How We Utilize The Konefal Feeding Method At Quaking Canopy
Can feeding your pregnant does at a specific time of day actually impact when they kid?
Yep. It sure can. There are lots of names for this concept, but it all tends to stem from the beginning of any research or documentation with a cattle farmer named Konefal - hence the name Konefal Method or System. Feeding expectant ruminants in the late afternoon or evening has been proven to influence birthing times, typically producing a majority of labors during the middle of the day.
Goats are, of course, not cows. Most of the research into feeding times and the correlation to birthing times in ruminants has been done in cows. So, take the guidelines and information mentioned here with a bit of salt and experiment to figure out what works for you.
Some research has been done with twice daily feeding wherein the earlier meal is smaller and usually less rich - perhaps grass hay might be fed in the AM for herds who feed two types of hay. A second meal is offered later in the day and this meal is larger as well as usually richer - perhaps alfalfa hay, or concentrated feed, is offered at this meal. Feeding twice per day within this system tends to require a much later PM meal than would be required if you are only feeding once per day.
Why is that? The whole goal is to get your expectant does to ruminate overnight. Digestion becomes a secondary process during labor, so getting their digestive system into an active rolling digestive state can delay labor until the bulk of the food has been processed through the rumen. As such, if you are feeding twice a day, you are prolonging the amount of time that your does are digesting. The schedule can be a little bit tricker to predict as far as your typical birthing window but is still fully doable.
Feeding one large meal - all of the food your does need for a 24 hour period of time - at one late afternoon or early evening session results in your does spending time eating a big meal before heading to bed, then digesting and ruminating overnight. There is still leftover food that they continue to pick through off and on throughout their day, but in true goat fashion as soon as that fresh new choice hay or feed is put in the pen each early evening the does go right for it, fill up on the best bites, digest overnight, and pick through the leftovers for the remainder of the day.
This system has been proven to both result in more than 80% of cows calving during daylight hours, and has a secondary bonus of resulting in a high occurrence of first time mothers who birthed during daylight hours going on to birth in daylight for the remainder of their labors.
Here at Quaking Canopy we have been using this method for over a decade. We house our pregnant does together in groups so that we can be sure to feed does due within the next 1-2 months on schedule. We feed all of their needed feed in 1 meal between 4pm and 5pm everyday. We feed high quality alfalfa with protein over 19-20%, but we do not feed grain to our pregnant does. Our alfalfa is grown on our farm and is mixed with oat or sudan.
Our experience continues to be that the majority of our does kid between noon and 6pm. This is the perfect window for us because it occurs between our two scheduled milk times each day. We can do morning milking and chores, catch and dry new kids, and be done in time to do nighttime milking and chores!
There are always exceptions, and this method is not 100%. Some does kid early morning, some does kid late night, and some does make this poor farmer sleep in the barn all night monitoring for impending fwippity-fwoppities (goat kids).
There are a number of factors that can impact how this method will or will not work for your herd and it may take some experimenting and close observation to settle on the perfect routine. Here are just some of the considerations that can impact your results:
1. If you feed one or twice per day.
2. Time or times of day you feed.
3. Condition - both over and under conditioning - of your does.
4. When you begin your schedule - beginning this method at least a month prior to your first due date is recommended, though any duration of time using this method will have some impact.
5. Types of feed, including fiber and protein content. Access to forage, weeds, etc in their environment would also have an impact here.
6. Volume of feed.
7. Access to fresh clean water; access to high quality minerals.
8. Time of year, and most especially, weather.
Summary of what works for us:
We feed between 4-5PM.
We feed high protein, rich alfalfa mixed with oat or sudan.
We begin this feeding schedule 1-2 months before first does are due.
Our results:
Most, but not all, of our does kid between noon and 6pm.
More on this topic:
SDSU Extensions - Feed at Night…