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- Ensuring proper daily nutrition should be a top priority for anyone aiming to maintain a successful Boer goat flock.
- Their diet should consist of around 23% fibre.
- Ready-mixed goat pellets are ideal, as they provide nutrients in the correct ratios tailored to the specific production phase.
- From six to two weeks before kidding, does should receive more feed to ensure sufficient milk production.
- Kids can receive a complete ration from two weeks to six months of age, while dry goats can utilise green grazing and receive a salt and phosphate lick.
Ensuring proper daily nutrition should be a top priority for anyone aiming to maintain a successful Boer goat flock. These animals remain in continuous production cycles and therefore require balanced nutrition throughout the year, tailored to each production phase. This will allow them to kid optimally.
Read part 4 here:Boer goat management (Part 4): Mating
Goats are natural browsers that prefer leaves. Their diet should therefore consist of around 23% fibre, whereas sheep only require 14%. Fibre is one of the most important components of a Boer goat’s nutritional programme.
Ilse Lombard, a respected goat breeder from the Vrede area, advises producers to incorporate well-formulated goat pellets developed by nutritionists. While a complete feed is not always essential, providing a quality lick during the appropriate production phase can deliver excellent results.
Principles of goat nutrition
Goat nutrition is critical at specific times of the year and should never be neglected. This includes flush feed, the correct nutrition two weeks before to one month after mating, two to four weeks before kidding, and the first month after kidding. In addition, kids must receive adequate and appropriate nutrition during their first six months of life to ensure healthy growth and development.
Ready-mixed goat pellets are ideal, as they provide nutrients in the correct ratios tailored to the specific production phase. “Goats must be gradually introduced to new feed,” Lombard says. “Pellets should be increased slowly over seven days to reach the required ration amount. This helps prevent digestive issues such as diarrhoea.”
Two key factors should always be kept in mind. “Protein promotes growth and builds muscle, while energy makes animals fat. Kids that have to grow should not be fed only energy-rich feed such as maize. They require protein to grow and build muscle. Energy-rich feed, however, play an important role during very cold weather conditions.”
Breeders are also cautioned against overfeeding. “Excessive maize intake can cause goats to develop acidosis, which may be fatal.” Each breeder should design a nutrition programme tailored to their grazing conditions, available resources, and kidding plans. The development of a successful nutrition plan should always be guided by certain principles.
Effective nutrition plan
From six to two weeks before kidding, does should receive more feed to ensure sufficient milk production, as kids grow considerably during the final six weeks of pregnancy. Grazing on cultivated green pastures is beneficial, and lactation pellets ranging from 200 to 500g, depending on pasture quality and the does’ condition, can be provided alongside a production lick.
During kidding, it is essential to ensure that the pens contain enough feed and clean water. For the first two weeks after kidding, Lombard’s does are given lactation pellets or they can utilise her own complete feed mix ad lib. Nutrition is then gradually reduced based on the circumstances. Roughage must always be available, with lucerne being the best option, although it is also the most expensive. A doe that is raising a kid should never be neglected, as insufficient milk supply will result in a pot-bellied kid that cannot develop into a strong, healthy goat.
Kids can receive a complete ration from two weeks to six months of age, while dry goats can utilise green grazing and receive a salt and phosphate lick. During these six months Lombard’s kids receive her own feed mixes or kid creep feed pellets, which are later followed by growth pellets.
In a spring kidding system, she recommends a transition lick for does during autumn when the nutritional value of grass starts to decline. A high-energy lick should be supplied in winter, and enough fibre must be available throughout. Producers should assess the available resources on their land and consult a nutritionist to formulate an appropriate feed mix. Silage or maize mixed with Korn Kandy makes a good supplement, while cultivated pastures such as rye or oats are valuable in the colder months. Goats will consume almost anything, from potatoes to citrus.
While buying in feed throughout the year is not profitable, the fact is that underfed animals in poor condition will not breed successfully. Achieving the right balance is therefore vital. Lombard emphasises the importance of a well-planned diet in successful goat production. She advises seeking expert guidance, noting that while it may require some investment, the returns at the end of the season make it worthwhile. Planning ahead is the key to long-term success, she concludes. – Koos du Pisanie, Stockfarm
In the next issue we will look at diseases that affect Boer goats. For more information, contact Ilse Lombard at 072 078 4336.
