how do you get goats to drink?

JoannaCW · #1 02/12/14, 12:21 PM

My Alpine who's still (barely) in milk continues to look and act healthy and produce very little milk. Last time we had enough milk to make cheese the solid content was considrerably above normal. I am wondering whether part of her problem is not drinking enough.
The goats (the milker and the pregnant dry one) get fresh warm water 3x/day, and I rinse the buckets with hot water between times and scrub them if there's any discoloration. Sometimes she'll drink molasses water, sometimes not. Yesterday am each goat drank a gallon or so when it was offered. This am, since it had been well below zero overnight, I gave them molasses water instead of regular water; the two girls together drank less than half a gallon all morning. (I switched them back to regular warm water, which didn't seem to enthuse them either.)
I don't think they're actually dehydrated--they're peeing, their skin doesn't stay pinched, they're eating robustly. But is there any way to coax more fluid into them? How much should they be drinking at this time of year?

punchiepal · #2 02/12/14, 01:24 PM

Our resident "old lady" has been challenging us this winter. Her former owner told us recently that she did the same last winter. It had to be VERY warm water with ACV in it or she wouldn't drink it. Before we found this out we got her to drink by heating up 2/3 gal of water, add 1.5 cups shredded beet pulp, some alfalfa pellets, and 1/3 gal water to cool to temp. She gets this 2-3x a day.

Try -
Apple Cider Vinegar
Lemonade (we get the presugared canisters)
Raspberry lemonade
Concentrated apple juice

JoannaCW · #3 02/12/14, 01:40 PM

Will try--thanks! How much ACV do you use per gallon?
Does using ACV increase the chance of acidosis?

xymenah · #4 02/12/14, 01:48 PM

My goats love cranberry juice so sometimes I'll put that in their water.

PrettyPaisley · #5 02/12/14, 01:50 PM

I've mixed up what seems like millions of gallons of 1 cup ACV, 2 TBSP salt, 3 TBSP blackstrap molasses to a gallon of warm water and they drink it like it's going out of style. Between being cold, struggling with worms, pneumonia and kidding-we go through tons of this stuff.

wintrrwolf · #6 02/12/14, 07:28 PM

I know when I add the ACV to the water all my goats drink it a lot better. I use 1/4 cup per gallon.

CadesLilFarm · #7 02/12/14, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoannaCW

Will try--thanks! How much ACV do you use per gallon?
Does using ACV increase the chance of acidosis?

I put in one cap full per 5 gallons.

Alice In TX/MO · #8 02/12/14, 09:10 PM

Top dress their feed with some of their minerals/salt to encourage more water intake.

GreenMomma · #9 02/13/14, 01:22 AM

This might sound really weird... but in all the different types of critters that we have, it seems like each species has some that prefer the fresh/super clean water and some that like the "aged" stuff, lol. I try to keep at least 2 waters in most paddocks, one large one that gets topped off and one smaller bucket that is fresh and gets dumped and filled. I have noticed that certain animals (horses, goats, chickens and hogs) just prefer the older water. Our older water troughs all have gold fish in them, some algae, etc. The clean waters get dumped and rinsed regularly, scrubbed once in a while (when the bucket needs it).

You might consider just having an "aged water" bucket in addition to your current set up. Maybe she'll be one that enjoys drinking more when there's no chlorine or after the water has some algae in it??

mrs whodunit · #10 02/13/14, 08:07 AM

I use molasses or powdered Gatorade (when I am out on the trail) when I really need a goat to drink.

JoannaCW · #11 02/13/14, 08:09 AM

Thanks all! Alice, their minerals and salt are in a block. Would sprinkling a little plain salt (coarse kosher? iodized table?) on their grain be acceptable, or would it discourage them from licking the salt block and getting the minerals they need?

**mygoat** · #12 02/13/14, 08:13 AM

Kick the block to the curb and switch to loose quality minerals. Blocks are inadequate.

JoannaCW · #13 02/13/14, 08:35 AM

Thanks. Looking at what's locally available--I know minerals formulated for sheep don't have enough copper for goats. How about minerals labeled for cattle and horses? I can get American Stockman Se-90 with selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine and iron.

CadesLilFarm · #14 02/13/14, 09:10 AM

Yeah throw that block to the birds, loose minerals. Be safe and get a goat formula, then see if your feed store can order you Cargill Right Now Onyx cow minerals. I use it and it has the best stuff in it for goats

CadesLilFarm · #15 02/13/14, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoannaCW

Thanks. Looking at what's locally available--I know minerals formulated for sheep don't have enough copper for goats. How about minerals labeled for cattle and horses? I can get American Stockman Se-90 with selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine and iron.

Do not get American Stockman, there is WAY too much salt in their products. See if you can get MannaPro goat minerals, or Sweetlix meatmaker goat minerals. See if your feed store can order you Cargill Right Now Onyx

CadesLilFarm · #16 02/13/14, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CadesLilFarm

Do not get American Stockman, there is WAY too much salt in their products. See if you can get MannaPro goat minerals, or Sweetlix meatmaker goat minerals. See if your feed store can order you Cargill Right Now Onyx

DO NOT get sheep or sheep and goat minerals! There is little or no copper in the sheep minerals! Goats NEED copper!

Alice In TX/MO · #17 02/13/14, 09:48 AM

Yes, you can sprinkle a little table salt on their feed. But get a good loose mineral, too.

Doug Hodges · #18 02/13/14, 09:55 AM

Loose minerals and put a bucket of water in front of them. I have a heated tank but when I was filling buckets to take to the chickens when the hose was froze, they acted like it was the only water they had ever seen. I ended up buying another smaller tank and putting in directly in one of the stalls. Each day when I fill it, its like they are going to die if they don't get a drink while its being filled. LOL

JoannaCW · #19 02/13/14, 10:25 AM

Okay, I'll have loose mineralized salt by evening feeding time. Any advice on how much of it to top-dress at a time? Thanks everyone.

CadesLilFarm · #20 02/13/14, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoannaCW

Okay, I'll have loose mineralized salt by evening feeding time. Any advice on how much of it to top-dress at a time? Thanks everyone.

No, don't topdress it on their feed. Offer it free choice. That means, 24/7 access to it. That way, they can get what they need, in the amounts they need. You just don't know if it is adequate amounts they are getting. So please don't topdress their feed. Offer it free choie.