Preparing for Goat Breeding Season

Body Condition and Supplement Considerations

Goats are ruminants, and forage fiber is the main component of their diet.  Ruminants digest fiber in their multi-chambered stomachs, producing volatile fatty acids for energy and rumen microbial protein to support growth and performance.  Total dietary intake is 2 to 4.5 pounds per day, depending on age and size.  Nutrient requirements are varied by growth and production requirements and are relatively high on a percentage basis due to the low intake.

The production cycle of goats is dictated by the breeding season, which begins when day length gets shorter in the early fall months.  Flushing is a short-term increase in the level of nutrition which increases conception rate and the number of twins. Trace mineral and vitamin status during this time is critical. If does are too thin or lack critical minerals and vitamins, reproductive performance will suffer. The gestation length of the doe is 5 months followed by a 3-to-4-month lactation. Typically, there is a 2-month dry period to allow does to restore body condition prior to birthing again. Nelson Tubs low moisture supplements are a convenient and effective tool for delivering supplemental nutrition at these critical times. Some dairy breeds can milk for longer periods, which will decrease the kids per year born. Does bred in September and October will deliver in March and April.  This timing matches well with the forage availability and forage quality.  Matching forage availability to the nutrient demand helps with managing body condition score (BCS).  Assigning a BCS requires handling the animal to better asses the fat level on the back and sternum.  The optimum times to observe BCS and make diet changes, if needed, are prior to breeding when does will respond to flushing and prior to kidding to decide if weight gain is needed.

Month

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Status

Preg

Preg

Preg

Kid

Milk

Milk

Milk

Dry

Dry

Bred

Preg

Preg

BCS

3.5

4

4

3.5

3.5

3

2.5

2

2.5

3

3

3.5

The ideal BCS may vary based on local conditions.  BCS used are to show the variation over the production cycle.

BCS 1.0 – Animal is very thin, animal is emaciated, and health risk are elevated.

BCS 2.0 – Animal is lean, no fat on the pelvis with some fat developing on the sternum.

BCS 2.5 – Ideal condition for breeding.

BCS 3.0 – Animal has moderate fat cover with a firm filled in sternum.

BCS 4.0 – Animal has excess cover, and the sternum is fill and hard to move.

BCS 5.0 – Animal is very fat with thick cover over the ribs and tail head.  Health and feed cost can be negatively impacted.

Goats are unique in their grazing behavior and preferences.  The folk tale that they will eat anything and everything is wrong.  Goats prefer to browse the higher layer of feedstuffs such as leaves of bushes, some weeds, young sprouts, and saplings.  They would rather be in the rough, rocky ground and brushy parts of the pasture.  Their least favorite place to graze is in the middle of an open pasture with only grass.  If in a pasture setting, goats will graze the fence line first.

These grazing habits make goats an excellent companion species to cattle, sheep, and horses which prefer grass in an open pasture.  Combining the species can increase the productivity of a parcel of land by supporting more pounds of sellable protein per acre.  The goats can also help maintain the desired balance of grassland to wooded or brush area.  This will help maintain a more diverse population of plants, insects, and wildlife.

There are times when goats need supplemental nutrition to aid in the digestion of mature, high fiber feedstuffs and during portions of the production cycle where reproduction efficiency and BCS can be improved.  The trace mineral and vitamin needed to support health and fertility are often missing from the feeds that goats browse.  Low moisture cooked molasses supplements are a highly effective tool for improving fiber digestion by providing sugars and protein for optimal rumen fiber digestion.

Nelson Tubs 22% Goat Tub is for mature and growing goats.  It is available in a convenient 20 lb. pail, 50 lb. tub and 200 lb. tub.  Tubs can easily be placed where the goats congregate.  Free choice salt should be offered.  Intake will range from 2 to 4 ounces per head, per day.  IT IS ALL ABOUT THE INTAKE.  Goats definitely have preferences, and the molasses base of the 22% Goat Tub encourages consistent and predictable consumption.

Visit nelsontubs.com to find more information and a dealer near you.