Anyone have Nubian goats or info on them?

I do not use commercial feeds. I make my own grain ration for my chickens. Also, the only access to their coop from the fenced area is a single chicken door. There is nothing large enough to let the goats in. Only person access is from outside the fenced area. Also, because of preditor issues and my neighbors dogs trying to get at my birds, everything is always kept closed. But, as for the goats, the only way they could get to the grain would be to shrink to the size of a chicken or learn how to open gates and a normal door. I dont worry about them getting to the chicken feed.

pfarms wrote:I do not use commercial feeds. I make my own grain ration for my chickens. Also, the only access to their coop from the fenced area is a single chicken door. There is nothing large enough to let the goats in. Only person access is from outside the fenced area. Also, because of preditor issues and my neighbors dogs trying to get at my birds, everything is always kept closed. But, as for the goats, the only way they could get to the grain would be to shrink to the size of a chicken or learn how to open gates and a normal door. I dont worry about them getting to the chicken feed.

Well I have one old goat that take the halters off my llamas. She undoes them and I have to go find them in the field. And I have gone out and found one of the two locks open.

I have goats and chickens...and on 4 occasions my goat kids have broken into my hen house, helped themselves to laying pellets, gotten into my lay boxes and broken all the eggs. We THINK we have managed to fence them out now. Oh who am I kidding!!!! No place is safe from a determined goat! The old saying "if your fence will hold water it might hold a goat" is as true as true can be. I have page wire with 3 strands of electrobraid. They are smart enough to know which strand is the ground wire, if the fence is on and how to avoid getting shocked. So far they are fairly respectful of the electric. I feed goat tex feed that is specially formulated with the proper vitamins and minerals for the goats. They need copper which most feeds do not have. They browse the fields and also have access to local grass hay that I also feed my horses. A word of caution....Bucks/wethers will get urinary stones from eating alfalfa, this is usually a fatal condition. I do not have alfalfa on my farm as neither my horses nor my goats need it. That being said, although I do have Nubian/Boer crosses they are not milk goats they are meat goats so dietary needs will be somewhat different. Love my goats and my chickens, there is no better entertainment on earth than to watch the antics they get up to. And since the goats broke into the hen house and disrupted the chickens' sanctity, two of my hens have taken to laying in the goat's hay rack....gotta love it. S

appway wrote:Your hay sounds fine for goats
I always fed Straight Alfalfa but I wanted higher milk production
DO you grind your grain mix or are you feeding whole Grains?

As for the amount I always fed a 2lb coffee can full at milking and if they were heavy milkers they got more

Do you hand milk or machine milk?
reason I as is the pressure is different for goats and so are the inflations  

Did you not have a problem feeding goats straight Alfalfa, I was told not to do that, it's to rich for goats. Just curious I don't have my goats anymore. I had Nubians, they are very sweet, but usually eat what you don't want them to

Thank you for all the great information. I am in the process of gathering information on goats and how to care for them.... I am looking for a small breed predominately for pets. Chicken Crazy daughter wants a bit of milk for the chickens. Due to problems with predators we have to create "Fort Knox" first