# How to get weight on a pregnant doe?



## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Ok so I have a 11 month old doe that I hope I am just worrying too much over. She currently weight tapes at 101 lbs. This is her story when I took her to be bred she weighed 101 lbs at 8 months old long story short she wasn't fed the best in the world while she was gone she was given one bucket and was expected to fight off my bigger and more dominet doe PLUS the buck! So when she came back home 23 days later that's when the breeder told me how she was being fed (I checked on her very often but was always told they was doing great) and that she had finally started eating! So when she came home she weighed 78 lbs!!! I have finally for her up to 101lbs but she still needs more weight! She gets fed 1 lbs grain and BOSS twice a day which she rarely finishes with free choice Bermuda hay and free choice alfalfa pellets. She is currently 90 days bred. What can I do to make her safely gain weight. Thank you.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

How are you determining she needs to weigh more? By condition score or by her age? If she has a proper condition score, I could not push her to gain more rapidly. They do slow down near a year and grow to their final size by about three years.

Here is information about condition scoring (note that alot of herds tend to get too fat, which isn't much better than running too thin):
http://www.luresext.edu/goats/research/bcshowto.html


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Ok so she isn't thin like she is starving. And I meant according to her age she should weigh more! I have an almost 14 month old doe that gets fed the same way and she weight tapes at 160. She is also bred and is not very dairy at all! She is more like a boer than a nubian. 

Ok I would say according to that video she would score very low on the body conditioning chart barely has any fat all on her. I don't want to make her fat I just want her to have a healthy pregnancy. And I want to fell that she is healthy.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

You might get more bang for your buck with rice bran pellets instead of BOSS to up fat. With my breed I have trouble not getting mushy stool with them though. I have had alot of luck increasing weight with corn. Simple sugars like in corn help with weight gain. 1:3 cornats If you think she's not eating enough alfalfa pellets, you might restrict the Bermuda hay.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Does corn cause stomach ulcers in nubians? That is what I was told by one of the breeder I bought one of my does from. She said never feed her corn because it will kill her! Anyways just wondering?! 
As for the hay they barely eat any of it! I have had them a year and I have only went thru 2 bales of hay!! That's how little of it they eat!!


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I have never heard that. Sounds bizarre. I know you should not feed the corn they sell for deer cause of the aflatoxins. Feed corn has to pass inspection for that. That's good they eat the alfalfa pellets so well.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Well I just started giving the alfalfa free choice about a month ago. Because I was worried about how little hay they was eating. But in the past when the weather has been nasty and they can't get out to eat I would give them a bucket full of alfalfa pellets and they would eat what they wanted of it. 

I kinda thought the corn thing sounded absolutely crazy myself but didn't want any problems with my expensive goat so just took her word for it. I was used to only pay $75 for a goat off of CL. 
Ok so one more question this doe has started in the last week have discharge at first it was just alittle here and there but it is starting to be stringing out of her and she is very swollen is this normal? Seems to be fine other than that.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

When is she due?


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## Sans Gene Goats (May 15, 2011)

Crystal, I think you need to have the vet out to look at this doe. You didn't say where the discharge and swelling were, but assuming from her vulva, which no, this is would not be normal at 90 days bred. Depending on the amount of discharge and swelling, she could be in heat (either didn't take or already aborted) or is aborting now. With your girl being as thin as you describe, having difficulty putting on weight, and now discharging and swollen, it sounds like you are in need of a vet to help you get her diagnosed and treated. There's more going on here with what you describe than getting pushed off feed by other goats for a few weeks.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Yes it's is her vulva sorry about that. To be honest she has always been my problem goat she got acidosis three days after I brought her home due to my ignorance. And it has been down hill from there! Ok I will talk to my vet she isn't very reasonably priced but so far has proved to be a good goat vet. 
She is due March 12th. I had her tested thru BioTracking and she came back positive. I have just been wondering if I was being a worry wart?


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

It sounds like she may be aborting. The bulk of her diet should be forage - alfalfa, clover, grass, etc.. Grain should be a supplement. I feed grain once a day. The rest of the time they should be stuffing their faces with forage. It sounds like she's relying too heavily on grain and needs to be taught to eat forage. Alot of my goats gained weight last week. It was an article blast here, and I fed double the hay (mixed alfalfa, clover, grass) to the point of waste to help them stay warm. So they definitely can gain weight on forage. Being on a forage based diet will protect her from acidosis. The warning about ulcers from the breeder is odd - that might be something to discuss with the vet.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Ok wanted to do a quick update. We wasn't able to get the vet out but in the last 24 hrs she has stopped having discharge and the swelling has went way down. The lady I used to breed my goats told me that it isn't uncommon for them to have what she called silent heats which ment they would appear to be cycling but was bred. So that's what I am hoping this is. And yes they do rely on me feeding them too much! I have tried to back off their grain but they absolutely refuse to eat more hay. And they don't have anything to eat in their pen they have cleaned it up TOO nicely!


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Question...the woman who bred my does has told me to feed them as much grain as they will eat and she suggested a large horse scoop per doe at a time. Now I haven't done this as it doesn't sound like a very good idea. But was wondering what your thoughts was on this?


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I have had great success using soaked beet pulp and rice bran meal mixed with their grain and free choice hay to put weight on a goat (or horse).


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

If a goat is bred, she should not be having regular heats, silent or not. Silent heats are usually caused by a hormone issue.

Free choice grain????? I would never consider that for my goats. Too many issues could crop up from that- laminitis/founder, acidosis, fatty liver, kidding nightmares, bloat to name a few. Extreme overweight is more a killer than being underweight. A big scoop of grain like you described would be just as bad for them.

If that woman returned your doe as emaciated as you described, I'm not sure I would listen to her goat advice, especially judging from the few things you mentioned.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

It sounds to me like your goats need to eat more forage, not more grain.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Angie this is my thoughts exactly! I even tried at one point not feeding so much grain to see it they would eat more hay! It didn't work they just turned into crazy goats that acted like I was starving them! I have been wondering if I should give up? I have raised Pygmy's and Pygmy Nigerian crosses for years without any problem at all true it wasn't the best way but I never lost one goat!! I just fed them hay and every once in a while they got some grain. But they wasn't for milk.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Sully my doe isn't having normal heat cycles this is like every 3-6 days. So it is definitely not normal.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I would just keep the forage in front of them and keep grain where you are at. Over time they will develop the microbes in the rumen to digest and enjoy the forage more.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Is she cystic?


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## Cannon_farms (Nov 17, 2009)

Going out on a limb here but I believe she is referring to the kid she got from me. I will tape her sister today who is due in February. These lines are slower to mature (Kastdemurs X Copper Hill ) sometimes seems as though most of their growth is after they turn 1 at least this goats dams other kids seem to be that way. Crystal are you still trying to use burmuda or have you tried rye? 13 of my guys go through a round bale every two weeks that is in the 900 lb range so no, we dont worry about hay consumption and between the 13 they only get 6 scoops of feed that is alfalfa, rice and flax based. I told you that person had a lot of oddball ideas on goat husbandry that I didnt agree with but I wont tell some one they are wrong outright without proven cause. The Stock Market carries something I have been using called Nutrina HIgh Fiber its the beet pulp, rice bran and flax all in one, where is my beloved empower went to $54 a bag its only $17 and its high fat and high fiber. I am pulling blood on my herd today if you want to bring her over I will pull a sample for her for you so you dont have to pay the vet


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Not that I know of but she could be that would be a vet visit correct?


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## Cannon_farms (Nov 17, 2009)

Ok, sorry my post is on run end sentences I did make new paragraphs but it pushes the sentences all together after I hit submit, anyone know why?


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

Yes De this is Hope! I was hoping you would comment at some point! I tried eye hay from your hay guy back in the summer and it took 6 months to go thru 2 bales of hay I am now trying the Bermuda hay from the guy in jersey. I have pulled blood on her and sent it to biotracking and she came back pregnant. I wish I could bring her to you so you could evaluate her but DH truck isn't working right!


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## Cannon_farms (Nov 17, 2009)

text me pictures, her sister isnt that big either shes due on valentines day


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