# Basic goat feeding



## emily (Feb 21, 2011)

Ok, so I am new to goats. I know what I'll feed them but how much? They don't need free choice do they? What should be added to their feed? Anything?
Thanks all!


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## freemotion (Feb 21, 2011)

Basic:  Free choice second cut hay, free choice loose goat minerals changed often, free choice water changed at least twice a day, and grain (here is where people vary a bit) only if needed, for example, for a lactating doe.

Welcome!


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 21, 2011)

free-choice good quality 2nd grass mixed hay, free-choice loose goat minerals, free-choice water.

If animal is growing a Goat grain is often added to help with the growth of the kid.
If a male goat needs grain it should  have Ammonia Chloride in  the feed. This can be fed to both males and females. 

Often times a pelleted goat feed will also contain a medication to help with coccidiosis, but kids will probably need to be treated with an oral cocidiosis medicine, in addition to the meds in the feed. 

If lactating, the doe should have grain and higher amounts of calcium rich feeds like alfalfa and beet pulp, along with the hay, minerals and always lots of fresh water.

Goats have a high requirement for copper and selenium, thus requiring goat farmers to stay on top of mineral consumption. 

Can not feed goat feed to sheep, because sheep are sensitive to the high levels of copper in goat feed.  

Most of the United states is deficient in Selenium, resulting in  goat and sheep farmers needing to give Bo-SE shots (Selenium- vit E), and putting out loose minerals. A goat can not get enough minerals from a block. The difference between a goat mineral and an all purpose mineral would be the high-levels of copper that goats require.


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## emily (Feb 21, 2011)

What do you mean by '2nd grass'? Also, could I give dry shredded beet pulp like what we give to the horses? Could I essentially mix beet pulp and hay in a feeder for them?

Also, can I feed them the alfalfa cubes that you can buy in a 50 pound bag?


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 21, 2011)

emily said:
			
		

> What do you mean by '2nd grass'? Also, could I give dry shredded beet pulp like what we give to the horses? Could I essentially mix beet pulp and hay in a feeder for them?
> 
> Also, can I feed them the alfalfa cubes that you can buy in a 50 pound bag?


I meant 2nd cutting grass mix hay, since 2nd cutting hay isn't as steamy as first cutting hay. 

I mix my beet pulp dry in with my grain to my lactating does, I have read about beet pulp used wet and also dry, the bag recommends to be careful when feeding dry so it doesn't swell in their stomachs and cause a blockage, I use it, because we don't buy very much alfalfa and it is high in calcium. 

Some of the people on here talk about feeding alfalfa cubes, I have never used them. 

 Try doing a search on here for alfalfa and also, beet pulp.


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## helmstead (Feb 21, 2011)

I've never been able to feed alfalfa cubes...too big.  Small alfalfa pellets are great though.  

I used to mix shredded beet pulp in with my goat pellets until there was that huge sugar beet crop issue/shortage a few years ago.  I don't like relying on a product that suddenly is not available (and it was, I mean...NOT AVAILABLE all of the sudden then).  It is an excellent foodstuff for goats when used in conjunction with a balanced goat ration.  It shouldn't be, however, mixed with hay but rather fed in meals.  It doesn't need to be soaked for goats.

So, basics, IMO, are a good quality hay (I prefer alfalfa/orchard) and a good commerical pelleted goat feed (check out ADM, Nutrina).

Pet goats, once done growing, typically do perfectly on just a good alfalfa mix hay.  Breeding and showing animals need supplemental goat feed.


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## Greendecember (Feb 22, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> I've never been able to feed alfalfa cubes...too big.  Small alfalfa pellets are great though.  .


I tried the cubes too but the goats just picked at them and threw them on the ground. Guy at the feed store suggested soaking them. Says lots of the goat people around here do that. I still haven't tried. I went back to the pellets


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## emily (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm hoping to have plenty of area for them to graze and forage that they don't become money pits... If that's even possible! I'm thinking about the possibility of a round bale and just peeling off what they need. That's what we do for our horses. It's a pain, but it saves a lot of money. 

Does anyone ever turn their goats out to forage outside their pen? Will they come back to their house in the evenings?


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## 11langenkamp_w (Feb 22, 2011)

So even if there not on pasture becasue of snow you can just feed them free choice hay and no grain?


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## emily (Feb 22, 2011)

11langenkamp_w said:
			
		

> So even if there not on pasture becasue of snow you can just feed them free choice hay and no grain?


I'm just learning, but it sounds to me that the only reason you grain is for does that are pregnant or milking. Otherwise, hay and roughage is enough.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 22, 2011)

We grain our does, for 3 weeks before exposing them to a buck, then again 3 or 4 weeks before kidding and during nursing(8weeks). Then they are either on pasture or hay. and always free-choice goat minerals. In a good year they are on pasture from May to NOvemeber here in Virginia.

OUr kids are kept on grain and hay until sold or until they are around 15 months old, but not everyone keeps them on grain this long.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Feb 22, 2011)

well... i have two saanens that are about 2.5 months preg. and they get 2 cups grain each and free choice hay and the about 5 acre pasture that lately has been under a foot of snow and hasnt been touched in a while (because they hate snow  )


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## Greendecember (Feb 23, 2011)

emily said:
			
		

> I'm hoping to have plenty of area for them to graze and forage that they don't become money pits... If that's even possible! I'm thinking about the possibility of a round bale and just peeling off what they need. That's what we do for our horses. It's a pain, but it saves a lot of money.
> 
> Does anyone ever turn their goats out to forage outside their pen? Will they come back to their house in the evenings?


We plan to let ours roam most of our 5 acres soon as we have better fences. It is sectioned off into 2 different pastures, the barn yard, a smaller pasture (still not sure what the difference is in a pasture and a paddock LOL), and the yard for the house. They are not allowed in the yard for the house mostly because I don't want them on my new car hahaha. That said, I have let them out a few times just to get some better play time. As long as I leave the barn yard gate open they go right back at the slightest spook they don't like.

I've never left them out longer than I was with them though, save the couple of times they let themselves out LOL. They are usually back to the barn before I notice though. I have bottle babies now so I am out there at least every 3-4 hrs.

On the feed, I'm new to this too but as the above poster said Grain seems to be more of a supplement to nursing, pregnant, or growing goats. I mix alfalfa pellets in with their grain so it stretches it some. Their last farmer fed them corn chopps. THEY LOVE CORN CHOPPS. Don't feed them a lot of it. Mostly as a treat and never whole corn because from what I understand it can break their teeth.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 23, 2011)

Dairy goats do seem to beable to handle having grain during pregancy better than a meat goat breed. 

You are asking for kidding problems feeding your doe grain during her entire gestation, unless you have her preg. checked and confirm there are triplets, you are better off to hold off on the grain during the middle of her pregnancy to keep a possible single from getting too big.   

I have seen on BYH more than onse a big single on a dairy doe and how hard a time the dairy doe had, better off risking a set of smaller twins than loose your doe to a huge single. All the grain(calories) are going to the kid. 

Good quality hay, and minerals are so important to your gestating doe.


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