creating my own grain ...

motdaugrnds · #1 03/03/12, 09:04 PM

I'ld like to grow "all" the grain I feed my small herd of registered Nubians. If anyone does this...or even grow a portion of the grain they feed goats...will you be so kind as to share what and how?

I've had goats since 1966 and have always purchased their grain, though we've harvested our own orchard grass.

I've been feeding them the following:
Purina Healthy Edge
Shreaded beet pulp
Alfalfa "pellets"
Whole Oats
Cracked Corn (during bad winter months)

(Anything I grow would need to be plants that will provide what they need to stay healthy.)

[Of course, I keep a balanced loose mineral out all the time, along with baking soda and fresh well water that is low in iron content.]

Any suggestions as to what to grow that could help me stop paying the outrageous prices the stores are now asking would be appreciated.

Whisperwindkat · #2 03/04/12, 05:29 AM

Black Oil Sunflower seeds. I have grown oats on a small scale and it is time consuming, labor intensive and I need a whole lot more land to have enough to put by for non growing time. Better to grow the oats in the pasture and let the goats graze on them. The sunflower seeds though I can grow most of what I need each year and they don't require near the space that other grains do. I get the benefit of feeding the thinnings to the goats also. We also grow some extra in the garden for the goats like turnips, peas, etc. When the pea plants are done or we are done with them then they get fed to the goats. All of this though is supplemental and keeps our purchased feed down, but doesn't eliminate it. What we do do is to keep there pastures planted in a wide variety of things such as clover, field peas, bahia grass, rye grass, oats, wheat, turnips and such. So they have a wide variety to graze and we have plenty of browse. Blessings, Kat

"SPIKE" · #3 03/04/12, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whisperwindkat

Black Oil Sunflower seeds. I have grown oats on a small scale and it is time consuming, labor intensive and I need a whole lot more land to have enough to put by for non growing time. Better to grow the oats in the pasture and let the goats graze on them. The sunflower seeds though I can grow most of what I need each year and they don't require near the space that other grains do. I get the benefit of feeding the thinnings to the goats also. We also grow some extra in the garden for the goats like turnips, peas, etc. When the pea plants are done or we are done with them then they get fed to the goats. All of this though is supplemental and keeps our purchased feed down, but doesn't eliminate it. What we do do is to keep there pastures planted in a wide variety of things such as clover, field peas, bahia grass, rye grass, oats, wheat, turnips and such. So they have a wide variety to graze and we have plenty of browse. Blessings, Kat

I pretty much agree with this post. I still buy a goat ration from the farmers co-op to ensure they get supplements they need (most vitamins and minerals). My goats get a lot of goodies from the garden.
But as far as BOSS go, I do grow them but to keep the dadburn finches from getting all of them, I started feeding the whole plant to the goats before the seeds are fully matured and dryable for storage.

SPIKE

Aussiemum · #4 03/04/12, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by "SPIKE"

I pretty much agree with this post. I still buy a goat ration from the farmers co-op to ensure they get supplements they need (most vitamins and minerals). My goats get a lot of goodies from the garden.
But as far as BOSS go, I do grow them but to keep the dadburn finches from getting all of them, I started feeding the whole plant to the goats before the seeds are fully matured and dryable for storage.

SPIKE

I have just grown my first crop of black sunflowers and the flower heads are just starting to drop petals.
Do you cut the heads off & hang them or leave them to dry on the plant?

sammyd · #5 03/05/12, 04:24 AM

switch your orchard grass to alfalfa and grow corn.
Shell the corn and feed them good alfalfa hay and whole shell corn.
You can skip the rest of the stuff.
Except the mineral and water of course.

Whisperwindkat · #6 03/05/12, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussiemum

I have just grown my first crop of black sunflowers and the flower heads are just starting to drop petals.
Do you cut the heads off & hang them or leave them to dry on the plant?

I cut them off leaving enough stem that I can hang them by. Then I hang them upside down on a clothesline stretched across my art studio. Otherwise if they are left outside the birds will get them all before they are dry. I also have a ceiling fan in the studio that keeps the air circulating. The flower heads can mold really easily before they completely dry out (ask me how I know). Good air circulation will keep that from happening. Blessings, Kat

sammyd · #7 03/05/12, 06:43 AM

We cut the flowers with about a foot of stem left on them, tie up in bundles and hang them from the rafters in the garage. they dry out nicely.

Alice In TX/MO · #8 03/05/12, 06:46 AM

Except that corn is NOT a good single grain for ruminants that you want to live a long and healthy life.

sammyd · #9 03/05/12, 08:35 AM

My goats didn't agree with you.

motdaugrnds · #10 03/06/12, 10:48 PM

Thank you all for helping. I sure need to find some way of getting around the prices. (Southern States sold one bag of shredded beet pulp for $17.95 and I think that is terrible.)

I don't like feeding my goats a lot of corn and I am thinking creating my own beet pulp would be labor intensive for me at this time in my life. I do need to rennovate the pastures; so maybe I can prepare one area for alfalfa. (Any particular brand?) Do you plant clover or lespedeza with alfalfa? I know nothing about growing this.

I am going to get a bag of deer food and spread it around to grow midst the orchard grass; and will plant some BOSS in an area of our fenced-in garden. Not sure abut oats yet. So much to think about and I feel so ignorant about it all. I do want to keep the small herd healthy; so I know whatever I grow needs to provide some balanced nutrition. I sure appreciate the help you all give in here.

Whisperwindkat · #11 03/07/12, 07:16 AM

Oats can be grown in the pasture. Think seasonally with your pasture. Oats and rye are cool weather grasses. Clover is a cool weather legume. Mix the three and you have a nice early spring and fall pasture. The clover will come back year after year, the oats won't and the rye will if it is perennial rye. Annual rye has to go to seed to come back. So we have those for the cool seasons then we have some lespedeza and bahia for summer. We also will toss out extra turnip seeds and such when the season is right to add some variety. Additionally, leave browse items like wild roses and brambles. It amazes me at how much the goats can eat down the wild roses and they come right back. Nothing kills those things. I don't grow alfalfa. However, both lespedeza and clover are legumes so I would plant a grass with the alfalfa. You can also grow field peas for a legume. Probably a lot cheaper than alfalfa. I know if the alfalfa gets infected with blister beetle it can kill a horse, not sure how it would affect a goat if it even would. Growing and preparing beets for beet pulp is labor intensive. I have grown mangle beets and they were a bear to cut up or shred up. And that was without cooking the sugar out of them. Too much trouble for the small yield. Hope that helps, Kat

motdaugrnds · #12 03/07/12, 10:01 AM

Yes, Kat, it does help.

The way our place is set up, the goats are all housed near the house in the big barn throughout winter months for convenience in their care; and there are two pastures available to them during these times. (I could plant the cool season crops in those areas.) Then all can be moved to the back "buck house" during the hot months because it is real shady back there and there is a pasture back there with lots of shade trees where I could plant the warm season crops.

What I am now thinking is to plant "perennial rye" in the front 2 pastures, along with some white (maybe red...not sure which would be best) and some oats. (The oats could be hand-spreaded twice a year in those pastures. Each pasture is just about an acre in size.) I believe the clover will keep nitrogen in the soil.

In the back pasture (about 1-1/2 acres) I can sew "bahia", though I need to research that grass as I'm not sure what it is or if it will grow in Virginia. I need to know, too if it is endophyte free before I bring it onto the place. Throwing some turnips and lespedeza in among this is a great idea and I'm guessing it would need to be done yearly in early spring.

Thanks so much for helping me.