# Choking on feed



## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

My male is being very stupid with his food...
I have been separating him and leashing him up to the fence because he sucks down his food as fast as possible so he can hurry and try to steal the other goats breakfast and dinner.
He has choked on his food three times now even though he can not get to the other food, he still trys...
Is this normal greedy goat behavior, or is he just a dumb boy...
And is there anything I can do to halt the fast sucking of food, and teach him to actually chew?


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 26, 2012)

What kind of feed is he getting? You may want to put several large rocks in his feed so he has to work around them, or try wetting it so he won't choke as badly. Sounds like he definitely needs to be separated for a while.


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> What kind of feed is he getting? You may want to put several large rocks in his feed so he has to work around them, or try wetting it so he won't choke as badly. Sounds like he definitely needs to be separated for a while.


Because they have eaten all of the foliage in there pen, and I still have yet to get help to finish the second pasture, I put them on hay and sweet feed. He is separated during feeding since it has gotten so bad, yet he will still try and push threw the fence to get to there food, hence why he is now leashed. Yet still, yesterday he was choking AND STILL TRYING TO EAT...
I tried increasing his food, I tried putting carrots in it, I tried mixing grain...
He is a dumb goat...


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## pdpo222 (Sep 26, 2012)

Maybe you may have to put just a little out at a time.  It's a pain but it will slow him down.  lol  If it were me I would put like a couple tablespoons at a time....make him wait til you add more.  Give him time to chew and not just inhale.  Will take time, but choking goats scare me...lol  I will do anything to avoid that.  I like the rock idea too, that way he has to pick around the rocks and that will slow him down too.  Do like I do...just try stuff and see what works.  I had a buck that took forever to eat.  I swear he picked up each kernal of corn and ate them one at a time.  It would take him forever to eat.  Thankfully none of my goats inhale food.  Some eat faster than others but not to the point of choking.


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

pdpo222 said:
			
		

> Maybe you may have to put just a little out at a time.  It's a pain but it will slow him down.  lol  If it were me I would put like a couple tablespoons at a time....make him wait til you add more.  Give him time to chew and not just inhale.  Will take time, but choking goats scare me...lol  I will do anything to avoid that.  I like the rock idea too, that way he has to pick around the rocks and that will slow him down too.  Do like I do...just try stuff and see what works.  I had a buck that took forever to eat.  I swear he picked up each kernal of corn and ate them one at a time.  It would take him forever to eat.  Thankfully none of my goats inhale food.  Some eat faster than others but not to the point of choking.


I am going to try the rock idea tonight, and then if that does not help ill add the food slowly over the rocks so he has to wait and then eat around the rocks. Hopefully he does not try to eat the blasted rock...
Thank you for the advice! Hopefully I can get him to eat normally.


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## Renegade (Sep 26, 2012)

Get a very large feed pan. That way when you put his feed in it will be a very thin layer and he can't get a big mouthful. I would also take him off of sweet feed. If it's not a goat sweet feed then take them all off it. I would go find a good quality goats pellet and put them all on it.

Donna


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

Renegade said:
			
		

> Get a very large feed pan. That way when you put his feed in it will be a very thin layer and he can't get a big mouthful. I would also take him off of sweet feed. If it's not a goat sweet feed then take them all off it. I would go find a good quality goats pellet and put them all on it.
> 
> Donna


It is a goat sweet feed, its blue seal and I was told that was a good feed?
If its not what should I be feeding them?


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## ksalvagno (Sep 26, 2012)

Use a big/wide feed pan and then put decent size rocks in there so he has to eat around the rocks. Make sure  the rocks are large enough that he doesn't eat the rocks.


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Use a big/wide feed pan and then put decent size rocks in there so he has to eat around the rocks. Make sure  the rocks are large enough that he doesn't eat the rocks.


I have the ability to do both those things 
Hopefully this will work.


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## Renegade (Sep 26, 2012)

BlueMoonFarms said:
			
		

> Renegade said:
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I didn't say it was a bad food. You just said you were feeding sweet feed. You didn't mention that it was a goat sweet feed. I still would not feed it to the buck. Molassas can be a problem for bucks. Some can develop urinary calculi when fed sweet feed every day.

Donna


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

Renegade said:
			
		

> BlueMoonFarms said:
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Ok, there might have been a mis-communication with my reply. I did not know if it was a good feed so I was only asking if it was, then if it wasn't what was a good brand. I also kinda assumed that since he was a goat that everyone would automatically assume that he was on a goat feed.
That is also good to know, thank you! What should he get instead? The same brand still good, or is it not?


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 26, 2012)

He is afraid of the rock...
He attempted to head but his bucket, then he tried to remove the rock, and then he paced back and forth, until finally he just stuck his head in and ate around the rock. He definitely took his time this time, and I just hope he continues like this


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## ksalvagno (Sep 26, 2012)

Sounds like success!


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## pdpo222 (Sep 26, 2012)

Great to hear.  Like I always tell my hubby, just have to be a little smarter than the goat.  Glad the choking part is over.  That always makes me nervous!!


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Ah ha!
He is still eating slower, still sucking down any feed he can get a hold of quickly, but slower. Yay!
Hopefully he wont choke anymore.


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## Renegade (Sep 27, 2012)

BlueMoonFarms said:
			
		

> Renegade said:
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You would be amazed at the number of people that think it's okay to feed a goat the cheap all species sweet feed. 
I would just ask next time you go for feed. Blue Seal should have a pelleted goat feed.

Donna


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## ksalvagno (Sep 27, 2012)

The problem with this goat seems to be that he is eating too fast, not the type of feed. If he is eating too fast, it won't matter if it pellets or mixed grains. I've seen animals choke on both types if they are eating it too fast.


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Renegade said:
			
		

> BlueMoonFarms said:
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Ah ok, like the people who think cat food is good for dogs and dog food is fine for cats...
I get it now lol no dont worry they only eat goat specific feed thats been suggested by the breeder I got them from.
Thank you for the advice!!


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> The problem with this goat seems to be that he is eating too fast, not the type of feed. If he is eating too fast, it won't matter if it pellets or mixed grains. I've seen animals choke on both types if they are eating it too fast.


I think you are right, he has always tried to get to the treats first and every time he spits out what he has been choking on it is never chewed. 
He was eating so fast i was seriously worried that I was starving him or something? Then when I posted pictures I was told that they were all in good weight and looked if anything a touch over weight.
They each get a pound of feed a day, half a pound in the morning and the other at night. Then I give them hay in the afternoon.


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## Chris (Sep 27, 2012)

Bluemoon,

What's the brand of goat feed your using?
What breed and how much are you feeding him? 
What type of hay are you feeding and how much?

A reason that he's eating fast could be that he's not getting enough to eat or the feed is lacking nutrients, so in turn he is trying to eat as much as he can to make up for the lack of food and or nutrients.

Chris


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Chris said:
			
		

> Bluemoon,
> 
> What's the brand of goat feed your using?
> What breed and how much are you feeding him?
> ...


He is a Nubian LaMancha cross, just a year old. He is getting a pound of feed a day and the brand name is Blueseal. The hay is from the edges of a hay field so it contains ruffage. They also have a goat specific mineral lick as well as a trough with a goat specific free choice mineral  for them to eat.
They get two flakes of hay in the morning and two at night.
Should I be giving him something else also that will help prevent him from diving into his food?


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## Chris (Sep 27, 2012)

> He is a Nubian LaMancha cross, just a year old. He is getting a pound of feed a day and the brand name is Blueseal. The hay is from the edges of a hay field so it contains ruffage. They also have a goat specific mineral lick as well as a trough with a goat specific free choice mineral  for them to eat.
> They get two flakes of hay in the morning and two at night.
> Should I be giving him something else also that will help prevent him from diving into his food?


Well, the Kent/Blue Seal feed is a good feed but if your feeding a grass hay you could be depleting nutrients.
Example being if he gets 1 pound of grass hay and 1 pound of 18% feed his protein intake could be low say around 13% protein.  

Also the hay that your getting from the edges of the hay fields may be lacking a lot of nutrition due to it being overly dried out by the sun and making it much like straw. 

Chris


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Chris said:
			
		

> > He is a Nubian LaMancha cross, just a year old. He is getting a pound of feed a day and the brand name is Blueseal. The hay is from the edges of a hay field so it contains ruffage. They also have a goat specific mineral lick as well as a trough with a goat specific free choice mineral  for them to eat.
> > They get two flakes of hay in the morning and two at night.
> > Should I be giving him something else also that will help prevent him from diving into his food?
> 
> ...


Oh, I know what kind of hay your talking about. This is forest edge hay. Its very green, and even though I dont know the exact names and details of it, the farmer told me that its proper goat hay. It has regular hay, and then what they called ruffage which I read is good for them.
What should he be getting just incase its not good hay and I am getting taken advantage of?


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## Chris (Sep 27, 2012)

Ruffage /Roughage can be about anything like Hay, Straw, Beat Pulp, Soy Hulls, Ground Aspen etc. it provide bulk to the diet and promote good ruminant and bowel function. 

You could try giving him some Alfalfa Pellets and Goat Balancer.

With out knowing the type of hay it hard to say if it is good or not or if that is the problem.


Chris


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Chris said:
			
		

> Ruffage /Roughage can be about anything like Hay, Straw, Beat Pulp, Soy Hulls, Ground Aspen etc. it provide bulk to the diet and promote good ruminant and bowel function.
> 
> You could try giving him some Alfalfa Pellets and Goat Balancer.
> 
> ...


Ah so thats how you spell that, thank you! I saw alfalfa pellets at the store and was debating whether or not to try them. I will pick some up next time, but I dont know where to look for the goat balancer. Is that the name of the brand, or should I just ask my co'op for a goat balancer?


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## Chris (Sep 27, 2012)

The Co. that puts it out in Manna Pro and the product is called Goat Balancer. If you Co-Op don't have it try TSC or Jeffers online.
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/goat-balancer/camid/liv/cp/CA-G9/

Chris


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## BlueMoonFarms (Sep 27, 2012)

Chris said:
			
		

> The Co. that puts it out in Manna Pro and the product is called Goat Balancer. If you Co-Op don't have it try TSC or Jeffers online.
> http://www.jefferslivestock.com/goat-balancer/camid/liv/cp/CA-G9/
> 
> Chris


Oh brilliant  Thank you!


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## Renegade (Sep 27, 2012)

Staff said:
			
		

> _It's not what you say but how you say it._


_Edited by Staff_


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## BlueMoonFarms (Oct 12, 2012)

PROBLEM FIXED!!!!

Ok, between the feed change, the supplement, and the rocks I have solved the problem! I increased there hay and added all of the other, and success!! No more choking and no more sucking it down like a crazy goat!
Thank you everyone for your advice and help!!


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