I’ve had a lot of calls the past two weeks about goats not pounding feed or going to creep like a person wants. It hasn’t mattered what brand of feed they were feeding. A lot of it has to do with the weather. When it is hot, sometimes they just don’t feel like eating a pile of feed.

Show wethers that are weaned and have been taken to a new home the past month, can be real finicky right now. They have gone from eating with mom, to creep feed, to somebody’s elses pens, to a new type of feed. Stress, change of address, change of feed, change of water, etc. Then everybody wants them to eat a pound of feed, twice a day. It is best to back off, give them a lesser amount, let them clean that up, then build them up to the desired amount. It is good to let them think that they might be hungry for a day or two. It might take a week or so, but their appetite will build to where they are eating what they need to be. Also, clean their feed pans out. If they are leaving some feed or fines are building up, clean the pan out–daily if need be.

A lot of times, people are just too antsy. Some goats just won’t goat to creep until they are ready. I’ve got a set here that hasn’t been eating much creep, but they have been eating with their moms. The past week, they have started pounding creep feed like it is going out of style. Its hard to bloom a baby goat without a pile of hands-on management. Sometimes, it takes patience. And that is something that I don’t have a whole lot of.