better feed = better goats

littlequail · #1 01/23/12, 06:40 PM

better feed = better goats

i have not had problems with any feed Mixture i have made so far but it plays with my mind to try to always In prove what i can buy my livestock. my goats started with Pure TSC brand all-stock mixed with a scoop of manna pro Minerals and balancer. 2 times a day.

i then added a scoop of alfalfa pellets with that feed mix, and soon after beet pulp pellets to it as well.

from watching them eat it for a few weeks, they hated the beet pulp,almost every feeding they didnt touch it, they slowly took to the alfalfa pellets. after a few weeks i was running out and drove to TSC to stock up.

i was out of alfalfa pellets and balancer, and beet pulp...and so was the store

so i got a bag of goat noble and worked with that in the diet of

All-stock,Manna pro minerals,and goat noble = they didn't go nuts for the goat noble and when i read the tag, it said it was Medicated even though the bag said nothing the tag did, and how i shouldn't drink the milk if i milk them...well i was a bit puzzled at that... i returned to the store to try to get the other stuff again

still out of balancer, i turned to Manna calf, very expensive ! but it was a 50 pound bag so i added that to there new diet.

i tried a new feed store, with better prices, i ordered a new feed "Purina goat chow" for $16 dollars, new brand of all stock "cross roads" has a bit more stuff in it for them, they will still be on manna calf"

now i have been looking at stuff i can also add to it maybe boss or rice bran? heard people use that, why? this new feed store seems cheaper

TSC PRICES
all stock 12% sweet 9.99
goat noble 13.99
Purina goat chow 19.00

new feed store
all stock 10% sweet 8.41
goat noble 11.90
Purina goat chow 16.00

there new diet will be = manna calf,alfalfa pellets,Purina goat chow, all stock mix....they also get hay, i ordered western alfalfa hay so i will see how that goes.

what do you feed, what would be some things to add to this diet?

Alice In TX/MO · #2 01/23/12, 07:44 PM

I can't read that. Can you fix it so it's not centered? THANKS!!

nzw tom · #3 01/23/12, 07:46 PM

i feed noble goat, oats, and a little calf manna. I also feed hay.

Backfourty,MI. · #4 01/23/12, 08:12 PM

Mine don't like the alfafa pellets if I mix them in with their grain so I feed those in the black 2 sided mineral dishes that TSC sell's & they love them that way.

I would stick with either the Noble Goat or the Purina but to feed them both is probly almost like feeding 2 of the same kind of feed. I'm not sure & I didn't look up the ingredients in those 2 feeds but seems like double duty kinda.
The give the alfafa pellets, your calf manna & a good hay. The hay should be free choice 24/7.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 01/23/12, 08:52 PM

THANK YOU!

Make sure the variety of Noble Goat or Goat Chow aren't the medicated ones, either.

It won't kill you, even if they eat some of it and you drink the milk, but it's not recommended.

I wouldn't bother with Calf Manna at all if they are getting feed and alfalfa pellets. It's not adding anything except that stink. (Can't stand that stuff.)

Yes, hay free choice.

What is balancer?

littlequail · #6 01/23/12, 08:58 PM

manna pro goat balancer it comes in a red bag, i liked it the goats seem to enjoy it. but its now never in-stock. its about 10 bucks. the goat noble Never said anything about being Medicated, but i found out the normal "noble goat" is medicated the bag doesn't say anything, check the feed tag it does from what i read the Goat chow isnt

Alice In TX/MO · #7 01/23/12, 09:04 PM

I looked up the balancer. VERY expensive way to feed minerals, etc. Save your money.

littlequail · #8 01/23/12, 09:18 PM

it really is. i have the manna calf is seems to do well with them and i have alot left to use, so am going to use that from what i read Goat chow has pretty much everything they need but i wanna make sure, i think i wanna ad BOSS or rice mana but not sure what they do, i think it does something with coat and gaining weight?

Cannon_Farms · #9 01/23/12, 09:19 PM

if you have pockets of spare money please send me some then continue feeding the way you are.
Before I can say too much what are your goals with your goats? I think goat chow makes milk taste bad. Calf mana is a waste of good money. Noble goat, good stuff but I dont use it for my milkers.

Goats cant use over 17% protein the rest is peed out.
The vast majority of a goats diet should be forage, oats can count as some forage but cant make up for the good green stuff. I use Rye grass because its as high as alfalfa grass in protein and fats but a great deal more affordable and easier to find here. Peanut hay is another good alternative (perennial).

The reason behind BOSS is the fat level and of course those give the goat a shinny coat and good butter fat.
Cobb is another popular feed type because its been proven over and over again to work, thats corn oats and barley, most all grains have those we personally stay away from soy because we think it makes the milk taste off.

We use either Godfreys dairy goat blend or All grain, standlee pellets with boss. if your goats cant maintain themselves well off of that then you may have bigger problems.

In my goats off time they actually do quite well meaning fat enough and shinny off the all stock at tsc, some of the biggest show herds feed all stock as their major base grains, though most wont admit it.

Mine love beet pulp but its not cost effective against other things that can give me the same benefits without the cost.

KIS is the best advice I can give, KEEP IT SIMPLE. Goat balancer and all that crud is marketing and has no real benefit over lesser priced more for your money items.

Im telling you this as a manager in a TSC store as well as a person that has been there and done every goat diet you can imagine.

prairiedog · #10 01/23/12, 09:26 PM

Ours do great on plain oats,BOSS,free choice alfalfa pellets beet pulp shreds and good hay and of course a good loose mineral and plenty of water

littlequail · #11 01/23/12, 09:32 PM

they are just milk goats, i just want to make sure i give them everything they need, am not going to buy the Goat Balancer again, i will keep them on the all stock-goat chow-manna calf and alfalfa pellets mix until i run out

Oat Bucket Farm · #12 01/23/12, 09:48 PM

We tried the goat balancer but a combination of it not being in stock consistently and a lack of enthusiasm from the goats made us stop using it.

You will get better results with your goats if you feed the grain ration only on the stand and give them the alfalfa pellets pretty much free choice along with their hay.

LoneStrChic23 · #13 01/23/12, 10:16 PM

I feed a mix of Purina Strategy Healthy Edge high fat, low protein horse feed mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with whole oats as my milkstand grain.

Recently got 4 bags of beet pulp shreds for FREE so I mixed in a bit of that too as they love the shreds. I top dress with rice bran pellets for extra fat (BOSS is too expensive for me). Protein is around 13% & the girls love it, milk well, & are glossy. My mix comes out much cheaper than the bagged goat feeds & the girls like it better. Most expensive part of their grain is the rice bran pellets-$17 for 40lbs, but that 40lbs will last me about 6-7 months.

I keep a feeder out that has alfalfa pellets in it all the time. Coastal/Sudan hay is available free choice.

Mineral feeder has Cargill Right Now Onyx minerals in it at all times.

wintrrwolf · #14 01/23/12, 10:44 PM

I had a loose mineral from Orchelans that was marked for goats good copper content too. goats loved it, so did my horses and guess what ???!! They aren't going to carry it anymore!!! So got the next choice of loose mineral (cattle) that has a decent enough copper content along with vitamins and my goats won't even touch it (sigh)
Prices on all the feed have gone up and its getting depressing. What I used to feed has changed drastically, having to choose now between alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, or boss well alfalfa wins out everytime.

2doordad · #15 01/24/12, 08:24 AM

If you are buying from your Goat Chow from TSC they have a Dumor store brand that is textured the same. it is pretty much identical and cheaper.

"SPIKE" · #16 01/24/12, 09:19 AM

I went back to a thread that is now on page 11 to copy what I posted last time about feed;

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

I need a clear answer on feed

littlequail · #17 01/26/12, 07:17 AM

all good answers, i just was worried i wasn't giving my goats enough. i was at the store, how much do you feed boss? a spoon full,cup,..more? because WOW that's Expensive stuff. my order of feeds comes tomorrow, we will use what we have now and see what happens, Am shocked calf manna doesn't do anything? why such bad reviews?

prairiedog · #18 01/26/12, 08:03 AM

We feed three parts oats to one part boss. In other words we have a measure scoop that we mix our feed with we put three scoops of oats to one scoop of BOSS in and mix it up and feed out of that can. We settled on this mixture after talking to Emily it has worked with her for so long we figured we couldn't miss and it works great.