# What do you feed your dairy goats?



## ThePigeonKid (Jun 28, 2010)

I would like to know what to feed dairy goats. I seen a bag of feed in the store, but I was wondering if they need something besides store-bought food.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 28, 2010)

I currently feed a 16% textured dairy goat feed along with wheat bran (for weight gain) and free choice hay and pasture.


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## glenolam (Jun 28, 2010)

High quality hay (free choice) also helps with all stages of goats.

My lactating goat had runny poops for quite some time; I switched out their hay for really nice mixed hay and added alfalfa pellets to her grain and she's back to normal now.


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## Ariel301 (Jul 5, 2010)

I have a free-choice hay feeder that is always full of alfalfa and bermuda grass mix. I feed about 2/3 alfalfa to 1/3 bermuda. It helps to cut the cost a little. I also feed free-choice brewery grain which I can get for free from a local beer brewery by the truckload. I've been feeding a high-molasses COB (corn, oats, barley) horse feed to my milkers, 1-2 pounds apiece, but I'm working on going to a custom grain mix for them to better meet my individual needs. I wish I had pasture for my girls to go on, it would be a big help!


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## ksalvagno (Jul 6, 2010)

You definitely need high quality hay. Some people feed pure alfalfa but I feed orchard grass hay. I do add alfalfa pellets in their feed. When they are in milk, you also want to feed them a good quality feed made for goats. You can certainly feed them the feed all year around but you don't need to feed them as much when they aren't in milk. I just buy a general goat feed because they don't have specific dairy goat feed in my area. Another thing all goats need is a good quality loose goat mineral. They need copper. I use Sweetlix Meatmaker goat mineral.

Read labels and make sure the feeds/minerals are quality. Don't buy the cheapest stuff, you do get what you pay for. It can come out in poor tasting milk or low amount of milk.


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## Chirpy (Jul 6, 2010)

When my does are in milk I do feed straight alfalfa.  In my personal experimentation my girls actually do give more milk when on alfalfa than grass or even a grass/alfalfa mix.    If I can't afford straight alfalfa then grass works.

I also give them Klassy goat feed with BOSS (black oiled sunflower seeds) twice a day -- while they are on the milk stand.   Some people don't like to use Klassy goat because of the molasses in it.  It's what is easiest to get here and I love the milk so it works for me.

I keep loose minerals and baking soda out free choice all the time.  I hear that Sweetlix is a great loose mineral (like ksalvagno uses).  I can't get it around here.


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