Old Roy Dog Food!!!
 

Well, I helped a guy catch his goats (a couple boer nannys, a spanish nanny and a Nubian) and he enticed them back into the pen with Old Roy Dog Food. When we got them in the pen I said, "Boy good thing you had that dog food, they seemed to like that." and he said, "That's all I ever feed them." I know I looked stupid standing there with my mouth hanging open. :eek: I didn't know how to respond to that so I just....didn't. Have you ever heard of a goat's diet consisting solely of Old Roy Dog Food?

Yes....one I gave to the little sister of a friend of mine. They kept her and the dog in the same yard and she learned to eat dog food, so that's what they fed her. Even though i recommended otherwise. She was a fat goat though. Probably not what I would recommend for a serious herd.

wouldn't recommend it for a dog either. :haha:

It is mainly corn.

LOL. That's true. I wouldn't recommend it for a dog. But corn is the main ingredient in the Purina Dog Chow I feed my dog, and is the second largest ingredient in Iams, the "high end" dog food. Since they do have so much corn, if I had a starving goat and nothing else to feed it, I might try dog food.

On the other side, my dog LOVES the breeder cubes we feed to the cattle. :haha:

I don't know about goats, but I've known ponies to founder on dog food. There were two ponies, a Shetland mare and her half horse (quarter/arab) daughter, running loose around Northway, Alaska -- Indian village, FAA station. Nobody claimed them, nobody was feeding them, so in the winter when natural feed was scarce they would snitch dog food off people's porches. Folks got aggravated about that, so someone caught them and we ended up with the filly. Her feet took some work, but eventually she was all right. But, I don't think it would be wise to feed large quantities of dog food to animals meant to eat plants.

Kathleen

Feeding your ruminants off label like this, especially with chicken, pig and dog food, is where Mad Cow disease and other prion disease is going to come from. Forget the corn in these feeds, what about the bone and blood meals? Considering the price of dog food, a little education that oats cost less than dog food..........well likely would have fallen on deaf ears anyway! :no: Idiots.

Vicki

Iams really can't be considered "high end" dog food anymore. True, it is better than anything else you can get from the grocery store. The Iams company actually produces Eukanuba which is considered a "premium food." I'm in the pet industry and my question has always been if you make a good dog food, why do you have the need to make a better quality food and if you make a better quality food why do you still make the inferior stuff. Like with Purina, they make dog chow which is pretty gross stuff. They also make Purina ONE which is comparable, in my opinion, to Iams. Then they make their "premium" brand ProPlan.

I've heard of people feeding Old Roy to goats. The local wildlife rescue feeds Science Diet Lite dog food to squirrels. Look at that ingredient panel. One of the number one ingredients is peanut hulls. Cat food is routinely fed to peafowl and pheasants. I give Nutro Light dog food as a very sporadic treat to my parrots who apparently find it delicious.

Out of all of our goats, we only have one who likes dog and cat food. She snitches it from the dog and cat whenever she can! She LOVES it! We have to hide their food bowls from her. (We dont have separate fencing, obviously!)
Of course, ALL the goats try to get into the chicken food. :no:

Our neighbor complained when we fed our cats and dogs dog food along with their milk...but it was fine that she fed her pony dog food. :confused: :no:

We have a goat nicknamed Kitty. Kitty believes she is a cat, though by now I think she has has figured out she is a goat afterall. She was our only bottle baby this year (I will never let it be just one again) and so she was raised in the barn with our cats. So she slept with our cats, played with the cats, and ate their cat food. If you put the cat food out for the cats she would come running. If you called "here kitty, kitty" she would come running. She would also eat the grain I put out for her, and the Primer 1 our calves get, and the cow feed, and the dairy cow hay, and of course her bottles....she is a fat little bugger. Now she is a goat and with the other doelings.

I raised two bottle babies this year. Never again. They're 7 months old and still don't know they're goats, although they have been with the other goats 4 or 5 months now.

Please don't accept feeding dog food as ok for herbivores this small seemingly innocent practice is a real and true danger to the safety of our future food suppy. IT IS WRONG TO DO THIS !!!! dog/cat foods have some meat products in the mix, this meat can be from a diseased animal there is no testing for useing animal parts in pet food, ...here is NO justifyable reason for feed dog/cat food like this ever! grain and low quality mixed feed is cheaper than any dog food I have ever seen, I can get cheap dog food for about $10 for 50 lbs and cheap livestock mix is less than $6

PLEASE PLEASE STOP FEEDING DOG FOOD TO PLANT EATING ANIMALS!!!!!

Doing this as almost as bad as cutting up the brain from an animal with mad cow type disease and feeding the brain bits to the plant eating animal, this is how these diseases crossed the line between sheep to cows, years ago, please don't add to the problem.

Igornant habits like this are why the government wants to tag EVERY SINGEL animal in the country and restrict the movement of all farm animals.

Please stop doing this !

he! he! he!
Vicki, I read that and started laughing because I knew if you read it too you would have a stroke!!
I agree with you but I knew you would beat me to posting.
Dogs are k-9's not browsers.
I happen to know who makes ole-roy for wally world and they pride themselves for the meat and blood in their dry dog foods.
I rescued a pig that was being raised on dog food. It isn't even good for them.
but Goats? NEVER!!!!

dog food
 

my goats love dog food and cat food. We give it to them just for a little treat :) My dog loves cat food. My geese love sweet feed. The chickens love cat food. Everyone shares around here. The only animal I have that is picky is the cat. She wants her cat food and nothing else (other than an occasional lizard, snake or mouse)

michele

I would like to reiterate that I agree with those who disagree with the practice of giving dog/cat food to goats. Although I can't say that I wouldn't do it in an EXTREME emergency, with no other options available, feeding animal 'by-products' to ruminants, who did not evolve to eat such things, is what has spread Mad Cow Disease and Scrapie. I definately would not make it the mainstay of their diet, and even as a treat I would severely discourage it.

I think I should point out that we did not train Kitty to eat cat food and she only nibbled at some every ocne in awhile..it wasn't a mainstay in her diet and she didn't do it for long either.
She was still being bottle fed and she preferred the cow feed and Primer 1 to the cat food.

It isn't normal practice here.

Hadn't thought about the by-product aspect though.

When I saw a story a while back on the net about some hunters who contracted crutzfeld jacob disease(mad cow) from eating squirrel brains, I wondered where in the world squirrels would get the prions...looks like I've got my answer.

I would wonder why a person would eat squirrel brains.

...speaking of critters eating other animals' foods.

I finally figured out why my cat is always hungry. I came around the corner a few minutes after I had fed her to find our little old english bantam rooster pecking at her food, and her a few feet away looking all sad. I shooed the rooster back and stepped back to watch what would happen. Fancy (cat) started eating again, then the rooster came up, pecked her on the head, and started eating the food! I shooed him back and watched again. Fancy started eating, and this time all the rooster did was dance up to her, "growl" and she backed away. What a terd. I have her food up where he can't get to it now. :no:

My dad keeps a number of free range chickens and my mom has a number of cats. They had to build a special enclosure so the cats could eat in peace without the chickens stealing it all. Although chickens do eat a certain amount of animal protein that ruminants don't, I doubt feeding them cat food is a good idea, as cat/dog food usually contains 'poultry by-products', and one of the leading theories of how Mad Cow Disease and related illnesses got started is that by-products from a certain species were fed back to that same species.

Stealing a little from the cat would probably not hurt anything though.

Has anyone ever read what is in Poultry feed - you can't get to 30-35% protein and include grains without using animal protein sources?? I wouldn't worry about them eating cat or dog food if you have read whats in their feed. Chickens are OMNIVORES - they eat anything and everything - sort of like most people.

I custom mix my sheep feed and get to around 14.5% digestable protein using just grains, soy meal, and alfalfa pellets. Costs me about 5.85 a 50 lb bag. Can't buy dog food for that price.

Yes, chickens are omnivores like humans. However, you wouldn't eat another human would you?

I am truly amazed by this thread. I can't believe anyone in this day and age would feed animal by-products to herbivores. This is a Homesteading Forum. We generally eat what we produce. Don't pour waste products into your animals and then feed their meat and their products to your family or anyone else! ------->me screaming!

My dogs love to eat duck food...sigh

Crazy dogs. My dog has a taste for cattle cake (cubes). :haha:

Our cat food doesn't have any byproducts, nor added chemical flavorants, chemical preservatives, ect. :D

I used to think that chickens shouldn't have meat until we saw them hop into empty deer rib cages to pick off the left over meat after we were through with it. :no: mmm, a bit of meat, mmm a bit of fly, quite the buffet! I think these things are to be kept to a minimum, they are mainly supposed to eat vegetation and bugs.

I don't believe any of this was meant to be recommendations. Most of the posts I've read just seem to say that one animals likes to steal from another's dish. I don't think it's done intentionally very often...not by many, anyhow. Do you have more than one type of animal? How do you keep your free range chickens out of your cat food?

Sam, our beloved Pyr, can no longer eat outside because the peahens torment him and want to eat his food and he trys to chase them away and they fly over the fence. He's currently eating BilJac Select which the cat seems to think is wonderful. The cat can't have that so Sam can only eat on the kitchen floor when Fritz the cat is locked in the bathroom. Fritz grazes a little all day. Sam shouldn't have the cat food, a prescription diet for urinary tract health. We have to feed Fritz's on the dryer. Life was even more difficult when we had the kittens to feed seperately. My wife wants a poodle puppy. How are we supposed to feed that?

Sounds familiar. A terrier I once had beelined straight for the layer ration. Didn't matter if it was in the bag or dinner with chickens. She relished and chance that she could sneak in a bit of the feed. I know this is off topic, but I have to keep a bag of baby carrots in the fridge for an occasional doggie snack. I always seem to have at least one dog that also likes to share an orange with me. :rolleyes:

well, technically.......... kissing etc, [and so forth], is ingesting another humans tissues...so, yes. :o LOL

And chickens (and other birds) will sometimes kill each other and eat the remains in the normal course of their lives. Dogs can eat almost anything, and it wouldn't matter as far as food chain health to humans, as long as the dog is the end of the chain.

I think that if you absolutley, know that the animal will never, be used for food by another animal, human or other wise, it would not be such a danger, but the risk is too high.

My first goats I got, had gotten old bread from local bakerys as a daily treat (the people even gave me a garbage bag full of it!). I didn't think that seemed too good, not knowing much about goats then. The next does I got, now knowing more about goats, got Sprout Peanut Butter dog bisquits as their treat. I was like, ewww, that's NOT right. I am ADAMENT about my herbivores (horses, donkeys, rabbits, and goats) not getting ANY meat products. Also, I'm very picky about what my dogs and cats eat, and they get very good food - Canidae, Felidae, Natural Balance, Diamond brands. Grazers don't need meat! All my herbivores get horse treats. I even check the ingredients to make sure it doesn't even have white flour in it. Goaties LOOOOOVE horsey treats!

Oh, and by the way, Purina Dog Chow, never was, nor is a "top" dog food. It's crap. I dislike any Purina feed, be it dog, cat, rabbit, goat, horse.

I guess at least if they are feeding the poor goats Ol Roy, at least it mostly is corn, altho Science Diet would be a better choice, with Corn, Soy, and Peanut hulls. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck. Yep, Vicki, IDIOTS!!!!

I almost lost my little goatie when she broke out of her area and got into the chicken feed. She bloated and I had stay up half the night medicating her and encouraging her to burp. Ruminants need to eat the correct food. Her rumen was messed up for over a month after she stole from the chickens and so we had loads of diarrhea all over the yard. It was not fun for any of us. Goats are pretty silly when it comes to eating. The young ones are little stomachs on legs and need our protection.
Thankfully, she is doing fine now, but I am very careful about her diet and I no longer underestimate her ability to be a little Houdini!

Daybird, yes I have freerange chickens, but they are not herbivores. They are supposed to eat meat (think insects and rotten eggs) and plant material. Also, it's okay for dogs to eat carrots, folks, they chew on grass in nature don't they? And yes, I have numerous species of animals. Carnivores are the last choice for another carnivore to eat. They are farthest away in the food chain from the life-giving aspect of photosynthesis. That's why we eat herbivores and omnivores. And it's not just a human thing.

OK I know this is the goat board... but given the turns this thread is taking... I have a question.

First my goats DO NOT get any cat or dog food or the like....

BUT when I had alot of pecking and feather eating among my chickens among other things it was recommended I supplement a bit with cat food. When I do this we have almost no injured chickens.... when I slacked off the pecking started again... we do intend to eat both these chickens and the eggs..... is this a bad idea??????

I throw out about 1 1/2-2 c a day of cat food to 60 chickens.....about 4-5 times a week.......

I'd still eat them. Are your chickens over-crowded? Over-crowding is often a trigger for cannabalism. Have you tried crumbles instead of pellets? Often, they eat pellets way too fast and become bored. Crumbles take longer and give them something to do. What situation are your birds being raised in? Caged all the time? Occasional free-range? How may birds per square foot? Also, different breeds are more aggressive than others. Are young birds with old birds? All these things make a diffences. If you are feeding scratch alone, perhaps they are craving protein and need laying crumbles. Many things to ponder.

On second thought....I think I would eat those chickens and their eggs, but not sell the meat or feed it to my kids because of not knowing what could be in that cat food. I take more chances with myself. I would try to find a solution so you wouldn't have to feed cat food and then I would stop feeding it. I said i would eat them because i would not want to waste the meat if they are meat birds. I just hate waste. Maybe you could clear it it out of their systems with proper nutrition. Now i am rambling...

What about worm farming as a way to raise needed protien for the chickens? Seems it would be an extremely economical thing to do since they breed themselves, and feed on garbage.

I think ..
Anything hungry.... will eat anything if they are starving......

If your animals are starving.....then you dont need that animal..get rid of the animal !

Get the right type of feed for the right animal and dont offer strange/weird food that is made for other types of animals..(not cute to me ) ..... this causes diseases and sicknesses that we have NO cure for.. this can cause devastation to ALL of us here on Earth.

I agree!!!

Everyone here wants everyone elses food. The goats used to get out of there pen to get the cat food at feeding time . that stopped when I put the dog between the goats and the cat food :haha: . I found a pile of feathers in the horse section of the barn today and realized the pony bit a chicken who was trying to steal her food. Just seems no one is ever happy !

Years ago I let my chickens eat the left over dog food. I wouldn't intentionally let them do that now, or any other animal that might be intended for human consumption. The real danger, if I remember correctly, is that the animal, once infected by eating the prions from contaminated feed then pass the prion disease on the future generations.

Do some research online. I was shocked a year ago to find how many different kinds of animals are carrying prion diseases...wild animals, too. After reading this thread, I now have a better idea how these things are spreading. I'll do some more research.

I'll have to ask the owners of animals I am considering purchasing what their animals eat, and whether they have access to dog/cat food. I have children, and would like to have grandchildren someday.

We have to take better care of ourselves and our future generations, or we may all have to become vegetarians whether we want to or not...or the survivors will...

You know I just this summer got a G PRY for the goats and my very first question to my goat mentor was "What the heck do you feed your dog or how the heck do I keep the goats from eating his food" She said you have to stand there and keep the goat away from the dog food or they will get acidosis!!! Well let me tell you that is not an easy chore fending off the goats even tho they have their own feed (fed before the dog) So my solution was is that I open the gate and let the dog outside to eat his food and then he goes back in his pen. But I never even thought abt the really bad stuff in dog food now am thinking I should probably go to raw meat and bones diet.