grains....

[OpalRaven7]

What is the best type of food to feed goats? right now they are eating purina oat chow which is like a sweet feed, I know tat they shouldnt really eat grains.... is there a pellet that provides them with all the vitamins and minerals that they need with out any extra stuff? These goats are purely for pets, the 2 older are wethers and the 2 8 week olds will be wethered when they are old enough.

 

[ksalvagno]

Yes, they do make a goat pelleted feed. You will also want to make sure it has ammonium chloride in it. You may have to look around at your different feed stores.

 

[OpalRaven7]

how much ammonia chloride should be in the food? if it is in the food do you still need to supplement it separately?

 

[elevan]

how much ammonia chloride should be in the food? if it is in the food do you still need to supplement it separately?

I just make sure it is listed in the ingredients of the pellet mix. I also add it to my mineral mix (along with some DE).

 

[Livinwright Farm]

I hope Rolls replies here... they are very informative on which feed is the best for wethers... wish I could remember what they shared in other posts...

 

[Ariel301]

If they're just pet wethers, they probably don't even need grain of any kind. As long as they are keeping a good weight on hay or pasture alone, I wouldn't worry about graining them, just put out a good goat mineral for them free choice. Of course you can give them a little grain for a treat though--goat chow, sweet feed, or alfalfa pellets would be fine.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

If they're just pet wethers, they probably don't even need grain of any kind. As long as they are keeping a good weight on hay or pasture alone, I wouldn't worry about graining them, just put out a good goat mineral for them free choice. Of course you can give them a little grain for a treat though--goat chow, sweet feed, or alfalfa pellets would be fine.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Here is some UC(Urincary calculi) and AC(Ammonia Chloride) information.

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm

I have never seen a feed bag say how much Ammonia chloride is in the feed, just lists it on the label.

But AC tastes bad, so when using a feed with AC in it, you would be better off to go with an all pelleted rather than a sweet feed with pellets and oat/corn that is all separate. You Said, ["All the extra stuff in the feed."] Just because you don't see the corn and oats all separate doesn't mean it isn't in the feed, it has been crushed up and added to the pellets.

You want to make sure the feed you are using is formulated for growing/developing goats compared to a feed for does or lactating animals. A goat grower/developer/meat maker feed will have the proper calcium to phosopherus ratio to help prevent UC. And is more likely to contain the AC in the ingredience label.



So to sum up:

Look for an all pelleted goat feed
Make sure it has twice as much Calcium as phosphorus on the label
make sure it lists Ammonia chloride on the label.

 

[OpalRaven7]

Ok Thanks! They dont really have any grazin pasture because theyve worn it all down, we are going to put ground ties out in the yard as soon as we get strong enough ones for the big goats, so we can roatate their grazing area.

 

[20kidsonhill]

With 4 whethers you might want to look into keeping a little extra Ammonia chloride on hand for a possible emergency, it doesn't really expire, so it would keep forever.

You can order 2 lbs through Hoeggers.com or you can ask around at your feed stores if they will sell it to you by the pound, otherwise you have to buy it in a 25lb bag,

You can also add a little extra on their feed for a few days every 3 or 4 months, to help prevent UC. UC is a nasty death and can be very expensive to fix onse it occurs, if it can be fixed at all.