I need a clear answer on feed

[shdybrady]

Ok as some of you know Im tring to figure my away around goats. Also we have a lactating nubian. Well my wife was raised on a farm by her stepdad that had some very old school ways. She had always fed her goats sweet feed and added cracked corn for the winter. As I read on here some ya'll advise against it. What should I feeding my goats for the best quality milk?

[nehimama]

The number ONE component of a lactating doe's menu should be CALCIUM. Some form of alfalfa. As I can't find consistently good alfalfa hay consistently, I feed alfalfa pellets. On the milkstand, a good quality dairy ration is preferred. I feed Goat Grower & Developer from MFA (non-medicated) on the milkstand. Alfalfa pellets free choice.

Hope this helps!

[wintrrwolf]

I feed sweet feed to my horses, goats, and chickens.
I add alfalfa pellets to my Doe's feed since they are preggers and will feed it while they are lactating as well.
Hay, goat minerals, and baking soda.
Corn is a filler fiber personally don't think there is anything really wrong with cracked corn its said corn comes out the same way it went in. Been debating with myself on getting a bag and mixing it up with my sweet feed.
There are times before that I would add BOSS (good for the coat) but the price has gone way up.
I keep my feeding regime as simple as possible

[shdybrady]

ok whats the baking soda for? Do you just sprinkle it over the feed?

[shdybrady]

Also a side note about corn. I was told kernel corn is the stuff they cant process. By cracking it and exposing the meat it allows them to digest it. I havent seen it in their droppings yet

["SPIKE"]

You will get a lot of opinions with that question! LOL So here is mine.

Keep it simple!
Get a good goat ration (made just for goats! not multistock.) that contains all the vitamins and minerals that a goat needs. Unmedicated for lactating does.
Add alfalfa pellets (less wasteful than alfalfa hay)
Good quality mixed grass hay.

IMO that is basics but do add goat loose minerals add free choice baking soda.
Add BOSS if you wish and can justify the cost.

SPIKE

[shdybrady]

ok you said free choice baking soda. Does it come in block form? And my goats do get horse quality hay, as well as being on a pasture diet

[Alice In TX/MO]

There is NO one answer. Everyone does it differently, and there's a lot of passion about feed.

My vet, who is a semi-retired bovine lactation expert, says NO CORN!!!

My understanding is that sweet feed isn't good. I don't feed my human children and grandchildren sweet cereal, and I won't feed it to goats.

The easiest thing to do is feed a small amount of a goat dairy pellet, whichever brand you can find locally, alfalfa pellets (perhaps free choice), and grass hay. The horse hay is fine. Maybe a 1/4 cup of BOSS per goat per day for a shiny coat and other benefits.

Buy the biggest box of Arm and Hammer baking soda you can find. Buy a two compartment mineral feeder. Put a LOOSE mineral in one side and the baking soda in the other. Only a half cup of each, as more will cake up and they won't want it. Add as necessary. Note: block form minerals are not adequate for goats.

Here's the mineral feeder:
http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/051...rating&dir=asc

["SPIKE"]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Buy the biggest box of Arm and Hammer baking soda you can find. Buy a two compartment mineral feeder. Put a LOOSE mineral in one side and the baking soda in the other. Only a half cup of each, as more will cake up and they won't want it. Add as necessary. Note: block form minerals are not adequate for goats.

Here's the mineral feeder:
http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/051...rating&dir=asc

Yep, what Alice said.
Since I am here everyday, I don't even put out that much at one time. Seems no matter where or how I mount the feeder, someone will soil it! (Pee or poo in it)

SPIKE

[Cannon_Farms]

If you can find godfreys dairy goat feed near you (is a southern exclusive) that mixed with alfalfa pellets will give you the best quality of milk, and I have tried every diet I can come up with at TSC and other feed stores.

I note each new regimen my goats get put on and so far this is the only other that works well for us.
Summer months, oats and alfalfa pellets with boss
Winter all grain, alfalfa pellets with boss, Either season when Im not using Godfreys feed I use 20lbs of Boss to 90-100lbs of grains and use a 50/50 mix with the grain and pellets.
With Godfreys I dont mix any boss because they stay shinny enough and keep a good weight.

This is one of my does who is due to kid anyday now, shes not very big looking on this side, but note her coat is in excellent condition
[IMG][/IMG]

If you cant find alfalfa hay rye grass is a good less expensive alternative and less wasteful than the alfalfa hay which is why most of us feed pellets because of all the waste.
TSC's pasture minerals are good for our area but since you only have small herd use the mana pro minerals.
I will be selling copper bolus again soon and Ill be glad to send you some.

[nehimama]

They will eat the baking soda to prevent or appease an upset stomach. They know when they need it, so I keep it out all the time. You can probably get a 50# bag of animal grade at your feed store. It's Sodium BiCarbonate.

[LoneStrChic23]

TSC sells a small, blacl, two sided, square mineral feeder for $4. Mount it inside your barn, out of the weather. Loose minerals in one side, baking soda on the other. Refill as they empty it. No mineral blocks, loose minerals are far better.

Alfalfa in some form (I prefer pellets), I feed it in a big trough & make sure my milking girls can have as much as they want.

Grass hay of some sort.

Grain or a pelleted ration. I mix my own, but you can always buy a pelleted dairy goat ration to simplify things.

If you want to add fat to the diet, I reccomend rice bran pellets over BOSS. I used to feed BOSS, but now it's $28.99 for 40lb. The Manna Pro rice bran pellets (red bag, TSC) are $17 for 40lbs & it's higher fat & vitamin e than BOSS, so I use much less (I usually top dress milk stand grain with about 3/4 of a cup)

There is no one way to feed. Everyone does it differently. Make sure they have hay, long stemmed fiber ensures a healthy rumem. Make sure they have alfalfa so they can milk & grow kids without leaching calcium from their own bodies. Make sure they have a good loose mineral. Provide baking soda to prevent stomach upsets & acidosis.

Choose a grain that works for you. Grain is for providing fat & calories to maintain condition, but forages (alfalfa pellets & hay) should be the bulk of your diet.

[thaiblue12]

I am going to give you a different answer, lol! We all do it a bit different, some of it depends on area. Here I can only get Classy Goat Feed which contains a TON of molasses and my goats hate and I mean hate it! Mine also will not touch beet pulp and that is fine since it is a weight gainer and mine do not need beefing up.
I live in cow/horse country so very little is made for goats here. I use loose cow minerals since it contains the most copper and horse minerals are too expensive.
Also your budget plays a factor, so both things have to be considered and then that is what you end up feeding.

I do two parts alfalfa pellets plus one part 3 way grain. It has a little molasses but not a huge amount. They have horse quality grass hay. I have loose minerals out there for them, baking soda on occassion since they make an extra special effort to go to the bathroom in it.


Crystal I have a question... the rice bran does not make them fat? You just sprinkle a bit over it and it works like BOSS? I have an entire bag that I paid $24 for but only used one cup for the goat with an ulcer. It has just been sitting in the extra feed barrel I have. If it works the same maybe I will try a bit.

[Charleen]

We buy bicarb (baking soda) in a 50# bag for about $13 and a dish of this is left out for them free choice.

They have free access to water and hay. Right now we have 1st cutting. 2nd cutting will be fed when they freshen. Bucks only receive 1st cutting.

We used to buy Blue Seal Caprine Challenger but wanted to get away from sweet feed. We could detect an aftertaste in the milk when feeding sweet feeds. Plus, it was expensive.

We now have a 16% pellet (called Super 16) that our feed store mixes. http://www.piercemilling.com/feed.php3 We mix this with BOSS and our own oats. Occasionally, add cracked corn during the coldest of coldest nights.

If we don't have any 2nd cutting we'll purchase alfalfa pellets and add those instead.

[LoneStrChic23]

Thiablue, I haven't had a problem with fat goats. They went a while with no top dressing thanks to BOSS prices, and after I put them on the rice bran pellets (mine don't like the powdery meal) I noticed shiner coats & my heavy milker maintained condition better.

Not sure if it is related or not, but about 2 weeks after I started giving Sabrina the rice bran on the stand twice a day, the cream (butterfat) in her milk improved greatly! She's an Alpine who milked 14lbs at 2 weeks fresh, & after the rice bran I started seeing a 1/2"-3/4" layer of cream on the morning milk, by evening time (10-12 hours after being milked), where as before it took a day or 2 to see noticeable cream, in lesser amounts. She was in her 6 or 7 month of lactation...... So I don't know if it was the time period of her lactation, or the added fat thay contributed to the extra cream. I enjoyed it though

Bleuberry gets fat on air, and right now is only getting a few handfuls of grain as a treat (shes due in March) with just a smidge of rice bran (a few tablespoons I'd guess). If she needs more once in milk though, I'll probably start her out at a 1/4 cup & see how it goes. Poor Sabrina will milk herself skeletal, so she always gets a bit of rice bran, even now, though shes dry.

[shdybrady]

well I just got back from tsc and I got loose minerals for goats, a pelleted goat feed, alfalfa pellets and baking soda from the dolllar store. I talked to a goat breeder and he said limit my billy's alfalfa intake because he can form kidney stones. What do yall think?

[Alice In TX/MO]

You MUST balance the feed for the bucks. It's calcium and phosphorous that must be in the proper ratio, or they will get urinary calculi.

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/ar...calculi06.html

You can also treat them with ammonium chloride to prevent stones. There is NOT enough in 'medicated' goat feed to prevent disaster.

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm

[Oat Bucket Farm]

Too much phosphorus or too much calcium either one will cause stones. A good balance is what is needed.

[thaiblue12]

I have the powdery kind, the vet told me to get it but did not say pellets or powder and the feed store only had powdered kind so that was what I went with. I will see if they will touch it.

shdybrady with any diet changes do it slowly. They can bloat or throw off their rumen with sudden changes.
My bucks eat alfalfa pellets, a small bit of grain and grass hay, they have no urinary issues in the almost 5 years I have been feeding them this way. Grain with wethers I worry more since the bucks need some especially during the breeding season. Wethers never need it but mine are in the doe herd so I limit theirs far more then the bucks.

[mrs.H]

I totaly agree with Spike, Alice and Cannonfarms. I live a little north of Gainseville Ga. Except for last year(!) our winters are not bad enough to worry about extra corn for heat.