Experience with Calf-Manna or imitators?

[whinnyninny]

When we bought our does, a friend of ours recommended that we get Calf-Manna and feed it to them. So we did. We noticed soon thereafter that their coats started looking very sleek and shiny... I didn't think about the Calf Manna, I just figured they were losing the last of their winter coats.

The woman who bought our Nubian back today, was absolutely raving about how wonderful the doe looked, with her shiny, glossy coat. She just called me, said her husband got home from work and immediately noticed it too and wanted to know what I'v been feeding her! They figured it must be the feed supplement (right now I'm using Supremo Super Charger, similar to Calf Manna, and cheaper than Calf Manna). I gave them the last of the bag, which had about 10 lbs left in it. They want to give it to ALL their does now!

Has anyone else experienced anything like that from using Calf Manna? Their website says it helps improve hair quality and "adds sheen and luster to the coat".

[Jo~*]

Well I can't say if its the calf manna or not but I do feed it and one of my does is mostly black and she shines really nice. Also feed it to my satin rabbits and they have really nice fur.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

It's very high in protein and has one of the best, concentrated form of vitamins and minerals. So yep, it is likely from that. Vicki

[hoofinitnorth]

Soybean meal is the #1 ingredient on the packages for sale here. I get a better bang for my buck with just plain soybean meal added to my grain mix rather than the calf manna.

[DQ]

Originally Posted by hoofinitnorth

Soybean meal is the #1 ingredient on the packages for sale here. I get a better bang for my buck with just plain soybean meal added to my grain mix rather than the calf manna.

It also has fenugreek which is supposed to increase appetite and aid digestion and whey which will "increase ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis" (maiga et al., 1996) as per university of minnesota website pertaining to cattle. so it actually can help digestion of other feedstuffs. this in additon to the respectable amounts of minerals it contains. so you won't neccesesarily get more bang for your buck feeding soy meal if you take everything into consideration.

[hoofinitnorth]

I agree, DQ, of course you can't compare straight soybean meal fully to Calf Manna, which is why I mentioned I use soybean meal as *a part* of my grain mix.

For me, I prefer to control the ingredients in my goats' feed as much as I can, avoiding "mystery ingredients" or cheap fillers (like floor sweepings) and understanding from where my raw materials come (especially in times when our processed animal feeds are apparently being contaminated with things like melamine). In addition to some peace of mind, this gives me better results for less money in the long run, I think. YMMV.

When you mentioned fenugreek I thought of anise, another common additive in feeds that is supposed to help improve appetites, etc. Totally different from fenugreek, of course, so this is just an aside.