What to Feed a Nursing Doe

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One of the most common questions I hear during kidding season is:

“How much grain does a doe need when she’s nursing her kids?”

The quick answer is, “1 pound of 16% goat feed for every 3 pounds of milk she’s producing,” and the follow-up is always:

“But how do I know how much milk she’s making?”

The good news is that you don’t need to guess—and you don’t need to measure milk production to feed a nursing doe correctly. You can figure out exactly what she needs by looking at her kids.

Let’s walk through it step by step.

The Basic Rule for Feeding a Milking Doe

The standard recommendation for a lactating goat is:

• 1 pound of 16% protein goat feed for every 3 pounds of milk produced
  • When we say “grain,” we mean a 16% protein goat feed — not plain corn, oats, or barley.
• Plus alfalfa hay
  • at least 50% alfalfa, but 100% is even better
• Free-choice hay and pasture, available at all times

Hay and pasture should never be restricted. A doe making milk needs constant access to forage, which is hay or pasture. Grain is simply added to support milk production by increasing protein — it doesn’t replace forage. (Free-feeding grain could cause all kinds of rumen problems, such as bloat, which could be fatal.)

If a doe is nursing her kids, you can feed her goat feed when the kids nurse, usually morning and evening. First-time fresheners often do best being brought onto the milk stand once a day so they learn that the stand equals food and handling. That little bit of training makes life much easier later on.

“But I Don’t Know How Much Milk She’s Producing”

This is where people get stuck—but it’s actually pretty simple.

Instead of measuring milk, you base your calculations on the kids’ weight, because healthy kids tell you exactly how much milk they’re getting.

For kids to thrive, they need 20% of their body weight in milk every day.

Let’s use easy numbers.

Example: Twins Born at 5 Pounds Each

• Two kids × 5 pounds = 10 pounds of kids
• One pound = 16 ounces
• 10 pounds × 16 = 160 ounces total body weight

Now we calculate milk needs:

• 20% of 160 ounces = 32 ounces of milk per day

That equals 2 pounds of milk per day.

Now we go back to the feeding rule:

• 1 pound of 16% feed per 3 pounds of milk
• 2 pounds of milk ÷ 3 = ⅔ pound of goat feed per day

So on the day those kids are born, mom needs about ⅔ pound of 16% protein goat feed, plus free-choice alfalfa hay.

A Quick (But Important) Note About Grain

When I say grain, I am always talking about a commercial 16% protein goat feed.

Corn, oats, and other straight grains are not appropriate for a lactating doe:

• Corn: ~6–7% protein
• Oats: ~8–9% protein

Milk is high in protein. A doe cannot make good milk without adequate protein intake. Alfalfa helps, but it does not replace the need for a balanced goat feed when a doe is nursing.

Why This Changes Quickly: Kids Grow Fast

Here’s where a lot of people underfeed does without realizing it.

Kids grow rapidly—especially when they’re getting enough milk.

In my herd of Nigerian Dwarfs, I want to see kids gain about 4 ounces per day. That level of growth tells me they’re:

• Getting enough protein and calcium
• Building strong immune systems
• Far less likely to struggle with coccidiosis or parasites

I can’t even tell you the last time I had to deworm a kid—it’s been many years. And in the last decade, I’ve only had three coccidiosis cases in several hundred kids. Nutrition is a huge reason why.

There is extensive research showing that high-protein diets improve resistance to parasites, and milk is the most efficient way for kids to consume that nutrition. They simply cannot eat enough solid food to match what they get from milk.

What Happens by Two Weeks of Age

By about two weeks old, healthy Nigerian dwaf kids typically double their birth weight.

That means:

• Milk intake doubles
• And mom’s feed needs must double too

This is why I don’t assume a doe can successfully raise more than three kids if I want all of them to thrive. Yes, a doe might keep four alive—but at least one usually falls behind, fails to hit weight benchmarks, and often ends up with coccidiosis.

I didn’t always know this. We started weighing kids consistently about 12–13 years ago, and the data made everything clear. Growth rates don’t lie.

Peak Milk Intake for Nigerian Dwarf Kids

Nigerian Dwarf kids usually peak at about:

• 1 quart (32 ounces) of milk per kid per day
• This typically happens around 3–4 weeks of age

Once they reach that point, intake levels off.

So if your doe has twins, that’s roughly 4 pounds of milk per day, which means she’ll need about 1⅓ pounds of 16% goat feed, plus free-choice alfalfa and forage.

How to Increase Grain Safely

If a doe hasn’t been getting grain:

• Start with ⅓ pound on day one
• Increase to ⅔ pound on day two
• Gradually increase as kids grow

By two weeks postpartum, most does will need about twice what they required at birth, depending on kid growth and litter size.

You can keep doing the math—or you can increase gradually while watching kid weight gain. Either approach works as long as you’re monitoring growth.

Why Bottle Babies Taught Us This

We learned a lot of this from bottle-raised kids.

Years ago, people commonly limited Nigerian Dwarf kids to 20–24 ounces per day. Looking back, that explains why coccidiosis was so common. Once we started feeding up to a full quart per day—when that amount equaled 20% of body weight—everything changed.

Health improved dramatically. Growth improved. Parasite problems nearly disappeared.

The Takeaway

If you want healthy kids and a thriving doe:

• Feed 16% protein goat feed, not straight grains
• Offer free-choice alfalfa and forage
• Base feed amounts on kid weight and growth
• Increase grain as milk demand increases

Your kids will tell you if you’re doing it right—especially when you put them on a scale.

For more information on calculating your herd’s total forage needs, you can also check out our guide on how much a goat eats per day.

🎓 Want a deeper dive into kidding and early kid care?

🎥 Watch the original video here:

If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Kidding season is busy—but it doesn’t have to be confusing.

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