Let's Look at our Different Feeding Practices *GOATS*

[Livinwright Farm]

I don't remember where I found it anymore(I do remember it was a little difficult to find), but I have a "Feed Mix Calculator" it is an excel file. It calculates protein, fat, fiber, calcium, and phosphorus. So you just list the weights and details of your feed, boss, hay etc... and it tells you what the combined levels of your mix are.. If any one is interested let me know and I will email it to you.

That sound like an awesome file to have... please email it to me. My dad had done something similar for a grocery shopping list once... and also one for the diet he was on, as a calorie/fat/carb/sodium tracker

I agree with Elevan, please share your location, breed, and feeding practices

 

[journeysend]

Location: South Georgia (close to GA/FL line)
Goats raised: 6 Nigerian Dwarf (all mixes), 1 Nubian, 1 Oberhasli

I have only had these goats since the beginning of March, so this has been what I'm doing so far... For the past 4 years I raised a few Boers and did things totally different.

Spring-Fall:
Purina Horseman's Edge Texture 10:10 (about 1/3 a gallon pitcher once a day for everyone, I don't know the weight)
Coastal Bermuda/Alfafa 1 flake per day (whatever is available at my local feed store)
Purina Goat Minerals free choice
I was supplementing with Goat Balancer when I was using a feed that didn't contain what I needed
They also get to browse

I tend to feed everyone together in a big trough. I do have a few extra bowls scattered about that I use to let some of them eat. All of the ones that I currently have are actually really good about sharing... I creep feed my 2 three week old Nigerian mix kids, they don't eat much but they like to pick at the food/hay. I also give a little extra grain to my Nubian/Nigerian mix doe because I milk her.

This winter I plan to do things the same, except maybe increase the grain a little but use hay as the main source of feed.

Treats:
Pecan leaves
They are weird about fruits/veggies, I haven't found anything yet that all of them will eat

 

[elevan]

I don't remember where I found it anymore(I do remember it was a little difficult to find), but I have a "Feed Mix Calculator" it is an excel file. It calculates protein, fat, fiber, calcium, and phosphorus. So you just list the weights and details of your feed, boss, hay etc... and it tells you what the combined levels of your mix are.. If any one is interested let me know and I will email it to you.

That sound like an awesome file to have... please email it to me. My dad had done something similar for a grocery shopping list once... and also one for the diet he was on, as a calorie/fat/carb/sodium tracker

I agree with Elevan, please share your location, breed, and feeding practices

Here are a couple of calculators from the Langston University for everyone...they are online based and not a spreadsheet.
RATION BALANCER AND NUTRIENT REQUIREMENT CALCULATOR
Total Mixed Ration Calculator


Here's some information from the University of Maryland that may be helpful to those wanting to formulate their own custom mixes:

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Location: Hollister, California (south of San Francisco bay, east of Monterrey bay)
Goats raised: Dairy/show (Toggenburg)

Winter/Spring:
Orchard/Alfalfa hay
Weeds (don't know what kind - mostly grassy)
Purina Goat Mineral (loose, free fed)
Purina Goat Chow Goat Feed (sweet feed) About 8 cups for does we are milking, maybe 1 cup for kids, almost none for bucks and weathers
water

Summer/Fall:
Orchard/Alfalfa hay
Purina Goat Mineral (loose, free fed)
Purina Goat Chow Goat Feed (sweet feed) About 8 cups for does we are milking, maybe 1 cup for kids, almost none for bucks, and weathers
water

That's it.

I'm open to suggestions with reasoning behind them. I like to learn. Questions: Is this type of hay mixture okay for all does, kids, bucks, wethers? What other types of hay are good for diary goats? What types would you consider bad or poor for dairy goats? Do you suggest bucks and wethers eat a different hay other than Orchard/Alfalfa? What are the benefits of the hay you suggest in comparison to what they are eating now?

 

[Goatmasta]

Sure.

Location: SW Indiana (also was N GA - nothing really changed other than hay - we fed fescue/orchard hay in GA)

Raise: Nubians, Mini-Nubians and Nigerians
Purpose: dairy, showing

Seasonal changes: nope

Browse: dry lot, no browse

Hay: alfalfa/orchard/clover mix, home grown

Feed: (by group)
Herd-general (includes bucks & creep): ADM Meat Goat Power 16% pelleted (Deccox & AC)

Show Prep/Late Gestation/Lactation (can include bucks): ADM pelleted above + alfalfa pellets + 36% complete concentrate

Milk Stand: 12% semi-sweet high end horse feed with oats

Supplements: copper & selenium boluses as needed

Mineral: ADM Meat Maker loose

I have 60+ goats, and go through a little over 2000lbs of feed a month, and about 65-70 square bales of hay a month And only God knows how much milk for the bottle babies.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Oops! I just realized that you thought I was meaning you, Ben... I know Kate already posted. Oh well.
I was actually seconding the call for info from Goatherd. I should have posted their name in that sentence.

 

[Goatherd]

Edited/deleted because I didn't want to answer in the first place and now I'm definitely sorry I did.

 

[elevan]

Goatherd - would you mind reposting that treat recipe and picture here?
I was thinking I might try baking the copasure rods into the treats and seeing how they take them... :/

 

[Goatherd]

Not a problem...


Here's a link to the actual recipe. http://www.hobbyfarms.com/food-and-kitchen/cookies-hobby-farm-goat.aspx

I've made these so many times I will tell you that I have added and deleted ingredients from the original recipe, because to be honest, I didn't really like the original recipe. If you do make it exactly, you'll find the batter too wet/moist.

Here's what I've done...

I didn't use the wheat germ as I didn't have any to start with.
I ground flax seed for added benefit. Instead of the applesauce I used apples.
Used a food processor to chop the carrots and apples as this makes them the perfect consistency. Threw in a handful of raisins.
Added an individual carton of plain yogurt. Use whole wheat flour to add substance to the dough.
You need to make the dough very stiff.

They tell you to put "balls" on a cookie sheet. They will not flatten on their own so I flattened them like you would a peanut butter cookie.
I also used a cookie scoop to make them consistent in size, but that certainly isn't necessary.

I also baked them on parchment paper to prevent any sticking and this works great. I increased the oven temp to 350 and turned the treats over after about 20 minutes of baking and continued to bake them. They take longer to bake than what the recipe tells you, but I can't give you an exact time. You have to wing it. Trust me, you won't over bake them. They also get harder as they cool.
I would describe them as hard/chewy.

They need to be kept refrigerated if you keep them for a while. Found out the hard way and they got moldy being left out, even in a plastic container

 

[20kidsonhill]

We just consulted with a local farmer, who is a big big big farmer in this area, and we discussed fat amount in feed for lactating animals. He recommends we switch to a feed with 15 % protein and 4.5 % fat. We will have to have one made for us and order it by the ton, since there are no feed that will meet these requirements locally. We are going to try it this February, when we start kidding out for 2012.

He said and I quote, " what the heck are you wasting you time for feeding beet pulp?" and Boss is too expensive, a waste of money. ONe might say he doesn't know what he is talking about, other that the fact that he has a huge farm, sheep, but still they aren't that much different, And dropping 10,000 on a breeding ram is not unherd of for him, infact 20,000 isn't unherd of. I don't think I will be spending $17 for a 25 lb bag of Boss any time soon. Although the girls sure did like it.

Just sharing with you. He came over and fixed a prolapsed lamb for us, yesterday, and we got on the subject of feed.