# Proper feeding!!!



## 20kidsonhill (Jan 28, 2011)

After reading many of these posts, I would like to carry on for a minute about feeding your livestock. Goats or any species for that matter. 

Specific species need feed for that species, A feed is formulated for that species. You are better off to purchase an all-purpose feed for more than one species being fed together than feeding the wrong feed to an animal.

For example:

 Sheep CAN NOT be fed Goat feed.  Goats have a much higher copper requirment than sheep, and too much copper fed to sheep can kill them. 

Horses can not be fed certain coccidiosis medications: I beleive it is Rumensin or monensin, something like that. 


Goats can NOt eat feed with Urea in it.  


Goats need goat feed, because it is formulated with the mineral requirements that they need. 
An all-purpose feed would do in a pinch, but eventually your goat would become low in certain minerals. 


They are goats, not sheep, chickens, ect.....

For you experienced farmers, please post any feeds, minerals, ect.... That you now a certain species should not eat  or  has to have inorder to live a long, healthy, productive life span.


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## ksalvagno (Jan 28, 2011)

THere are several good goat minerals out there but I use Sweetlix Meatmaker. My goats seem to be doing very well on it.

I think as far as feed, read labels and decide what is best. I went to all the local feed stores and got copies of labels. Then I compared them and went with what I thought was the best choice for them. I didn't end using the closest place because I wasn't happy with what was listed on their goat feed label. But my feed store is still only 10 minutes away and they also carry my mineral so it makes things easy.

I use Kalmbach goat feed and Kent goat feed. That is what is at my local feed store but seems to compare in nutrition/minerals to other good goat feeds.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 28, 2011)

I loved the sweetlix meatmaker, then our local co-op decided to start making there own, so I have been supporting that, but I  think I felt more confident in the sweetlix.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 28, 2011)

Personally...Ive never seen an "All purpose feed" for livestock that does not include exceptions on the label.   Ie..okay for all except sheep and horses.    Not saying they dont exsist just never saw them.  

But to answer your question...yes you should feed your animals specific feeds for specific animals.  What a chicken needs is not what a goat needs.  What a cow needs...isant always what a horse needs...etc...etc...etc...

Example you used was sheep and goat...copper in goat feed will kill a sheep for sure...and goats need copper and will die on sheep specific feed.   

That is why farms are set up the way the are....chickens are kept in a separate coop...barns have stahls to separate animals during feed and when needed...

Yeah it sounds like a pain...but they all have specific needs for optimum health.   

Im sure they could all sustain for a while...but if the nutrients and minerals needed specifically are lacking it will eventually kill em.

Like us...we could live on junk food for a while..but it does eventually make us ill....we do need some stuff with vitamins and minerals sometimes.

It makes things a chore sometimes..but you must learn your animals nutrients needs.    And on top of all that...you must be familar whats in your pasture...whats in the soils for minerals, what area of the countries are mineral deficient in minerals!!!! So you can supliment.  

It can make you crazy!!!!    

I like sweetlix too...its good stuff..


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## julieq (Jan 28, 2011)

We feed our horses and goats the same grain, which is available locally.  Three way mix with molasses.  Our horses have a mineral salt block (for horses).  Our goats get free choice Golden Blend minerals from Hoeggers.  We've used that for years.  Also, we feed Supergain supplement (vitamins, minerals and probiotics) to both our horses and our goats in their daily grain.  It was actually chosen years ago by our vet for the goats specifically, but works wonderfully well on the horses too.


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## Lady Jane (Jan 28, 2011)

I looked into using Sweetlix and wanted too, but there aren't any stores that carry it near me and it was quite expensive to purchase online. So, I decided to try the Golden Blend from Hoeggers as I heard some good things about that mineral too.


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