# Hair problems and feeding yearling does



## WoodRock Farm (Feb 19, 2021)

So this is my 6th year showing boers and my 2nd year showing my own goats. I have three yearlings and they look good except they are not really filling out in their middle and In their flank. I’m not sure if I’m feeding them enough??? I was wondering around how many pounds of feed I should be giving them a day and if they should get hay or full grain?

Also what should I be doing daily or weekly for hair care? Thank you guys sooo much!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What do you feed? What supplements do you give?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

We need to know what you are feeding and how much?


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## WoodRock Farm (Feb 19, 2021)

toth boer goats said:


> We need to know what you are feeding and how much?


Right now they are getting are getting a 16% goat grower from the co-op which is what the other showmen in my area feed. They are getting 3 pounds of feed per doe a day and a quarter flake a hay. They are currently on no supplements, but we have been doing some research on some from show-rite.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Show rite is a good feed to put weight on, but be careful with it.
Adding some calfmanna may help.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do they get any loose minerals?


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Can you share pictures of your goats? It's hard to know how to help without seeing them. Is their weight good overall, just look a bit sunken in? If that is the case, maybe try adding some beet pulp or Purina Depth Charge? We have used both randomly over the years and that seemed to help. Also encouraging drinking - we've used Blue Light for goats or just goat electrolytes prior to a show to figure out what they really like and sometimes that can help. You can also order something called Keep N' On I believe as I've heard good things about it, in fact I plan on getting a few bottles to keep on hand this summer. We are switching our young goats to a show feed, and a feed rep I spoke with told me if we had any issues where they looked slightly sunken in to add beet pulp. So far they are looking okay, but we're just 2 weeks into it and still using some of their old feed until we get it used up. 

Also, do a fecal to ensure there are no parasites, I've noticed in the past that sometimes coccidia can cause that sunken look. Offering more hay especially if they are being shown as breeding does can help.

EDITED TO ADD:
As for the hair, again it depends on the goat. We usually start washing and give them their first clip a month before their first show unless weather permits us to work with them earlier - not too cool or cold. I've seen where some people say they rinse them with cool water daily or 3-5 times a week and blow them out, shampooing once a week with a good conditioning spray has worked for them. We were planning to go to a show in a few weeks, but I have an event I have to work so the chances of my daughter getting to go to the show is very slim so we haven't started doing anything with her goats yet other than mild lead training. Otherwise I think her first show will be sometime in June. 

If they have winter fluff, brush them daily with a good comb and/or brush. We like Scotch style combs, and hard bristle brushes.


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## WoodRock Farm (Feb 19, 2021)

HoosierShadow said:


> Can you share pictures of your goats? It's hard to know how to help without seeing them. Is their weight good overall, just look a bit sunken in? If that is the case, maybe try adding some beet pulp or Purina Depth Charge? We have used both randomly over the years and that seemed to help. Also encouraging drinking - we've used Blue Light for goats or just goat electrolytes prior to a show to figure out what they really like and sometimes that can help. You can also order something called Keep N' On I believe as I've heard good things about it, in fact I plan on getting a few bottles to keep on hand this summer. We are switching our young goats to a show feed, and a feed rep I spoke with told me if we had any issues where they looked slightly sunken in to add beet pulp. So far they are looking okay, but we're just 2 weeks into it and still using some of their old feed until we get it used up.
> 
> Also, do a fecal to ensure there are no parasites, I've noticed in the past that sometimes coccidia can cause that sunken look. Offering more hay especially if they are being shown as breeding does can help.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much this is really helpful! I’ll try and attach som pictures


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## WoodRock Farm (Feb 19, 2021)

This is the one that seems to have the biggest problem. She is the largest of my three and the biggest boned and bodied.


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## WoodRock Farm (Feb 19, 2021)

ksalvagno said:


> Do they get any loose minerals?


Yes. They get a loser goat mineral free choice.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

She is lovely! If you can get show feed that would be great, you can actually talk to the feed dealer or rep to determine which one to use. I want to say Fat & Sassy is a Show Rite feed maybe? If so I know that one is popular with Boer goat breeders who show. We are switching our young goats over to High Noon feed, otherwise I was going to look into ADM or see what Kalmbach has as I can get High Noon and Kalmbach delivered locally, not sure about ADM feeds. I don't know what state/area you are in but there is a really good show feed up in Indiana called Purple Vision and that is what a lot of the National type top breeders use. Meiss Feed I believe is out of Missouri and also very popular. So those are some you can check and you can usually go to their websites and look for local dealers. 

Those feeds are generally well rounded so you shouldn't have to do a lot extra, but Beet Pulp is always useful because when fed dry it swells in the bell to help fill them out. But if they still need some condition on them regardless of what you feed look into Amplify - it's a horse high fat supplement very similar to Power Fuel, but you get more Amplify for your $$. A little bit goes a long way, and it's great for adding condition and some coat shine.

Something else that can be good to add if wanting shiny coat or in some cases it just helps with the coat overall is adding a little bit of oil. Corn oil or Rice Bran Oil can add condition as well as shiny coat. Otherwise Healthy Goat Coat oil is great stuff. We've used all over the years, but prefer Healthy Goat Coat and McCauley's brand Rice Bran Oil.

So there are options


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice.


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