Any ideas how to put weight on a buckling

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judy mayes

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Any idea of how to put weight on a five month old goat that is a dairy boer cross.
Judy
 
You can try giving him a feed made for meat goats BUT....
While dairy bucks are taller than Boer bucks they don't carry weight like a Boer does. Dairy bucks always look skinny next to a Boer buck. He may never fill out like a Boer will.
 
@judy mayes Is he de-wormed? How does his Famacha look? (Eyelid color?) If nice and red then not wormy. Some use beet pulp to help goats gain weight. As always build up amounts slowly. Do not shock his rumen by loading him down all at once. My Nigerian Dwarfs (milk goats) can look fat as all get-out. I have one that always looks pregnant.
 
Famacha:
famacha.jpg


famacha2.jpg
 
Your right JAC, I forgot about the little ones. They do get round.

What is your buck Judy? Boer crossed with what?
 
@judy mayes Is he de-wormed? How does his Famacha look? (Eyelid color?) If nice and red then not wormy. Some use beet pulp to help goats gain weight. As always build up amounts slowly. Do not shock his rumen by loading him down all at once. My Nigerian Dwarfs (milk goats) can look fat as all get-out. I have one that always looks pregnant.
I checked he is very pink red in the membranes of his eyes
 
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I give my goats a tortilla as a treat..they are fattening and love them. Ive never had issues with them getting them sick. my horse even like one along with the goats. There is a 4 in one goat ration I get for my goats too when the weather is cold. They love it..I have boer Nubian crosses and my buck is a Nubian. My female is boer with a tad of Spanish breed.
When regular bread goes on sale for .50 cents a loaf I buy it up and it makes a good goat treat. Of course the horse likes it too now. You could always try a broad spectrum wormer and then slowly introduce some high calorie treats. Ive been doing it like this starting in late fall to make sure everyone has some insulation for winter..
 
Be careful with bread it can cause a goat to bloat. I lost a goat once that bloated from too much alfalfa pellets. Chafhay is supposed to be good as well at helping them put on weight. If the goats FAMACHA is red no need to use any wormer. Only de-worm when the famacha shows a need. De-worming on a schedule will lead to immunity to a de-wormer.
 
@judy mayes you can also slowly change his diet to a show goat feed. It always fattened up my Boers. Never make any sudden changes to a goats diet. Make changes slowly so their rumen can adjust to the change a bit at a time.
 
If I want my goats to put weight on I feed them oats.
 

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