How, and how much do you feed your goats?

[BlueMoonFarms]

Ok, I have been getting bowled over as of late, and the baby's have been franticly trying to knock the food bucket out of my hand like they have been starved or something.
So, I upped there food and hay, there getting fed twice a day, and yet still they try and dive for it. There is a new game called knock sara on her butt and spill the food bucket everywhere...

So!
My question is how much do you feed your goats? and how are your feeders set up?

Ours have been wormed, and get two heaping cups of food each with two flakes of hay twice a day. There feeder's are in there hutch, not attached yet so when they are done they like to kick there buckets all over the place. We plan on fixing that tomorrow.
I am really tired of having to hold the food bucket over my head and avoid being knocked on my butt.

 

[DonnaBelle]

We feed each goat from their own feeder attached to the wall in the barn. There is a chain beside the feeder and they know where their space is and stand by it to get the chain attached to their collar. I use the breakaway plastic chain collars from Hoeggers. The heavy duty ones, very inexpensive.

We have full grown Nubians that get one cup 16% protein goat feed per feeding. AM and PM.

Ours have plenty of pasture and brouse. We do not feed hay in the summer.

We use Manna Pro loose mineral free choice in the barn.

We also have put a Goat-20 N protein tub in the barn, it has lasted for about 3 months for 18 goats. It's a supplement.

Of course, plenty of FRESH WATER. We have water to the barn, and DH installed an automatic waterer and it's wonderful. Just pull the plug and clean out and turn on valve and refill. We have it with a plastic hose attached to drain outside the barn onto a flower garden.

Good luck and enjoy your great looking goats!!

Yep, it is dangerous to go amongst goats with an open feed bucket. You are inviting chaos!!


DonnaBelle

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

We feed each goat from their own feeder attached to the wall in the barn. There is a chain beside the feeder and they know where their space is and stand by it to get the chain attached to their collar. I use the breakaway plastic chain collars from Hoeggers. The heavy duty ones, very inexpensive.

We have full grown Nubians that get one cup 16% protein goat feed per feeding. AM and PM.

Ours have plenty of pasture and brouse. We do not feed hay in the summer.

We use Manna Pro loose mineral free choice in the barn.

We also have put a Goat-20 N protein tub in the barn, it has lasted for about 3 months for 18 goats. It's a supplement.

Of course, plenty of FRESH WATER. We have water to the barn, and DH installed an automatic waterer and it's wonderful. Just pull the plug and clean out and turn on valve and refill. We have it with a plastic hose attached to drain outside the barn onto a flower garden.

Good luck and enjoy your great looking goats!!

Yep, it is dangerous to go amongst goats with an open feed bucket. You are inviting chaos!!


DonnaBelle

Ok, I skipped ahead and bolted the feed buckets down and now we just need to make an over hang for them. There hutch did not have holes to put the food buckets into the wall, and to be honest it is hard to get into there hutch and feed them without getting stood on.
A little extra building wont be a big deal
They all have breakaway collars, though im not sure if we would be able to chain them to anything? Then again I could look at it after we have the shelter built, we could use a railroad tie to hold the chain that way maybe I would get knocked over lol.

And we were told to feed them hay every day so they would not get bloat on the pasture grass and brush?
We were also told to refill there water bucket every day to prevent bacteria.

 

[Harbisgirl]

We feed each goat from their own feeder attached to the wall in the barn. There is a chain beside the feeder and they know where their space is and stand by it to get the chain attached to their collar. I use the breakaway plastic chain collars from Hoeggers. The heavy duty ones, very inexpensive.

We have full grown Nubians that get one cup 16% protein goat feed per feeding. AM and PM.

Ours have plenty of pasture and brouse. We do not feed hay in the summer.

We use Manna Pro loose mineral free choice in the barn.

We also have put a Goat-20 N protein tub in the barn, it has lasted for about 3 months for 18 goats. It's a supplement.

Of course, plenty of FRESH WATER. We have water to the barn, and DH installed an automatic waterer and it's wonderful. Just pull the plug and clean out and turn on valve and refill. We have it with a plastic hose attached to drain outside the barn onto a flower garden.

Good luck and enjoy your great looking goats!!

Yep, it is dangerous to go amongst goats with an open feed bucket. You are inviting chaos!!


DonnaBelle

I don't suppose you have a picture of that setup do you? I'm still in the planning phase of my goat venture. I've never had livestock before so I have a hard time picturing things but I like the way yours sounds

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Sorry for the quick answer but I have to go. Here's a link on how I feed mine and btw your La Manchas are sooo adorable!!

http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6788-feeding-goats

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

Sorry for the quick answer but I have to go. Here's a link on how I feed mine and btw your La Manchas are sooo adorable!!

http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6788-feeding-goats

Oh very cool thank you! And thank you for the complement There my little sweet hearts!

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

I just wanted to let you all know that the feeding situation has been fixed!
They no longer bowl me over and they now know how to wait!
Thank you for helping!!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

I honestly cant tell if im starving my goats, or if they are just spoiled?
They get there two cups a day and hay now only when it is raining, but every time they finish they scream and search there buckets for more. I usually go over to the rassbery patch and give them a few handful's of berrys, and then maybe a tomato if I feel generous, and they scoff them right down!
Little Annie is never interested in the berrys or tomato, but my boy Chooch LOVES them and devours them.
Do you think there just spoiled, or are they just really hungry?

 

[ksalvagno]

Are they growing? Can you see their ribs? It really depends on if they are too thin or not. You have to adjust things as you see fit. If you feel they need more, then maybe increase the grain a little or give them more "grain" by increasing it with alfalfa pellets. Like give them their 2 cups of grain and another 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets. Or just put out more hay. I am one who likes to give grain to growing kids but you do have to be careful just how much you give.