# Corn for goats?



## balluba03

Hey there, I'm new to raising goats and Ive been told not to feed them any kind of corn. No crack corn, whole corn or corn still on the cob. What do you guys think> and why shouldnt they have it? They do love it, but after I was told not to feed them it anymore we stopped. I havent been able to find any info on the internet about it. What about golden rod plants? another favorite!?!?!


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## freemotion

Goldenrod is fine for them.  Mine cleared a field of it in one year!  I don't feed corn except a few kernels of whole corn as a rare treat or bribe.  I prefer to fees sprouted small grains.  Too much grain of any type can cause trouble.


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## Livinwright Farm

Most people on here will advise no or very limited corn of any kind.

However, my herd does splendid with corn husks, corn on(or fressh off) the cob, cracked corn, and even scratch grains. It is like any new feed... you only need to slowly introduce it to their diet.  My herd(currently only 8, but had 11) has worked up to being able to eat an entire trash bag full of corn husks in a day and a half with no ill effects. Girls are up to 1 cup of cracked corn mixed into their feed ration, Boys are up to half a cup mixed with their feed ration, Kids get 1 cup mixed into their feed ration starting from day 1 of eating solid feed.
They also are up to frequently getting free choice produce trimmings from the grocery stores(lettuce, apples, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale, parsley, leeks, beets, radish, mangos, papaya, blackberries, strawberries, etc... what ever is in the mix)


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## Roll farms

I got goats before this 'world wide internet' was popular, and the lady I got them from, who had a nice herd of fat Nubians, fed her goats corn e'ry day.

So I fed my goats corn.  

Years later I got online and  read that goats shouldn't have corn.  Well.... 10 years of being fed corn hadn't killed any so I saw no reason to change it.
Until one of my bucks got urinary calculi.  THEN I did some reading / research and switched our boys to a pelleted feed that's CA balanced for urinary health.

Dr. Frank Pinkerton, who I consider to be one of the smartest goat people out there (read Goat Rancher magazine) actually recommends feeding it when you need to up condition on pregnant or lactating does.

In summer our goats get 10-15% of their diet as whole corn, and in winter they get 25% of their diet as whole corn.  That's adult does only.

My kids and bucks ONLY get goat pellets w/ no whole grain.


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## balluba03

thanks for your help! we havent been feeding them corn since I was told they shouldnt have it. They do love the husks and stalks from the corn though! lol and they LOVE the goldenrod! I wouldnt mind if they cleared it a little


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## elevan

Corn the grain and corn the plant are 2 different discussions.

Roll gave some very good info about the grain (the ear...the kernels).

Corn the plant (without the ears) is really just a grass...a tall one but a grass the same.  After harvesting the ears there's not any harm in giving your goats the stalks...or the husks peeled from the ear imo.


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## neener92

I've fed corn the grain to my goats up until recently, thanks to the internet. Now I mix a few other ingredients, such as ground green hay, soy bean meal, molasses, and 4G crumbles.....and I just added Ammonia Chloride to my bucks feed.


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## kstaven

This is one of those areas where "Everything in moderation and nothing fed as an exclusive diet applies" Beyond that it is your choice in determining what works best for your animals.


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## 20kidsonhill

neener92 said:
			
		

> I've fed corn the grain to my goats up until recently, thanks to the internet. Now I mix a few other ingredients, such as ground green hay, soy bean meal, molasses, and 4G crumbles.....and I just added Ammonia Chloride to my bucks feed.


Why you putting 4G crumbles in your feed???   And How much??


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## ohiofarmgirl

we feed a little corn - usually cracked and almost always in the winter. just a handful is fine for our goaties.


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## neener92

We just put about 3 cups to a ton of feed. Its helped them from getting sick and getting diseases.


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## 20kidsonhill

neener92 said:
			
		

> We just put about 3 cups to a ton of feed. Its helped them from getting sick and getting diseases.


We add it to our feed 5 weeks before kidding for 10-14 days. To help decrease early births and help with stronger kids. But it is a tetracyclene and I do beleive all tetracyclenes can cause bone growth problems.  You may wish to look into this a little more. But we have been very happy using it with our pregnant does. we get very evenly sized newborns consistantly 8 to 12 lbs since we started using it and it is cheap.

But we are feeding it at much higher levels than you are for those 10 days.


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## 20kidsonhill

We feed about 1cup of corn per doe per day, when they are nursing their kids along with their other feed.  Otherwise we only feed a 16% protein goat feed.


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## aggieterpkatie

My goats get corn because it's in their ration.  My doe gets a textured (sweet) grain that has corn in the mix, and the kids eat sheep feed which has rolled corn in it.  I've also added straight whole corn to their feed before, in limited amounts  Never had any problems.


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## Livinwright Farm

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> My goats get corn because it's in their ration.  My doe gets a textured (sweet) grain that has corn in the mix, and the kids eat sheep feed which has rolled corn in it.  I've also added straight whole corn to their feed before, in limited amounts  Never had any problems.


Question: Do you ever have issues with your goats getting copper deficiency?  I have heard & read that goats shouldn't eat sheep feed, because it is lacking in copper... :/ just curious.


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## jodief100

I just got off the phone with Dr Sparks who does a lot of research into goat nutrition.  I was talking to him about an article he wrote about giving does 1lb of corn in late gestation can prevent pregnancy toxemia.  

He says like all other feed, think in moderation.  If goats are getting the bulk of their diet from browse, hay or other forage, corn is a great addition.  It is especially helpful in late gestation due to very dense energy.  

He does not recommend it for bucks, wethers or goats who get a huge percentage of their nutrition from pelleted feed or mixed grains.  

That is the short version of our conversation.  We talked for almost a hour, great guy and very knowledgeable.


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## aggieterpkatie

Livinwright Farm said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said:
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> My goats get corn because it's in their ration.  My doe gets a textured (sweet) grain that has corn in the mix, and the kids eat sheep feed which has rolled corn in it.  I've also added straight whole corn to their feed before, in limited amounts  Never had any problems.
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> Question: Do you ever have issues with your goats getting copper deficiency?  I have heard & read that goats shouldn't eat sheep feed, because it is lacking in copper... :/ just curious.
Click to expand...

If they show signs of deficiency I'll bolus them.   They don't get grain for a huge length of time though...just while they're very young.


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## Livinwright Farm

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Livinwright Farm said:
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> aggieterpkatie said:
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> My goats get corn because it's in their ration.  My doe gets a textured (sweet) grain that has corn in the mix, and the kids eat sheep feed which has rolled corn in it.  I've also added straight whole corn to their feed before, in limited amounts  Never had any problems.
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> Question: Do you ever have issues with your goats getting copper deficiency?  I have heard & read that goats shouldn't eat sheep feed, because it is lacking in copper... :/ just curious.
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> Click to expand...
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> If they show signs of deficiency I'll bolus them.   They don't get grain for a huge length of time though...just while they're very young.
Click to expand...

Okay  I was just curious.


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## spanish goatee guy

i like marsmallows alot but that dont mean theyre good for me . ihave spoke at lengths with DR FRANK and after having afew issues with BOERS AND CORN, his advice was boy goats dont have to have corn its us people that somehow think that goats need it . goats are natural browsers they eat brush weeds and leafy stuff, the more weedy the hay the better. only one exception whenthe nanny needs energy for kidding purposes, her hay protein should be increased minerals and quality hay is ahappy goat, so igot rid of BOERS AND CORN and my goats are just fine ...


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