Deer, goats, and chicken feed...

[Wingdo]

Just for my information, as this is a life full of lessons, I'd like to know...

For about the past 10 years we have had deer coming into the hen-house and cleaning out the chicken feeders. I know this for a fact as I personally got real close to being run over a couple of times when I startled the overgrown jack-rabbits! They jump the gate, crawl through a crack in the gates, or have knocked down a door, in order to get access, and then they just clean the feeders out and move on.

My son shot one, and I shot another about a month later as it was caught crumbly-faced in the feeders of a mornin'. Now the question...

Since deer and goat have about the same anatomy, and compete for grazing right in the field, why is it that chicken feed will kill a goat but seemingly has no affect on deer? At least not one that affects their taste for chicken feed.

[Cyngbaeld]

LOL, it won't even kill all goats, only the ones you value. If it is a wether that you are planning to butcher, he can pork on it all day to no adverse affect. (He is in the fridge right now, about to get canned.)

[Wingdo]

"it won't even kill all goats, only the ones you value"

Guess I didn't tell you... we sold all the goats in March and got a couple of horses for my oldest boy. I restarted in the Boer goat business in May and now have 3 doelings and two pregnant does. My luck, they'd all five be dead after a breath of the crumbles.

By the by, have you ever seen a buck deer and a buck Boer argue? It's quite fascinating when they get serious about it.

[Cyngbaeld]

I bet that would be interesting to watch. Do you have any dairy does then? I have 2 LaMancha does and 2 doelings and one Nubian doe. I have to make sure they are in their pens before I feed the birds in the evening and make sure NO poultry feed is available to them when they are let out in the morning. They ALWAYS find it if I forget. They can sure scarf it down in a big hurry too. Can not figure out why they would bypass all the lovely grass and weeds to pork on what will kill them.

[Wingdo]

Nah... I spent the first 30 years of my life milking cows/horses so I think I'll just stick with the Boer goats and call it a day for now. I did have one Boer I milked for a time, but it was just to feed a triplet for a few weeks.

I was thinking on getting a Nubian, or two, just so we can stop buying coffee creamer... that stuff is outrageously priced so I figure a Nubian would keep us coffee'd (I'm sure that isn't a word, but you get the drift) right nicely.

[hillbillly]

what's in chicken feed that kills goats ?

[Cyngbaeld]

It is too rich for them and causes bloat and/or founder. That is why you have to be real careful about running them together. I feed the poultry in the evening after the goats are up and make sure all the feed is cleaned up prior to letting the goats loose in the morning.

[fishhead]

Do they have the same number of stomachs? That might make the difference.

[Cyngbaeld]

Deer and goats are very closely related. Both have four compartments to their stomachs. Both have no upper front teeth, just pads. Both do well on food with low nutrients. They can eat very rapidly, just chewing enough to get the food swallowed. Then later they chew their food while resting in a protected spot. That is why you have to move very fast if one gets into the feed barrel or the poultry feeder. They can get more food down than you can imagine, faster than you think possible. Not only is this expensive in lost feed, you can lose a valuable animal to boot.

Many of us keep, or want to keep, both poultry and goats. We need to be aware of the pitfalls.

I do put some feed in an area that has cattle panels around it. The smaller birds can get in, but not the goats. Unfortunately, my geese and turkeys cannot access it and of course the dogs can't get thru it either. Goats will scarf down dog food too, BTW so can't leave that out either.

[bigmudder77]

my fainting goat use to eat the chicken feed and so did my cows never hurt any of them i just got tired of putting it in different places cause they would all switch back and forth so i just got a big bucket and mixed it all in and put it in a home made feeder thing (mostly to just keep it off the ground) and they all ate it fine didnt die didnt get sick

but they were only in with the chickens for about 2 weeks till the cows got bigger and could be put in with the other cows the goat died of old age im guessing cause he was in with chickens for 13+ years and im sure always got in to there feed and i wouldnt think after 13 years of eating chicken feed that it would take that long to kill him

[fishhead]

I've seen my 200+ lb boer lie on his belly and crawl under the truck for a few kernals of corn.

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by hillbilly

what's in chicken feed that kills goats ?

Chicken feed isn't directly dangerous to goats or sheep. The problem is with the amount they will consume if they get the chance. If they eat a lot of grain it can cause real problems.

[fishhead]

I believe it has too much starch which gets converted to sugar and when the sugar is broken down by the bacteria in the gut the gut contents become too acidic and leads to a die off of the good bacteria.