TRANSITION DOESMORGAN ALLEN

RUMINANT NUTRITIONIST

BIG GAIN, INC

• Bridging nutrition from dry/pregnant to milking/not pregnant

• Goals

• Optimize milk production

• Maintain or minimize weight loss

• Reduce metabolic disease

• Strong immune response

• Produce healthy kids

• Dry Does

• Dry goat rations aren’t as specialized as dry cow diets

• Focus on lower potassium and sodium forages (DCAD balancing?)

• Supplemental magnesium & calcium

• Control energy intake- too much or too little can be detrimental

• Provide enough metabolizable protein before kidding (amino acids)

• Maximize dry matter intake

• Quality forage and grain at roughly 1#/day (watch BC)

• Dry Does

• Dry doe nutrition is also important for development of the unborn kids. 2/3 of its birth

weight is put on during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy

• Make your transition in the last 45 days of gestation

• Monitor body condition

• Fresh water

• Clean, dry pens with adequate resting and bunk space

• Monitor BHBA- Pregnancy toxemia

• Dry Does

• Because of the fetal growth (often times multiples) in late gestation, there is reduced ruminal

capacity due to kid crowding. This reduces a does ability to consume enough to meet her

growing nutrient demands and can result in pregnancy toxemia.

• Learn the signs and do your own testing. Here’s a short video!

• Fresh Does

• Hoping does kid with no metabolic problems (ketosis, RP, milk fever, etc)

• Peak lactation generally occurs between 40 to 60 day in milk

• Feed intake does not peak until 80-110 days in milk, so body reserves are used to meet the

energy and protein demands for production in early lactation

• Careful consideration to body condition of your doe herd is necessary

• The doe's nutrient intake will not meet her demands until milk has decreased to 60 to 80% of

peak.

• Fresh Does

• Fresh Does

• Even though negative energy balance is unavoidable, we can implement nutritional strategies

to support the high energy needs and lessen the severity

• Encourage high dry matter intakes to reduce weight loss and reach peak milk sooner

• Feed high quality forages like alfalfa or corn silage (questions about choosing forages?)

• Increase energy-lower intakes post kidding mean you need a more energy dense diet-CHO &

fat

• Increase protein-fresh does may need a 17-19% CP diet, but give consideration to protein

source and amino acid supply and forage analysis

• Fresh does

• Monitor fresh does with BHBA and glucose testing

• Starch fermentation=VFA proprionate=glucose

• Glucose fuels the immune system

• Feed enough starch and energy for maximum production without lowering rumen pH

• Ration

• If doing custom protein/grain mixes

• Amino acid grams and concentrations of lysine/methionine

• Fatty acid levels and sources

• Physically effective fiber

• Rumen fermentable carbohydrates

• Good management beyond nutrition

• Crowding

• Heat abatement

• Bunk space

• Clean, dry bedding (knee test)

• Water cleanliness & access

• Disease management (CAE, CL, Johnes)

• Fresh Does

• Does in early lactation have high energy demands that are not entirely met through feed

intake. While we cannot prevent this from happening, we may be able to lessen the deficit by

promoting greater energy intake during early lactation. In addition to grains and fats, high-

quality forage can play an important role in supplying energy to the transition doe.

QUESTIONS?