New Dairy Goat-Am I Doing it Right?

[Donna R. Raybon]

Amonium chloride is not a medication. It is a salt that is a urine acidifier and prevents your male goats from getting urinary stones. It also helps to prevent milk fever in your close up freshening does by helping make calcium available in blood stream.

 

[Latestarter]

I'm confused a bit here... What exactly are the medications that are in these feeds? I find it hard to accept that a feed store would carry "ONLY" medicated feeds... That just doesn't compute for me... It doesn't make sense. Especially with the big "Organic" and "NON- GMO" push that's been growing. I'm sorry that you seem to be experiencing this difficulty. I used the BIG V feeds for almost a year and my girls loved it.

If you go directly to the manufacturer's site of the feed you want, you can contact them directly and find out where their nearest distributor is to you, and generally, if what you want isn't normally carried by the nearest feed store/distributor, they WILL deliver smaller quantities along with a regular shipment of other stuff if asked. They won't need to order a whole pallet.

Just curious, but how are you making a 50# bag of feed last a month (or more)? Even with only 2 goats, I'd expect it to go much faster than that.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

No, the Purina dealers here only carry meat goat or show goat feed. All of it medicated with Ammonium Chloride.

I was feeding a horse feed. Purina Senior equine but it is only 14%. She is not a fan of the other feeds and some of those she won't even touch. I did find a dairy goat feed about 45 minutes from me. Bought 2 bags so it should last me awhile. She won't eat it plain so I have to use a bit of the Senior equine feed to entice her to eat it.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I'm confused a bit here... What exactly are the medications that are in these feeds? I find it hard to accept that a feed store would carry "ONLY" medicated feeds... That just doesn't compute for me... It doesn't make sense. Especially with the big "Organic" and "NON- GMO" push that's been growing. I'm sorry that you seem to be experiencing this difficulty. I used the BIG V feeds for almost a year and my girls loved it.

Ammonium Chloride is the big one with a few coccidiostats on the others. This area is mostly a meat goat area and dairy goats are not a big push unless you have a LARGE number of goats and get the feed milled specifically for your herd.

If you go directly to the manufacturer's site of the feed you want, you can contact them directly and find out where their nearest distributor is to you, and generally, if what you want isn't normally carried by the nearest feed store/distributor, they WILL deliver smaller quantities along with a regular shipment of other stuff if asked. They won't need to order a whole pallet.

I have contacted them, they gave me the dealers. I contacted the dealers and the dealers did not carry it in stock and told me, flat out, that I would need to purchase a pallet of it or more for them to be able to order it from the manufacturer.

Just curious, but how are you making a 50# bag of feed last a month (or more)? Even with only 2 goats, I'd expect it to go much faster than that.

I only feed enough to the 2 wethers to keep them following me. Their primary food is the browse that is around. That was the purpose for getting the goats in the first place. They get the medicated goat feed as well as a bit of BOSS to supplement their browse intake.

The LaMancha is the only one that gets a designated feed as she is producing milk and is not able to free range like the 2 wethers. They will stay around her, but she will go off on her own and leave them so I have to keep her in a secure area.

 

[Latestarter]

As Donna said, Ammonium Chloride is not a medication... It's a boost to calcium levels to help prevent urinary calculi in wethers. It's actually something you want in the feed you provide to wethers. It does nothing to does at all, good or bad...

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Actually, ammonium chloride keeps does from getting kidney stones, too. They don't have quite the same problems with blockage due to not having kinks in tract like buck. Keeping your overall ration at a 2 to 1 calcium to phosphorus ratio will help keep kidney stones from happening. Also, making sure clean, drinkable water is always available, too. I carry warm water to my goats, especially the bucks when weather is freezing.

Ammonium chloride is an anionic salt. It does not actually provide calcium, it just keeps things the correct pH so body can pull calcium from bones. In cows, goats, sheep, that are less than four weeks out from giving birth, too much potassium in diet can cause calcium to become unavailable. Things with too much potassium are alfalfa hay, first cutting grass hay, and newly sprouted (as in lush spring time) pastures. If you get the animal off these too high potassium sources, then no problems. But, if not, then using ammonium chloride will offset the potassium. Milk fever is a management disease, meaning it is caused by lack of management.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

The reason I prefer to not feed the medicated feeds is because I drink her milk. Will it affect my overall health if she is given this "medicated" feed?

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

No. And, I have been told decoxx is not absorbed in digestive tract so not in milk or meat. Do whatever you are comfortable doing. For our own use it has never been an issue. The only thing I am concerned about are antibiotics because dh is allergic. If I have to use antibiotic, I do at least 2X on recommended milk dump time.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I tried feeding her the goat feed. She ate it but ended up looking horrible and acting lethargic. Her milk was also disgusting to drink after changing over.

She's been put back onto the Senior Equine feed and has free access to alfalfa hay and minerals. She has started running around, playing and is filling out again. I don't think I'll be playing around with her feed anymore. The milk is back to tasting good as well.

Sometimes what works for one won't work for another. Ah well, it was worth the effort!

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

With alfalfa hay, you don't need grain that is high in protein. Most that have access to alfalfa feed COB (corn, oats, barley.) The mineral mix needs to be 1:1 calcium to phosphorus because alfalfa is high in calcium. Your goat got sick because of too quick shift in feed and probably the feed was too high in protein that made for rumen acidosis.