# Goats vs Soy Bean Meal



## stano40 (Sep 9, 2010)

Is soy bean meal too much protein for goats to be added to their diet?

bob


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## freemotion (Sep 9, 2010)

Soy contains powerful hormone disruptors, so I no longer feed it to any of my animals...or myself.  It has been shown (in humans) to create all kinds of problems, especially in the sexual development of children.

If you want to increase protein, sprout some whole grains, especially barley, and feed some to the ones needing extra protein....pregnant and lactating does, growing kids, and your laying hens.

I'll go grab a link, meanwhile, I am SURE there will be other opinions on this for you to choose from! 

Here is a summary:  http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert.html  There are plenty of scholarly articles on that site, well notated.


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 9, 2010)

Stano, are you the one who's feeding a homemade ration?  Soybean meal is typically added to increase the protein of a ration.  You really shouldn't just go adding soybean meal to your feed unless you know exactly what you're going to get.  You* need a balanced ration or you can really do some damage, especially to pregnant  does.

*"You" meaning the general "you", not you specifically.


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## stano40 (Sep 9, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Stano, are you the one who's feeding a homemade ration?


Infamous already ... 

Yes I'm the one who feeds a whole grain diet.  The reason I am asking about soybean meal is from a conversation I had with an old farmer who uses soy bean meal with his cattle and chickens.  he says his livestock loves it as a supplement to the feed he gives them.

I was curious about the effects of soy bean meal on goats.  I know it's a high protein and would most likely destroy their rumen.

I do not use it and the question is an honest inquiry for knowledge about soy bean meal.

bob


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 9, 2010)

I don't have issues with feeding soybean meal, but it's really hard to produce balanced rations.  Do you have a local feed mill that can work with you on creating a ration?  If you tell them what you'd like to do, they might be able to tell you amounts of things to add in.


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## stano40 (Sep 9, 2010)

Nope, already feeding them a pretty balanced diet which they love and are thriving on with no problems.

Just wanted to know about soy meal and goats.

Thanks anyway.

bob


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## jodief100 (Sep 9, 2010)

This is COMPLETELY my own opinion.  Feel free to disagree.  

I dont like feeding soy to any of my animals.  Studies show it is not digested as well and that it can interfere with the natural chemical and hormonal balance.  From personal experience, I know if *I* eat soy it really messes with my digestion.  I figure if it screws up my tummy, it will probably wreak havoc on a goats sensitive rumen.  

Cattle are fed it regularly in lot feed operations because it is cheap and they gain weight fast on it.  These are slaughter cows so who knows what the long term issues could be.


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## aggieterpkatie (Sep 9, 2010)

stano40 said:
			
		

> Nope, already feeding them a pretty balanced diet which they love and are thriving on with no problems.
> 
> Just wanted to know about soy meal and goats.
> 
> ...


My point was if you add in SBM you'd need to decrease something else to keep the % protein the same, unless you were looking to increase the protein of your ration.


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## ()relics (Sep 9, 2010)

Soybean meal is extremely high in protein, 44% crude protein.  By adding soybean meal you are essentially increasing the crude protien in your ration, which would  you mean would then need to feed less of the ration to satisfy the animals "ideal nutritional requirement" for maintenance depending on the specific animal and the its specific needs.  So you feed less concentrate...For a ruminate that may not be necessarily the best thing for the animal.  Ideally a ruminate needs to eat all the time to best take advantage _of_ its rumen's ability to make something out of nothing.  So by feeding less ration you are encouraging the animal to _not use its rumen_...JMO
balancing feed rations takes research...A ration that is too Hot will not help your animals, AT ALL....AND an animal cannot store protein...If it doesn't use it;   the protein is filtered out by the kidneys as nitrogen....Generally feed concentrates are priced according to the amount of crude protein they contain, the more protein...the more expensive the ration...SO economically you want to feed _Just the right amount_ of protein...I mix my own rations.  I use available ingredients, they vary from season to season as the crop harvest takes place, to complete the formula.  It takes alot of weighing and calculating, and alot of time, but I try to feed each animal based on need without waste...AGAIN JMO/E...pay special attention to your phosphorus to calcium ratios.
Let me add I use Langston's calculators..they can get you on the right track.     http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/research/nutr_calc.htm


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## Mf628 (Oct 12, 2012)

I usually mix a pound or two of SBM in with my show dairy heifer's grain to increase the protein from 14% to about 22%. I realized that I now needed to feed a LOT less in order to keep up with her nutritional needs. Any protein she did not use, was obviously being converted to fat. I never worried about starving her rumen, as she always had fresh hay and pasture available to her. 

I was thinking about doing something similar to my boer doelings feed. I recently began adding a half a pound of corn to three pounds of pelleted feed to increase the energy so they would gain a little bit more of a finish, and to flush them out for breeding season. I planned to mix a fixed amount of SBM into the grain to bring the protein up to about 17% without lowering the energy too much. I have this all measured out and I plan on discussing this with the nutritionalist to see if this is okay, and possibly if he can produce a ration that meets my expectations.


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## Chris (Oct 31, 2012)

Please fill free to disagree but, 
The OP was asking about the use of Soybean Meal (SBM) in a goat feed. Keep in mind that goats are a ruminant animal and can process food/feed differently than a single stomach animal including humans and also the affects of Raw Soybean is very different than the affect of Soybean Meal and Whole Roasted/Full Fat Soybean. 

In short links and studies posted on none ruminant animals mean absolutely nothing.


Chris


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 31, 2012)

stano40 said:
			
		

> Is soy bean meal too much protein for goats to be added to their diet?
> 
> bob


our feed ration contains soy bean meal and whole roasted soybeans. But it is a formulated ration.  
I have heard of people using a little soybean meal as a starter creepfeed.  I have never tried it.


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## Chris (Oct 31, 2012)

stano40 said:
			
		

> Is soy bean meal too much protein for goats to be added to their diet?
> 
> bob


Bob,
The mix I use contains Soybean Meal, Whole Roasted Soybean and Soybean Hulls and have had no ill affects.

Chris


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