How do i get my dairy goats (wethers) in better shape?
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Question by : How do i get my dairy goats (wethers) in better shape?
I have two dairy wethers (Nigerian Dwarfs) both 5-6 months old and i’m trying to get them trained for showing and i have been reading a lot about how dairy goats are supposed to be thin and lean but my boys both hav sort of round bellies. I feed them less than a half cup of regular goat feed once a day and they get a flake of hay morning and night. They run around all the time and have many objects to play on but they still have quite a round belly on them. What can I do to get them in better shapefor the show ring and loose their bulk?
What do you think? Answer below!
2 Responses to How do i get my dairy goats (wethers) in better shape?
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They may have worms. Try giving them a wormer. Safeguard is a good one to use.
sweet_trixie
January 18, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Yes, dairy goats should have what’s called Dairy Character. Nigerians as a rule don’t have great dairy character. Dairy Character means things like long lean neck, great spring of rib, openness of ribbing, angularity, loose skin and fine hair. A good dairy goat shouldn’t have fat under their skin but that’s the last place they lay down fat anyway.
Wethers never have the dairy character that milkers do. Lots of that angularity comes from being in milk.
However, while you want a big barrel and lots of room for the internal organs, a big belly could be from worms. Some wormers just don’t work well any more. I’d suggest you call your vet and find out what they want for a fecal exam. Usually you can just pick up some “nanny berries” in a zip-lock bag and bring them into the clinic. They’ll do a “float” and see what worms you animals have and then help you find the best worming program for your animals. It usually costs under $ 25, at least around here. They’ll also check for coccidea.
Your feeding program might need a bit of a tweak. I would start dropping the amount of grain you’re feeding and make sure that they have good quality hay. I don’t feed grain at all to wethers after about 6 months.
Everbely
January 18, 2012 at 4:37 pm