Did you know that corn is a grass plant? The seeds are the grain. My sheep routinely eat the seed heads off of the timothy, orchard, and fescue grass that grows in their pasture. Ruminants are designed to digest rough plant products. That includes grain. I'm not sure where this whole thing came about, where ruminants aren't designed to eat grain. They have a mouth and a ruminant digestive system capable of extracting nutrients from grain. Acidiosis is usually caused by a large increase in carbohydrates (energy) at one feeding -- grain is usually high in energy, hence why it is the primary cause of acidiosis.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/dig...nt_forestomach/subacute_ruminal_acidosis.html
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/dig..._forestomach/grain_overload_in_ruminants.html
Ruminants also get grass tetany, but that's no reason for them to not eat grass.
However, you can feed alfalfa pellets to help make up some of the nutrition.
For example, a doe in late gestation with twins needs the following:
2.8 lb TDN
0.47 lb CP
Let's just say your average grass hay is 56% TDN and 7% CP.
Alfalfa pellets are 50% TDN and 16% CP.
Let's just start and say you will feed 4 lbs of grass hay. That will give you 2.24 lbs of TDN and 0.28 lbs CP. That makes your ration DEFICIENT 0.56 lb TDN and 0.19 lb CP. To fix this you can add 1.2 lbs of alfalfa pellets. That will give you 0.6 lb TDN and 0.192 lb CP, which will put you up above the deficient level.
This was a really simplified example showing just energy (TDN) and protein (CP). You will also need to balance your rations for Ca, P, and dry matter. You can balance it for other minerals and vitamins, but those are usually taken care of with a loose mineral.
Nutrition is a bit more complicated than taking out traditional feedstuffs and substituting them with nontraditional feedstuffs -- you have to balance rations to make sure the nutrients are properly balanced for the health of your goat.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/dig...nt_forestomach/subacute_ruminal_acidosis.html
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/dig..._forestomach/grain_overload_in_ruminants.html
Ruminants also get grass tetany, but that's no reason for them to not eat grass.
However, you can feed alfalfa pellets to help make up some of the nutrition.
For example, a doe in late gestation with twins needs the following:
2.8 lb TDN
0.47 lb CP
Let's just say your average grass hay is 56% TDN and 7% CP.
Alfalfa pellets are 50% TDN and 16% CP.
Let's just start and say you will feed 4 lbs of grass hay. That will give you 2.24 lbs of TDN and 0.28 lbs CP. That makes your ration DEFICIENT 0.56 lb TDN and 0.19 lb CP. To fix this you can add 1.2 lbs of alfalfa pellets. That will give you 0.6 lb TDN and 0.192 lb CP, which will put you up above the deficient level.
This was a really simplified example showing just energy (TDN) and protein (CP). You will also need to balance your rations for Ca, P, and dry matter. You can balance it for other minerals and vitamins, but those are usually taken care of with a loose mineral.
Nutrition is a bit more complicated than taking out traditional feedstuffs and substituting them with nontraditional feedstuffs -- you have to balance rations to make sure the nutrients are properly balanced for the health of your goat.
I had hoped that perhaps other people may have some first-hand experience with different feeding regimens.
