morning. She's my only doe in milk now, so I want at least a couple of cups from her each day, and I was concerned there might not be enough for her 2 kids, but I think they are doing OK, and they have been nibbling the hay since they were about 10 days old, so I hope they are old enough to get some calories from hay now if they don't have quite as much milk as they want.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh such cute babies! Remember, the more she is milked the more she will produce, provided you up her grain ration.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Just getting milk during the day works just fine for them. I've done it with all my kids.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I pull kids at night (unless they have triplets, then I don't). But one or two kids should get all they need from the mom during the day, with you milking in the morning, provided she has enough calories going in.


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## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

JK_Farms said:


> well if they are with their moms they start eating it early around 2 or 3 weeks old. always give them hay but not grain yet. give grain at 2 months along but in tiny amounts.


I've never heard to not give grain until 2 mints 
We creep feed outs at a month
Ours are eating a lot of grain by 2 months


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I start my kids on a little bit of grain and alfalfa hay at 2 weeks old. Some get into it right away, while others take longer.


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