Feeding Routines
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aggieterpkatie
The Shepherd
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I'm not sure there's a whole lot that can be done about them going crazy over food. I feed hay, then come back and feed grain. I am separating one ewe now because she gets more grain, and they have finally learned that routine pretty well.
Can you set up a feeding system so you stay outside of the pen? Like can you put your feeders on the fence and reach over to drop feed in?
And my goat knows she better not jump on me or she'll get a knee in the chest. I don't tolerate that.
It hurts when you get a hoof to the back or front!
Can you set up a feeding system so you stay outside of the pen? Like can you put your feeders on the fence and reach over to drop feed in?
And my goat knows she better not jump on me or she'll get a knee in the chest. I don't tolerate that.
It hurts when you get a hoof to the back or front!
dkluzier
Overrun with beasties
in our doe barn, we have 8-12 inch chains with snaps attached at intervals to our barn wall. Each goat has her spot in the barn and all goats are attached to their chain prior to any grain being brought into the feeding area. This is mostly so that we can monitor how much each goat eats and feed depending on what stage in pregnany, nursing or breeding they are.
Now the boys are another story. I can't even step into their area without getting butted so a little grain gets dumped into 5 bowls over the feeding wall and the 3 boys scatter and it's a free for all. They get to feed on the pasture and hay as they please.
Now the boys are another story. I can't even step into their area without getting butted so a little grain gets dumped into 5 bowls over the feeding wall and the 3 boys scatter and it's a free for all. They get to feed on the pasture and hay as they please.
ThornyRidge
Overrun with beasties
man alive if someone can come up with a sure fire way to have orderly feeding I would love to see/hear about that... actually feeding time (typically with grain) is utter or udder chaos 
as the case may be. grain seems to be like crack and my goats go nutso for it so there is constant beating banging and running around by everyone.. my way of at least somewhat minimizing this is filling the 7 plastic grain bowls before letting everyone get to me and the grain.. I then set 2 bowls down outside of the pen in the main aisle of my barn open the gate and stand to the side to avoid being trampled and then quickly take remaining grain bowls and scatter throughout the pen... then I goto filling hay bags.. this seems to work but still very chaotic and many a times I have been secondarily rammed by someone butting someone else into my legs.. constant vigilence and awareness is key!!!! I tried the plastic pipes cut in half and attatched the length of pen inside and then fill from outside of pen but what I found was there is nothing goat proof and they were constantly pooping, putting dirty feet or finding kids standing in them.. they also used them for rub posts and eventually they would break off or become so soiled I was constantly having to disinfect nightly before graining.. so I run the goat gauntlet nightly with my bowls of grain.. good luck in whatever plan you come up with!!!
as the case may be. grain seems to be like crack and my goats go nutso for it so there is constant beating banging and running around by everyone.. my way of at least somewhat minimizing this is filling the 7 plastic grain bowls before letting everyone get to me and the grain.. I then set 2 bowls down outside of the pen in the main aisle of my barn open the gate and stand to the side to avoid being trampled and then quickly take remaining grain bowls and scatter throughout the pen... then I goto filling hay bags.. this seems to work but still very chaotic and many a times I have been secondarily rammed by someone butting someone else into my legs.. constant vigilence and awareness is key!!!! I tried the plastic pipes cut in half and attatched the length of pen inside and then fill from outside of pen but what I found was there is nothing goat proof and they were constantly pooping, putting dirty feet or finding kids standing in them.. they also used them for rub posts and eventually they would break off or become so soiled I was constantly having to disinfect nightly before graining.. so I run the goat gauntlet nightly with my bowls of grain.. good luck in whatever plan you come up with!!!
jlbpooh
Ridin' The Range
I do the chain thing for feeding time too. One of mine is a very slow eater and the other is a piggy. Usually I just tie up piggy though so he doesn't eat his and then go clean out Mr. Slow Poke's dish too. I do tie them before the dishes and feed are brought out. Mr. Piggy picks his dish up and throws it when he is done.
dianneS
Loving the herd life
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I trick mine. I walk over to their trough and act like I'm going to dump the feed in, then I spin around really fast and dump some in their feed tub! Then when they start going crazy over that, I fill the trough! Then some run over and start eating from there.
Its nuts I know. The only other solution I can think of is if you can reach over and fill tubs or troughs from the other side of a partition. I've found those goat feeders with the wire grates in them, force them to line up and no one gets pushed around as much. I think they say up to five goats can feed from one of those.
I have my goats in a section of my barn that has a dutch door. I really want to set up hay racks and feeder so that I can just reach over the door and fill it from the other side. It would be a lot more convenient for me as well since the feed and hay are stored closer to that side of the barn. As of now I'm walking all the way out around the other side and into their fenced area to feed.
I'm looking forward to spring when I won't even have to feed grain. I've been able to sneak out at times in the evening when the goats are still in the pasture and fill feed tubs before they spot me and head in for the evening.
Its nuts I know. The only other solution I can think of is if you can reach over and fill tubs or troughs from the other side of a partition. I've found those goat feeders with the wire grates in them, force them to line up and no one gets pushed around as much. I think they say up to five goats can feed from one of those.
I have my goats in a section of my barn that has a dutch door. I really want to set up hay racks and feeder so that I can just reach over the door and fill it from the other side. It would be a lot more convenient for me as well since the feed and hay are stored closer to that side of the barn. As of now I'm walking all the way out around the other side and into their fenced area to feed.
I'm looking forward to spring when I won't even have to feed grain. I've been able to sneak out at times in the evening when the goats are still in the pasture and fill feed tubs before they spot me and head in for the evening.
