# sweet feed vs regular feed at TSC?



## supermommy

Whats the diffrence? Im so confused!


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## lilhill

Not exactly sure which regular feed you're talking about, but sweet feed, like Purina Goat Chow, is grain w/molasses in it.  The "regular" feed could be pelleted feed.


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## supermommy

ok so really it doesnt matter which one you use? I bought the sweet feed and then was worried maybe its more like a treat type thing?


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## lilhill

I use the Purina Goat Chow along with alfalfa pellets and grass hay.  It's just a matter of what works for you and your goats.


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## ohiofarmgirl

if you have dairy gals (that you milk for you) you might want to make sure that the sweet feed ISNT medicated.

we found a great sweet feed (not at TSC) that our dairy gals loved.. but it was medicated. so we had to move on. 

but as long as the protein is acceptable for you.. why not use it? one of my breeders mixes his own sweet feed and his goaties love it.


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## cmjust0

You might also hear sweet feed referred to as "textured" feed, btw..  Same thing..  

Personally, I don't like textured as well because it gives the goat an opportunity to cherry pick the tasty bits and ignore the rest..  If you're talking young males...and they find the corn tasty...could be problems.


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## Roll farms

It depends on the % of protein.

At our TSC, we carry a white bag w/ blue and red writing / drawings of horses, cows, etc. on it.  It is a 12% protein feed...not enough for lactating or gestating does if fed straight, IMHO.  I believe it's called, "Sweet Mix".

They have a 10% Producer's Pride sweet feed.....wayyy too low in protein.

Most 'goat' feeds are 16% protein....The Dumor sweet for goats is 16%.  I have a friend that uses it and is quite pleased w/ the results.

There's also a Producer's Pride sheep and goat dq feed (medicated) that has no / low copper in it, since it's also a sheep feed.  Ok to start kids on, I guess, but not for long term.

I use the Noble Goat medicated for our kids, 16% protein and has ammonium chloride in it for UC prevention, and deccox for coccidia prevention.

I 'custom mix' our adult goat ration, using the 12% sweet feed above BUT I add a 36% protein dairy goat pellet, BOSS, and a little shelled corn (in winter) to it, it averages out to 16-18% protein.  Then I top dress it with DE, kelp, goat mineral, and Opti Zyme.


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## ohiofarmgirl

> I 'custom mix' our adult goat ration, using the 12% sweet feed above BUT I add a 36% protein dairy goat pellet, BOSS, and a little shelled corn (in winter) to it, it averages out to 16-18% protein.  Then I top dress it with DE, kelp, goat mineral, and Opti Zyme.


Roll - thanks for posting your mix... do you know if you can use Calf Manna instead of the 36% goat pellets?


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## countrywife

I personally found with sweet feed it made them like 3 year olds- if they thought the candy was coming, they would not eat anything else. I switched to a goat chow/all stock feed mixture. No sweet feed for anybody on our farm.


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## ksalvagno

I use a goat texturized (sweet) feed. My goats gobble it all up. No picky eaters here. All the goat breeders that I talk to in my area all feed the sweet feed. So far I have had no problems with it.

You have to decide what is right for your animal. Nothing wrong with the sweet feed and nothing wrong with the pelleted feed. Pure preference and how your goats are doing on it. If your goats are healthy and doing great, then keep doing what you are doing. If you goats are sick and having problems, then you need to start looking at things.


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## DonnaBelle

We had the plumber out the other day and he has some Nubians he milks and told me about Big V Dairy Goat Ration, made by a local feed company in McAlester, Oklahoma.  

It is 16% protein, has Calcium, Phosphorus, Salt, Copper,Selenium Vit A, and Vit D. 

My goats sure do seem to love it.

I'm also giving alfalfa hay free choice.  

I take them out on the ranch once a day to brouse for about an hour.  They love the goat walks.

DonnaBelle


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## dkluzier

We feed the sweet food, our dairy goats prefer it.  I thought it meant that is had more molasses in it.  We tried regular and they turned their noses up.  

With summer approaching I was goin to try to switch them over yet as long as we are milking am thinking it may add a sweetness to the milk??


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## Roll farms

With enough goats (to make it 'competition') there is no such thing as a picky eater.

I seriously think if I put dog poop in their feeder, they'd all snarf it down asap, just to keep the goat next to them from getting more than they do.

I don't know what the % of protein is in Calf Manna, so I don't know if it would work out the same as the 36% dairy goat ration or not....
I  get it from ADM feeds, (TSC doesn't carry it, I get it from a feed mill) for $18.00 a bag, calf manna has gotten pretty high lately.


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## KinderKorner

I use a 16% pelleted ration for my dairy goats. An 18% medicated ration for my bucks and kids. 

I use sweet feed for my horses, and one of my does won't eat grain unless it's sweet feed. But we have been mixing it and slowly tapering it off into pellets. Because the sweet feed is only 12% protein. 

Remeber don't feed sweet feed or lots of corn to Bucks. It can cause urinary problems. Trust me. Been there, done that.


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