mixing my own grain

[TroutRiver]

I want to feed my own whole grain mix this year instead of pelleted dairy feed. I haven't started feeding grain to my does yet, but will soon since they will be kidding in late May. I am still fidgeting with the recipe, but how does this sound?

50% alfalfa pellets

other 50%:

2 parts cracked corn
2 parts barley
2 parts whole oats
1 part BOSS

Have any of you supplemented with flax seed? I can get bulk flax seed for very cheap, so if it would be beneficial, I would add a little to my mix.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I don't mix the alfalfa pellets with the grain/concentrate. The herd gets alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay free choice. The grain is for the milk stand and a WEE bit for pregnant does and kids learning to nibble.

[LomahAcres]

I wouldn't mix the alfalfa pellets with the grain either. Alfalfa should be free choice, but grain needs to be rationed. Our mix is pretty much the same but we cut out the corn, didn't like all the chemicals our farmers are pouring into it these days. Also it was driving our protein % down, we have it at 12% now that we cut the corn, which is good for the full grown milker. Plus we sell the milk and some of our customers didn't want corn fed milk. Never tried flax seed.

[wmsff]

My intention is not to hyjack this thread; I am hoping for more responses.

But... My new vet advised me that alfalfa is not the best feed, I should go with 2nd or 3rd cutting grassy hay w/clover. And corn is pretty much a NO-NO especially if it's more than cracked (like chicken scratch).

I see so many people here feeding cracked corn in large percentages of feed.

I know many of us have large animal vets who don't often treat goats and that is the problem. My new vet says he sees a lot of goats, but again, they have very different systems and nutritional requirements.

Please experts, or near experts continue to add to this link on your successful care.

Thanks again

[KSALguy]

alfalfa or any good legume hay is great for goats, grass hay will work but its not best, alfalfa, soybean, peanut, kudzu are all good goat hays,

[AuntKitty]

I feed peanut hay, alfalfa pellets, oats for pregnant & milking does, handful of BOSS sprinkled over the top, Cargill Onyx minerals and baking soda. My Nubians are sleek & shiny and give me healthy kids with no kidding problems so far. In fact they kid so quickly and problem free that I haven't seen a birth yet in 2 seasons of owning them.

Kitty

[TroutRiver]

I can get local, organically grown cracked corn here for a reasonable price, so I'm not too worried about chemicals in it. My goats don't eat hay in the summer, they are on pasture 24/7. I guess I could offer them alfalfa pellets on pasture, but I like to give them more on the milk stand so that it takes them awhile to eat. I'm not sure how offering them free choice alfalfa pellets would affect their grazing?? I am guessing they would eat a lot more pellets and less grass...

[LomahAcres]

Originally Posted by TroutRiver

I'm not sure how offering them free choice alfalfa pellets would affect their grazing?? I am guessing they would eat a lot more pellets and less grass...

I think only at first when it's a 'new' thing. My girls get alfalfa hay year round. In the winter when the pasture is gone they will chow down about 90# a day. But when summer grass comes in they'd rather be out grazing and only eat about 35# a day.

[LomahAcres]

Originally Posted by wmsff

My intention is not to hyjack this thread; I am hoping for more responses.

But... My new vet advised me that alfalfa is not the best feed, I should go with 2nd or 3rd cutting grassy hay w/clover. And corn is pretty much a NO-NO especially if it's more than cracked (like chicken scratch).

I see so many people here feeding cracked corn in large percentages of feed.

I know many of us have large animal vets who don't often treat goats and that is the problem. My new vet says he sees a lot of goats, but again, they have very different systems and nutritional requirements.

Please experts, or near experts continue to add to this link on your successful care.

Thanks again

The BEST hay for your goats really depends on the type/breed of goat and what you're doing with them. Yard ornament wethers, or browse goats not used for breeding will be just fine on grass hay. But when you have a heard full of lean milking machines who put everything into the milk bucket, you need alfalfa to keep them their best.

Corn is pretty much just a filler, the down side is that it drowns out your protein percentage for milking stock.

I would NOT feed soybean hay as someone else suggested. Soybeans are naturally toxic and can wreck havoc on a goats digestive track and cause growth problems when fed in large amounts. I do believe most of the toxicity is found in the beans themselves, rather then the stems, but I still would not feed this plant in its raw form to my goats.

[CaliannG]

Originally Posted by LomahAcres

I would NOT feed soybean hay as someone else suggested. Soybeans are naturally toxic and can wreck havoc on a goats digestive track and cause growth problems when fed in large amounts. I do believe most of the toxicity is found in the beans themselves, rather then the stems, but I still would not feed this plant in its raw form to my goats.

~blinks in confusion~ Kirsten, are you sure? All of the pelleted feeds use soybean meal as the protein base. When I run out of the custom mixed feed, I use lactation pellet, which has a soybean meal base. Actually, the local goat' gathering's custom mix has a soybean meal base.

Or does the toxicity go away when it goes from being a soybean through the evolution that turns it into a bag of soybean meal at my co-op?

Honestly wondering about this.

[LoneStrChic23]

Definately free choice on the alfalfa....mine went crazy over it in the beginning, but now just nibble it throughout the day. My alfalfa pellets, coastal hay and Right Now Onyx minerals are free choice.....If I mix the alfalfa pellets in with the grain, they pick through it to get the grain and most of the alfalfa ends up on the ground. By feeding it separate they usually clean up the daily amount of alfalfa pellets by late evening or the following morning...

I personally would cut back the amount of corn to 1/2 parts or 1 part. After the cold was gone my grain mix was 6 parts whole oats, 2 parts BOSS, 1 part cracked corn. Recently added in Purina Dairy Parlor 16% (started 1/2 & 1/2...now it's about 3/4 Dairy Parlor, 1/4 grain) and am loving the results a far as production goes

Don't see how flax seed oil would hurt. Have a lil spritzed over the mix just to keep the dust down.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by CaliannG

~blinks in confusion~ Kirsten, are you sure? All of the pelleted feeds use soybean meal as the protein base. When I run out of the custom mixed feed, I use lactation pellet, which has a soybean meal base. Actually, the local goat' gathering's custom mix has a soybean meal base.

Or does the toxicity go away when it goes from being a soybean through the evolution that turns it into a bag of soybean meal at my co-op?

Honestly wondering about this.

Yes, cooking changes it and makes it digestible.

[LomahAcres]

Originally Posted by CaliannG

~blinks in confusion~ Kirsten, are you sure? All of the pelleted feeds use soybean meal as the protein base. When I run out of the custom mixed feed, I use lactation pellet, which has a soybean meal base. Actually, the local goat' gathering's custom mix has a soybean meal base.

Or does the toxicity go away when it goes from being a soybean through the evolution that turns it into a bag of soybean meal at my co-op?

Honestly wondering about this.

Soybeans are cured of their toxins in a 3 year process. Here in the US however, we think we can cheat it and try for 1 year. This removes many of the toxins, but there are still some present in the feeds. I feed calf manna - a soy protein based pellet, to growing kids, but only in the quantity of 1/4 to 1/2 cup per head per day. In small amounts soy can be a good thing. I would not use it as a main source of hey or a grain that had high amounts of soy in it. Last year I met a man who had herd of Nubians and he used Calf manna in much higher amounts - 2-4lbs a head. He said they always had problems with bloat in the goats, they were also more flat sided - like rumen hadn't devolved quite right. They later switched to a homemade grain, and rarely saw bloat again.

[CaliannG]

Thanks! I am always happy to learn something new.

I have to admit that I didn't know the process that soybeans go through to make soybean meal. Now, I could tell you the process that VANILLA beans go through to become vanilla, but I doubt anyone is going to feed vanilla beans to their goats.

[Creamers]

y new vet advised me that alfalfa is not the best feed, I should go with 2nd or 3rd cutting grassy hay w/clover. And corn is pretty much a NO-NO especially if it's more than cracked (like chicken scratch).

Make sure you're using a hay high in calcium if you're forgoing alfalfa for lactating does. A grass hay will not be it.

I tried two different times to do my own custom mix and have no been happy with the does condition either time -
I did a mix of:
100 # wheat

150 # rolled barley

100 # beet pulp

50 # linseed pellets

50 # alfalfa pellets

50 # black oil sunflower seeds

50 # wet molasses

5 # goat mineral mix

and then recently I did:
Whole Oats, BOSS and corn. . .with free choice Alfalfa pellets. .
150 # whole oats

I'm going back to Caprine Challenger by Blue Seal and then when the local feed guy can get it in, Nutrena Doe and Kid

[smwon]

Originally Posted by TroutRiver

I want to feed my own whole grain mix this year instead of pelleted dairy feed. I haven't started feeding grain to my does yet, but will soon since they will be kidding in late May. I am still fidgeting with the recipe, but how does this sound?

50% alfalfa pellets

other 50%:

2 parts cracked corn
2 parts barley
2 parts whole oats
1 part BOSS

Have any of you supplemented with flax seed? I can get bulk flax seed for very cheap, so if it would be beneficial, I would add a little to my mix.

There has to be as may ideas about feeding goats as there are goats that eat the feed. I think your original formula is a good one and is similar to what I feed. There is nothing wrong with adding alfalfa pellets to the grain mix, it adds protein and other good stuff. If you are not pasturing your goats then hay (or hay pellets) should be available all the times.

According to Pat Coleby, flax is more beneficial than BOSS... also remember you need to be sure to have loose minerals available at all times for them also.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I feed almost the same mix your wanting to do TroutRiver but I don't mix any corn in it. I do give them a little added cracked corn in the really cold winter months but just a little bit to help keep them warmer.

If I mix the alfafa pellets in the feed the girls nose around in it, eat all the grain & then leave the pellets & walk away. If I put the alfafa pellets seperate they eat them no problem.
Mine also have alfafa/grass hay 24/7.