Kids
Kids must be provided with colostrum soon after birth. If kids are removed from the doe after consuming colostrum, they can be fed milk replacer from a bottle, bucket, or pan. Suggested guidelines for feeding kids include:

• Feed milk or milk replacer at room temperature.

• Use a lamb milk replacer rather than calf milk replacer.

• Gradually increase amount of milk offered. Feeding too much milk will cause scours.

• Feed on a regular schedule

• Offer succulent forage (such as vegetable leaves or green grass) during first week of age.

• At one-two weeks of age, provide small quantity of good-quality hay.

• At two to three weeks of age, gradually introduce high-quality starter.

• Wean when the kid is eating forage, drinking water, and consuming at least 0.5 lb of starter feed.

• ·Wean by gradually reducing the amount of milk/milk replacer fed. Kids can be weaned as early as two months of age provided they are satisfactorily consuming starter feed, forage, and water.

• Replacement does and bucks should be separated at weaning.

• Always provide an unlimited supply of clean, fresh water.

Growing Goats
Growth rate of young goats varies by breed and feeding regime. Under average commercial conditions, growing meat goats typically gain 0.4-0.5 lb per head daily. Meat goats should be slowly adapted to high-grain diets. Non-protein nitrogen can be used in the diet of finishing goats, but the amount should not exceed 2.5% crude protein equivalent.

Yearlings
If forage supply is of good-quality, supplemental concentrate feeding may not be needed; however, it will increase growth rate, reduce age at first breeding, and increase overall lifetime performance. Goat Power or Fast Forward free-choice minerals should be available to yearlings at all times.

Does
The non-pregnant, non-lactating doe has low nutritional requirements. The dry doe in good condition can be maintained on good-quality pasture (or hay) with mineral-vitamin supplementation. Flushing, increasing the amount of energy fed 30 days prior to and 30 days after breeding, has been shown to increase ovulation rate in yearling does and does in poorer body condition. Nutrient requirements increase as pregnancy progresses. During the last six weeks of pregnancy, the amount of Goat Power concentrate-grain mix or complete feed should be increased. Replacement does will need additional feed because their bodies are still maturing.

Lactation places a great deal of stress on does, especially those nursing twins and dairy goats used for commercial milk production. Goat Power concentrate-grain mix or complete feed should be gradually increased to promote milk production and maintain body condition. A high-producing goat will produce three to four quarts of milk daily and require up to eight lb of complete feed daily. A rule-of-thumb is to feed one lb of complete feed for each three lb of milk produced (one gallon of milk equals 8.6 lb of milk).

Billies
Non-breeding billies can be maintained on good-quality forage (or hay) along with a Goat Power or Fast Forward free-choice mineral supplement. During the breeding season, increase the amount of complete feed fed to maintain body condition.

Tables 1 and 2 lists feeding rates for concentrate feeds (grain-based) for varying production stages.

Table 1  Suggested Feeding Rates for MEAT Goats
Stage	% Protein	Amount Daily (per head)*
Pre-weaning/Creep feed	18%	0.25-0.33 lb
Weanlings	16%	0.5-0.75 lb
Growing/Finishing	14%	1 lb
Flushing (1 month prior to through 1 month after breeding)	14-16%	1-3 lb
Gestation (2nd-3rd month)	14-16%	0.5-1 lb
Gestation (last 6 weeks)	14-16%	0.75-2 lb
Lactation (avg., single kid)	14-16%	0.75-1.25 lb
Lactation (heavy, twins)	14-16%	2 lb
Replacement does	16%	0.5-1 lb
Billies (adult, non-breeding)	14%	<0.5 lb
Provide free-choice access to forage and ensure goats have unlimited supply of clean, fresh water. Provide free-choice mineral supplementation. *Feeding rate may vary for medicated feed products. Refer to product feeding directions.

 

Table 2  Suggested Feeding Rates for DAIRY Goats
Stage	% Protein	Amount Daily (per head)
Pre-weaning/starter feed (2 to 4 months)	18%	Free-choice
Growing goats (4 months to 6-8 weeks prior to kidding)	14-16%	1-1.5 lb
Dry does (6-8 weeks prior to kidding)	14-16%	1-2 lb
Lactating does	14-16%	1 lb for each 3 lb of milk produced
Billies (adult, working)	14-16%	1-2 lb
Provide free-choice access to forage and ensure goats have unlimited supply of clean, fresh water. Provide free-choice mineral supplementation.

 

To obtain more information on ADM Alliance Nutrition™ Goat Power products,  call us at 866-666-7626.

Ensure goats have access to clean, fresh water and forage at all times. Goat Power Mineral should be offered free-choice at all times. Goat Power products contain copper. Do not feed to sheep or other copper sensitive species. Angora and Pygmy goats have been reported to be sensitive to copper supplementation.

No representation of profitability is hereby made. The statements and figures contained herein are estimates and projections. Neither ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc., nor its employees, agents, or assigns make any warranty of any kind, including warranty of merchantability or results, relative to the information contained herein. Actual results will be affected by the ability of animals to gain or produce milk or produce fiber (mohair, cashmere), health of animals, management, previous treatment, environment, etc.