Medicated feeds??

[Milk n' Honey]

Do you feed medicated feeds to your goats? Around here, it seems difficult to find unmedicated feeds so is that b/c that is mostly what people use? I would think it is important for babies up to about 6 months old and then take them off and everyone else just have unmedicated feed. I have Boer and dairy goats. What if I want to milk goats for human consumption? It is my understanding that you cannot drink milk that is from a goat who consumes medicated feed. What do you all do about all this? Thanks.

[BelleL]

We don't use medicated feed. It does seem that most goat feeds are medicated, unmedicated feeds are hard to find.
I would not drink milk from a goat that has been eating medicated feed, it would be like drinking the medicine ourselves.
If you can't find feed that is not medicated then have a special mix made at your local feed mill or make a mix yourselves with cracked corn, oats,minerals, ect...
Belle

[Alice In TX/MO]

We don't feed medicated feeds. Medicated feeds are part of the problem causing super-germs!

We mix our own barley, oats, corn, black oil sunflower seeds.

[Oldntimes]

My Does are on my own Mix. Whole oats, Steamed roled Barley,Beet Puld and Alfalfa pellets. My kids up to 6 months are all on medicated feed. It works for me.Plus every one gets Sweetlix minerals and baking soda free choice.Oh and of course hay.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Move away from goat and calf labels and you will not find medicated feeds. Medicated feeds are not all bad, in instances where kids are raised in pens with adult goats, or very short pastures, having a cocci medication in their grain ensures growth and no stunting or diarrhea from cocci. Ammonium Chloride can also be put into grain pellets for protection against urianary calculi in bucklings or adult bucks getting grain during heavily used breedings seasons or collections. Tetracycline in feed pellets can also be used for crowded conditions, incoming stock for shipping fever and pnemonia...so know what drug you are dealing with in the medicated feeds.

But no, I would not feed medicated feeds of anykind to stock you will be dirinking milk from. Besides most meat goat pellets that have drugs in them, are byproduct feed tags. Vicki

[billygoatridge]

Have you had your local elevator make you any custom mixed feed? I like it much better than the processed commercial feeds. I would think it would have to be better for them since it's mostly all grains with just a little bit of protein supplement. This is kind of a shameless plugg since I work there, but have you tried the custom mix at the Feed Barn in Crawfordsville. I have tried the purina( unmedicated) and a couple other kinds I've gotten in at work. But they eat the custom mix much better. I don't feed any medicated feed because the only goats that get grain in the summer time is the few we milk while they are on the milking stand.

[moonspinner]

This is the first year I've used a medicated feed for my kids. Don't know if coincidence or attributed to the grain, but didn't have a case of cocci. And this was over an incredibly wet winter and early spring. Otherwise, no medicated feeds for anyone else. I'm a minimalist on meds and I think I've only needed to use an antibiotic injection maybe 2/3 times in seven years of goat keeping. Knock on wood!

[fishhead]

What's a good non-goat feed for cocci prevention? My choices are limited to cattle or horse feed.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Deccoquinate, Lasalocid, Bovatec, Rumensin none are goat meds...they all started as cattle meds, back in the late 80's we had Lasalocid in our calf starter we used to grain out kids....there are few to anything really for goats, although most reps think they invented it It's also why you get such varying information about goats..you have the book smart folks, the vets, nutritionists and then us the goat folks who raise the buggers and alot of their books...well the goats never read them! Vicki

[fishhead]

Are those medications or brand names of minerals or medicated feeds?

I see medicated calf feed but non for goats.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Check out pipevet.com they not only sell all of the above I mentioned, they are both feed additives but also in differening amounts feed throughs for milk also. Most sheep and meat goat and calf feeds that deal with coccidiosis will have one of the above 4 things in them to prevent cocci in the animal.

Just because your feed guy says he doesn't carry a cocci calf or goat feed....TSC also, does not mean they can not get it for you...every single thing I get from my feed dealer was at one time something he considered a waste of his time and a special order for this goat lady....21 years later and hundreds of customers (he sells 8 tons of alfalfa pellets a week out of his store) he doesn't think of me as the crazy goat lady anymore. So ask to skim through their book they can order from...sure you may have to buy 10 bags but so what. Vicki