How much should a nubian kid eat?

Urgency:S.O.S.!

Category: Health & Wellness

Asked by: Elena G. (benjistar) 7 months ago

We have 2 four month old nubain goats that we have had for just over a week. For the first few days they were barely eating anything...I'm guessing because they were scared of their new home. Now, they are very friendly and they are eating alot better. They were so skinny before and now are alot bigger and I was wondering how much they should weigh and/or how much they should be eating. Right now they are eating: 5 or 6 cups of grain a day and unlimited hay (we keep this stuff inside where they can get it at any time) Then for about 3 or more hours a day they are outside and able to eat as much grass as they like. We are also bottle feeding them one bottle of milk each in the morning and at night. I know they can be weaned but since they weren't frienly we thought it would speed the bonding process if we bottle fed them for a week or two. We are going to stop bottle feeding them in one week. So my question is...are they eating too much? How do you tell if a goat is overweight? I am very new to the care of livestock and especially goats so I am kind of paranoid and over protective about every little thing! Should I be worried about doing something wrong or just calm down?

Also, when petting them yesterday I noticed that one of them had a bump just a little smaller than a ping pong ball oh his left side just behind the shoulder. Then when I looked at the other goat...he had it too! In the exact same place and the exact same size. They are not visible when looked at but you can definately feel them. What are they? Are they dangerous? I thought that since they both have them it is just something genetic or something like that. When I was little I had a bump on my side that was the side of a golf ball that had a special name. It was just a bump that was filled with blood vessels and nerves that started to shrink and is now nothing but a small red mark. Is that what they have? Again...I'm probably just being over cautious but it never hurts to ask, right?

Thanks for any answers you can give me!