# Why not to feed alfalfa?



## SassyKat6181 (May 11, 2012)

We picked up our 8 week old Nigerian dwarfs almost a week ago.  The instructions I got from the breeder say not to feed them alfalfa....why is that?  They do get meat goat pellets, kelp, min-a-vite, baking soda and hay.  Thanks!


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## elevan (May 11, 2012)

Some people are misinformed about calcium and urinary calculi.  Calcium does *not *cause urinary calculi.  And I would be willing to bet that this is the reason that your breeder told you not to feed alfalfa.

Go ahead and feed them it.  Keeping your Cah ratio at a minimum of 2:1 is a good thing in preventing urinary calculi and alfalfa helps you to do this.

Alfalfa pellets are the only pellet that we feed to our goats here now.  We no longer feed grain.


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## Catahoula (May 13, 2012)

We just got two 2.5 months boer wethers. We are feeding them goat pellets, alfalfa pellets, alfalfa hay and some grass hay with the mineral and kelp. We plan to feed them the goat pellets for a few months to encourage growth and will wean them off only feeding the alfalfa pellets/hay and grass hay. They get to browse on the property also. I did get 1:1 Cah ratio mineral because of the alfalfa and that's what the breeder feed them.


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## kstaven (May 14, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

> Some people are misinformed about calcium and urinary calculi.  Calcium does *not *cause urinary calculi.  And I would be willing to bet that this is the reason that your breeder told you not to feed alfalfa.
> 
> Go ahead and feed them it.  Keeping your Cah ratio at a minimum of 2:1 is a good thing in preventing urinary calculi and alfalfa helps you to do this.
> 
> Alfalfa pellets are the only pellet that we feed to our goats here now.  We no longer feed grain.




With the dairy herd we look for a heavy alfalfa loading in our hay. Keeps high production goats in great condition. 

If your not feeding a load of grain you shouldn't need baking soda.


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## SassyKat6181 (May 14, 2012)

They are doelings and our plan is to eventually have them bred and use their milk for our family.  I want them to grow and be as healthy as possible.  I love this site and BYC for all the knowledgeable people on here.  We gotta start somewhere right?


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## PotterWatch (May 14, 2012)

The vet we just had here this week to cast our buckling's leg gave me a lecture about alfalfa.  She said that it causes reproductive problems, because of the estrogen level in alfalfa, and urinary calculi.  I would love to see some studies that have been done.  I'm not sure what to believe now, but I have always fed my goats alfalfa.


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## Chris (May 15, 2012)

PotterWatch said:
			
		

> The vet we just had here this week to cast our buckling's leg gave me a lecture about alfalfa.  She said that it causes reproductive problems, because of the estrogen level in alfalfa, and urinary calculi.  I would love to see some studies that have been done.  I'm not sure what to believe now, but I have always fed my goats alfalfa.


PW,
I wouldn't worry to much about it since most of the grains that are in goat feed has estrogen in it naturally. 
Alfalfa  
Baker's yeast 
Barley 
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Clover 
Cowpeas (black- eyed peas) 
Dairy Foods 
Flaxseeds 
Garlic 
Hops 
Oats  
Peas 
Red clover 
Rice (relatively high)
Soybean sprouts 
Soybeans 
Sunflower seeds 
Wheat 
All contain estrogen.

Of-coarse you could feed more Corn, Buckwheat, and Millet since there said to be a estrogen inhibitors. 

Chris


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## Straw Hat Kikos (May 18, 2012)

Goats need good hay. If you have Nigerians all you really need to do is feed them a good supply of good hay, like alfalfa, along with good browse, and maybe some food pellets. With Nigerians you don't need to feed them grain, unless you are tying to flush them or if you want to fatten them up. My Nigerians eat two cups of food a day, along with as much alfalfa as they want with good browse. As some others have said on here, some people are scared of urinary calculi so they tell you no hay, This is false. They need hay. Urinary calculi is mostly found in bucks because they are more sensitive to grain. Grain is the biggest culprit of urinary calculi. Does seem to be fine on some grain, as long as it isn't too much. And remember, to help prevent urinary calculi always have clean water, and for buck no grain. Most people with Boers give the bucks and does grain in order to fatten them up and to give them their large appearance. I have know some people who's bucks have died from urinary calculi because of too much grain. So hay is good, so is browse and food, but if you can stay away from grain. One more thing that is important to remember is goats need a 2:1 ratio of calcium (C) to phosphorus (Pa) to live. Oh and if you do feed pellet feed to your goats keep the protein between 14-17%. Some say goats are between 12-18% but I really like 17%.


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## elevan (May 18, 2012)

PotterWatch said:
			
		

> The vet we just had here this week to cast our buckling's leg gave me a lecture about alfalfa.  She said that it causes reproductive problems, because of the estrogen level in alfalfa, and urinary calculi.  I would love to see some studies that have been done.  I'm not sure what to believe now, but I have always fed my goats alfalfa.


University Studies - Search engine findings 

Langston University - Goat Research


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