Posted by Vicki McGaugh on January 22, 2001 at 13:39:54:
In Reply to: Re: Sulpher Water & UC posted by Bernice on January 22, 2001 at 02:36:59:
Hi Bernice, I sold the original Nubians to the gal who then had touble with her Boers. She then found out that alot of the boer folks were having trouble with this in their area, when she donated a buck to the University, was talking to the guy in charge. Seems she had no trouble with her Nubian buck (since he was on a custom mix with ammonium chloride in it, and also low protein since he was grown) her husbands boers and also the boers in the area were on another feed, and were having Urinary Calculi problems. I know that she also has ammonium chloride at a higher rate in her feed than I have in mine.
I have had excellent results, both in my pocketbook and in my goats, from lowering the protein of their grain once they are grown. 16% is fine for growing kids, milking does, and late bred gals, but is totally excessive in all other classes, especially since most bucks are never heavily used.
The oldest buck we have been able to keep fertile was my Easy Stream buck Eric, we ended up putting him down right before he turned 9 for lack of viable sperm, he had been collected just 5 months before this with a really good collection! Vicki