# Newbie Question.....



## bigcat (Sep 24, 2012)

Sorry for the dumb question and Im sure I could search around and find the answer but.....

What should I be feeding my goat?

I have 1 Nigerian Dwarf Female. As of now she has access to goat pellets, water and I cut branches for he almost daily for her to eat the leaves of of. I have been giving her mostly oak, maple, gum and birch leaves. What else should I give her.

I also give her trteats like cereal and ritz. We bought some goat treat pellets from TSC but she does not like them.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Sep 24, 2012)

Any kind of feed subject tends to get nasty and turns into fighting so I'm trying to avoid them now. I will give you a link that may be able to help you out. I also have a link on how I feed my goats here.


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 24, 2012)

Do you have grass/pastaure in he pen/field?  Is she getting any hay if you do not?  Long stems are good for ruminant digestion. the leaves will help some, but I would suggest hay if there is no pasture.


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## bigcat (Sep 24, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> Any kind of feed subject tends to get nasty and turns into fighting so I'm trying to avoid them now. I will give you a link that may be able to help you out. I also have a link on how I feed my goats here.


I read what you are feeding yours. That is the same brand I am giving. I have not given hay yet because I dont have any....I need to find some. Is there antyhing specific to look for in the minerals? I do have a block in there that I think is a salt and mineral block for cattle...

There is no pasture yet i will get some hay


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## 20kidsonhill (Sep 24, 2012)

Make sure they are goat minerals and don't say goat and sheep on the label. Loose minerals are always better than the little blocks.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Sep 24, 2012)

bigcat said:
			
		

> Straw Hat Kikos said:
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> 
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> ...


I really like the Bartlett brand. All the nutrition % fall right into what I like and all the goats here do well on it. If yours are on a dry lot then I would get them hay quickly. You may be able to find it from local farmers and if not you could buy alfala from the local feed store or TSC. Alfalfa is a very good hay for goats but it is expensive. 

As for minerals, I am not a fan of any blocks or buckets. I don't think they work well and alot of times the goat have a hard time getting it because they have no top teeth, in the front of their mouth. I prefer loose mineral for sure. If they are in a dry lot then find something with a Ca to P ratio at or near 2:1. The only time I would feed the cattle mineral is if they have good forage, but I'm not sure of the mineral you are using. It may be fine. Never give sheep mineral becasuse your goats will lack the copper they need and NEVER give a salt block.


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## bigcat (Sep 24, 2012)

Not trying to start anything but....... can you feed too much hay?


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Sep 24, 2012)

This is your thread!! You ask any and all Q's you need to!

To answer. I'm not really sure. In a sense yes, and no. If it is good quality hay then not really, they can eat it until they are full and everything is fine. It is good hay, meaning it is good for them. If it is crappy hay then all they're eating is filler and they may think they are full and won't eat but there is no nutrition in it so they are not getting what they need to thrive. Some people feed hay year round. Some feed it at the rate the goats eat it, some only feed in winter and some only feed a certain amount. Hay is great when they don't have alot of browse, pasture or forage, because it gives them something to eat and it is healthy, if the hay is good of course. If an animals have great browse and gets feed then it may not need any hay. For you, because of the dry lot, I would just feed them it at the rate they eat it, unless they are fat.


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## daisychick (Sep 24, 2012)

My goats get "free choice" hay.  Meaning I fill up their hay feeder and they can eat as much as they want.   My hay is a mix of local grasses and alfalfa.  There is hardly ever a time that they eat it all.  They nibble on it throughout the day.  I do this because I don't have a lot of pasture and they don't get much browsing time to eat leaves or other green things.


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## bigcat (Sep 25, 2012)

I bought some loose minerals yesterday and well as some hay. She ate the hay when I gave it to her but I dont think the had tried the minerals yet. I gave her a big scoop of the pellets a couple days agao and she finally finished them off by this mornig so I put another scoop in there.


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## Catahoula (Sep 25, 2012)

bigcat said:
			
		

> I bought some loose minerals yesterday and well as some hay. She ate the hay when I gave it to her but I dont think the had tried the minerals yet. I gave her a big scoop of the pellets a couple days agao and she finally finished them off by this mornig so I put another scoop in there.


She may not eat the minerals right away or as often as you may think. Don't leave a large portion out if you live in a humid area or it may get wet and your goat will not want to eat sogy minerals. As for treats or any new food, my goats usually will ignore them. I would leave them out or mix some in their feeds and eventually they will eat it. Sometimes food they ate before...they would change their minds and not want them anymore. Mine likes craisins and the pellet goat treats from Mana Pro. One of them likes salted peanuts still in shells and the other...depending on his mood, I guess.... 
Do you just have one goat??? When you are ready...consider getting your goat another goat buddy. Evne if you can spend a lot of time with your current goat, nothing can replaced the 24/7 goat companionship. 
Have fun with your girl. They are very addicting...most of us here want more and more and more goats if we can....


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## bigcat (Sep 25, 2012)

Just one right now her brother just died saturday. Looking to get two more very soon.


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## SkyWarrior (Sep 25, 2012)

bigcat said:
			
		

> Just one right now her brother just died saturday. Looking to get two more very soon.





Sorry to hear this.  What did he die from?


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## jenlynn4 (Sep 27, 2012)

Thank you for posting this and asking  these questions.  I am getting 2 goats myself soon and am also looking for info on what to feed.  This has been most helpful.  So sorry to hear you lost the brother


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## bigcat (Sep 28, 2012)

Don't know what he died from. THey got out a couple days earlier and Im thinking he might have ate something he shouldnt have. No really sure. He went quick. She seemsx fine just lonely. Gonna look at some other goats tomorrow. Anything I should know about putting two new goats with her?


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## Marianne (Sep 28, 2012)

When I got my first two goats, the seller was well into her 90s and had had goats for her entire life.  I knew NOTHING.  She told me that daily maintenance should include 6 things...a good grain once or twice a day, free choice quality hay, pasture grazing whenever possible, access to goat minerals and baking powder and fresh water.  I have abided and have a herd of healthy goats today!


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## bigcat (Oct 2, 2012)

I picked up 2 more goats this weekend. When I went to get them I asked what they were feeding them. THey gave me a few pounds of what they were feeding. It was a mix of pellets and Whole oats. I asked about the oats and was told he buys them from a local farmer to help cut the cost of his feed b/c they have so many goats. What are your thoughts on the oats?


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## bigcat (Oct 4, 2012)

bigcat said:
			
		

> I picked up 2 more goats this weekend. When I went to get them I asked what they were feeding them. THey gave me a few pounds of what they were feeding. It was a mix of pellets and Whole oats. I asked about the oats and was told he buys them from a local farmer to help cut the cost of his feed b/c they have so many goats. What are your thoughts on the oats?


Any Opinions?


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Oct 4, 2012)

They should be ok as long as there isn't too much in there. It's just another form of grain.


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## Nathan Sampson (Oct 5, 2012)

The oats will be fine I once bought 2 goat off a man who fed his large herd cotton seed. I feed mine all stock feed when i had a lot of different animals to feed and it was cheaper than goat feed and with the minerals out there and browse a goat will do its thing and be healthy and happy.


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## kittybranchfarm (Oct 6, 2012)

What is the baking soda for and how much do you give and how often? Thank you


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## SillyChicken (Nov 29, 2012)

baking soda helps them burp, they will eat it when they need it.  I just put out a little (1/2 cup) in the feeder bin separate from the loose minerals.   Make sure it doesn't get clumpy or hard and keep an eye on the expiration date on the box, it does lose burp factor!


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## animalcrackeracres (Dec 14, 2012)

How bad would it be health wise to feed the goats  pellet Dumar sheep feed (non medicated ) instead of the dumar pellet goat feed other than a lack of copper? I have one sheep and I bought a whole bag for him not realizing I only needed to feed him a small handfull of it everyday. I have two goats and was feeding them a small handfull of the sheep feed pellets and now that the bag is almost out I was wondering if it would be ok to keep them on the sheep feed since they only get a very small ammount or go ahead and buy them the goat feed. Or should I get something else, like and all stock feed that would be good for sheep and goats? During the day they all get free choice chris cox alfalfa/timothy hay blend and some forage, as well as one mouthful of veggies a day and free choice baking soda and free choice all stock minerals. If I was worried about a copper defeccency in the goats diet is there anyway to give them copper seperatly? like a pill or pour on the food or something?


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 14, 2012)

If the goat was given it over an extended period, then they might end up lacking in some of the things they need but one bag is not an issue.  Now if it were they other way around (feeding a sheep goat food) that would be a problem---my good friends are down several sheep because of that very accident.  Do you give them supplemental minerals?


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