while it is not ideal...is it ok for a goat to eat chicken layer feed?

[AdrieeC]

My goats got into the chicken coop yesterday and ate the chicken food...are there going to be health problems I should be looking for now or if it ever happens again?

 

[ksalvagno]

Probably just one time won't hurt them but I would look for diarrhea or upset stomach or bloat. It probably won't happen but I would try and keep the goats out of the chicken feed. Too much can really make them sick or worst case kill them.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep - what she said.

i've seen goats jump 3 times their own height, from a standing position, to get to chicken feed.

best you just "X" out the 'chicken feed' and write in "goat chow"... for sure they wont eat it then!

dang goats... just as bad as cats.

 

[cmjust0]

My goats got into the chicken coop yesterday and ate the chicken food...are there going to be health problems I should be looking for now or if it ever happens again?

What kind of goats do you have? Does? Bucks? Wethers? What are the ages of the goats? How much chicken feed did they eat, and how many goats were into it? What's the normal diet of the goats? Have the goats been vaccinated with C/D-T?

If you have several adult does on alfalfa or alfalfa mix hay and a little grain that ate a pound of chicken feed between them, you might be looking at dietary scour..

If you have two young wethers on grass hay and no grain that ate a full 10lb hanging feeder's worth, you could wind up seeing anything from bloat to enterotoxemia to urinary calculi..

More questions than answers, I guess..

 

[AdrieeC]

2 3 month old nigerian dwarf bucks that got into the chicken feeder with maybe 1-2 pounds of feed if that.... they normally get hay and brows with about 1 cup of grain each.

 

[cmjust0]

Well, the fact that they're young mini-sized males doesn't help, but that's not a lot of feed.. If they're still OK, they'll probably be fine...though I might personally be tempted to drench them with ammonium chloride just to make sure their urine is good and acidic.

That's probably overkill for a couple pounds of layer, though..