Question about minerals

[drgnldy71]

I feed a pasture mineral supplement to my goats. It says on the bag that it's for goats and cattle in a pasture situation. Now my goats aren't in a pasture per se, they're in a paddock. They get all the hay they want plus, alfalfa pellets and goat feed. Here's my question. The instructions on the bag say's 1/2 oz. of mineral per animal. When I put the mineral out of a morning it's completly gone by the afternoon feeding. I've got 2 pregnant does one due first of march the other end of march. Should I give them more? And I'm at work right now and forgot to right down the name of the mineral. I get it at Tracter Supply, but it isn't the Blue Bonnet that someone else on the board mentioned. It's Dura something.

Thanks

[ozark_jewels]

Yes, I would keep it in front of them so they can eat as much as they want. Pregnant does and just fresh does seem to go through more mineral than any other time. At times goats will go for several weeks barely touching it, and then they'll start gobbling without warning. This is why it should be kept out free-choice.

[fishhead]

When I first put out mineral my goats gobbled it up every day. Later once they had eaten enough to correct the deficit I caused the consumption dropped to the point it would last for days.

[drgnldy71]

That's what I was wondering but didn't know if I could give them too much or not. I'll make sure they can get all they want then.

Thanks

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Some minerals have soo much molassas in them it scews the amount of mineral the goat eats, I would be very careful in putting out a whole container of minerals to goats who are not used to them. Put out more than they are used to for several days until they finally back off. Then you can move to free choie. This time of the year (heavy bred) my girls go through more minerals in the last two months of pregnancy than they will go through the rest of the year...so I would be very careful. Vicki

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

Some minerals have soo much molassas in them it scews the amount of mineral the goat eats, I would be very careful in putting out a whole container of minerals to goats who are not used to them.

Very true, but she has been putting out these minerals for them every day so it shouldn't be too much of a shock.

[mamajohnson]

Is it better to find minerals without any molasses in it?