Watering Goats?

[stano40]

Being new to goats also I would like to ask what molasses & apple cider vinegar does for the goats?

 

[ThornyRidge]

molasses is like candy!!! goats love it that is why a lot of feeds and even minerals contain it.. also makes a good binding agent. as far as the acv, it acts as a urinary tract maintainer.. could prevent urinary stones in males (wethers and bucks) .. I personally don't use it but many do..just be careful if you use the acv and put out baking soda - not a good idea!! a lot of people (myself included) put out free choice baking soda that the goats lick now and then which helps with rumen acidity and problems..some people may also think that acv flavors water enough but yuck have you ever tasted it? gross!! try the kool aid route.. if you are concerned with urinary stones mix some ammonium chloride in minerals or top dress grain with a small amount.. in the cold weather times providing some warm water works wonders.. mine love it.. I have two water heaters I got from TSC that I heat up 5 gallons of water and pour into their buckets and they actually wait for it!! but then again you will find out how spoiled goats can become!

 

[mylilchix]

Well, they are getting spoiled!! They seem to like the molasses in the water. I do need a new heated bucket though, ours broke.

Sonja

 

[stano40]

My pygmy's & wether alpine get free choice baking soda, sweet feed, pellet's for kid's, & dairy goat pellets. So if they are getting sweet feed with molasses in it wouldn't molasses in the water be redundant to give.

 

[no nonsense]

True, a normal healthy animal with access to water will generally not allow itself to become dehydrated, but there is a difference between being simply hydrated and being well hydrated. Probably one of the best things that we can do for our animals during any time of stress is to encourage them to drink as much as possible, not just the bare minimum that they need to keep from being dehydrated.

Regarding what molasses does for the goats, other than a flavor enhancer used to cover up different smelling and tasting water, it is valuable in helping prevent ketosis in does during the last weeks of pregnancy. Propylene glycol is the best preventative, and also a main component of the cure, but molasses is cheaper and easier to give. Sweet feeds may help, but I don't think that they are generally fed in large enough quantities to be as effective, and the sugar is more quickly and easily available to the bloodstream when dissolved in water than when given in the feed.

Although an oversimplification, ketosis is partially caused by low blood sugar, when the developing kids sap more of the nutrients from the doe than she needs for herself. Any sugar will help, but in the form of molasses it's more readily available and easier to administer. Nothing irks me more than this anthropomorphic mentality which leads people to misunderstand a valuable managemnt tool for something associated with a treat, like candy. I can asure you that professional nutritionists do not develop livestock feeds with molasses simply because they want to give the animals a treat. The dangers associated with this kind of thinking are evident here by the thought process which leads some into thinking molasses=sugar=sweet liquid=koolaid. As any sugar will help give the doe the boost needed to prevent ketosis, actual koolaid with a sugar base will probably work. The problem becomes that today we have a high number of koolaid like products on the market which contain artificial sweeteners which do not contain the vital sugars necessary in ketosis prevention. I would hate for someone to make the unfortunate association with molasses simply as a sweet treat, use a koolaid type product instead, with an artificial sweetener, and lose a doe or kids as a result.

 

[stano40]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but this is very good information I'd like to get more of.

I have two does that may or may not have been impregnated by my buck, so giving them molasses in the water would that be a benefit for them as well as the other males I do have?

How much do you give in a gallon of water and How frequently would you give this to them?

bob

 

[mavrick]

this doesn't have any thing to do with watering, but since allot has been said about molasses, I have saved a lot of my goats with this magic syrup as you know or will find out if you keep goats for very long acting fast is very important when it comes to treating a sick goat. This is for weight gain, does in the early stages of toxemia, anemic goats, if there sick and not eating as a support treatment to keep them eating and drinking, and when they are down or off their feed. Give a 50# plus 50 or 60 cc every other day or so. (1part molasses,1part corn oil,2parts karo syrup)