What do you feed your goats?

[cassie]

I forgot to mention that even if the goat has been vaccinated for entero with toxoid, you should still keep the antitoxin on hand. Vaccination greatly reduces the incidence of entero, but it does not eliminate it.

 

[cassie]

Why can't you feed corn to a goat? Thats all I feed mine and all the hay they want and it doesn't seem to hurt them at all. I just feed maybe a handful a day. I ask them at the feed store and thats what they told me to feed them.

You can feed corn to goats. When I had my dairy I fed a lot of COB, that's rolled corn, oats, and barley. Sometimes I fed a mix of rolled corn and whole cottonseed.

 

[cassie]

Commercial dairies have cows in them, don't they?

Commercial dairies can have cows. Commercial dairiies can also have goats. Or sheep. Depends on what kind of milk you are producing commercially.

 

[Stacykins]

By the way, the last post on this thread is from 2009! It has long since died.

Also, there is a multiquote function, so you can quote many quotes in one reply as opposed to individually quoting a half dozen replies...helps keep spam down.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Bloat can be treated effectively if you catch it in time. Bloat can be caused by entertoxemia and the two often go together. To be safe, treat for both. When confronted by a blaoting goat, give Gas X. Works a lot better than the conventional treatments. It's cheap, it's safe, you get it at the grocery or drug store, and no goat owner should ever be without it. The goat will deflate promptly. To treat entero, in addition to the Gas X, give a shot of antitoxin under the skin, and another dose orally. You can do this by drawing the dose up in a syringe, removing the needle, and then squirting it down the throat. Give a shot of penicillin both under the skin and squirt another dose down the mouth. Clostridium perfingens, the bacteria that causes entero, is susceptible to penicillin. If the goat is not better in 20 minutes, repeat. If the goat is suffering from grain overload, such as what happens if it gets into the grain, it's a whole different story. If you catch them in the act, lock them up WITHOUT ACCESS TO WATER for a few hours. Treat for entero and give plenty of dry hay. Without water, the excess grain cannot form the lactic acid which is the killer. If they have gotten into the grain and you don't find them until after they have tanked up on water it is a whole new ballgame. Call the vet. This animal is going to need vast quantities of antiacids and maybe some activated charcoal. If you have any questions PM me. I used to have a commercial goat dairy and I have owned a lot of goats over the years. Also had the advice of some savvy goatbreeders and some very good vets.

Thank you, cassie, for this information. That's good to have on hand. I've been learning a lot about goat bloat this summer. I didn't know there was so much to know and how complicated it can be sometimes. : )

 

[Karamba]

Hello guys

I have four goats, regular ones, not miniatures. My problem is such I bought three of them from a place where they had not been treated very well, to say the least. They are skinny, plus one of them might be pregnant. Not sure, but she looks so. All day long they roam looking for all things green (some variety I have here - grasses, shrubs, fruit anf forest trees and stuff), I also give them food right from my garden (carrots, beets, celery, tomatoes, pumpkins) plus some oats in the evening. Hay (dunno what quality really, it's just hay for me) is something that's all time available. And a mineral block. And some calcium from time to time.
Three weeks have passed and I can't really tell a difference, especially as it comes to their rear-end parts. They're just skin and bones.
Am I feeding them right? I don't have any corn, just oats and I don't wanna overdose on grains. Each goat gets about two pounds of oats a day (too much?). And can you tell - from your experience - how long will it take for them to round a bit? The fourth goat of mine is the one I've had since she was a baby and boy does she look different! Compared to the new three ones she's plump like a bunny. Not fat, just looking good. And she knows when she's had enough, even when it comes to oats! She won't eat all I give her, as completely opposed to those three skeletons - they will eat until they die. So I must watch it.

What do you think? Should I pump food into them if they want it, or watch it rather and wait patiently for them to start looking healthy? Oh, and they all were given some medicine from my vet to relieve them from any possible parasites.
Thanks for your advice!

Karamba.

 

[cassie]

Hello guys

I have four goats, regular ones, not miniatures. My problem is such I bought three of them from a place where they had not been treated very well, to say the least. They are skinny, plus one of them might be pregnant. Not sure, but she looks so. All day long they roam looking for all things green (some variety I have here - grasses, shrubs, fruit anf forest trees and stuff), I also give them food right from my garden (carrots, beets, celery, tomatoes, pumpkins) plus some oats in the evening. Hay (dunno what quality really, it's just hay for me) is something that's all time available. And a mineral block. And some calcium from time to time.
Three weeks have passed and I can't really tell a difference, especially as it comes to their rear-end parts. They're just skin and bones.
Am I feeding them right? I don't have any corn, just oats and I don't wanna overdose on grains. Each goat gets about two pounds of oats a day (too much?). And can you tell - from your experience - how long will it take for them to round a bit? The fourth goat of mine is the one I've had since she was a baby and boy does she look different! Compared to the new three ones she's plump like a bunny. Not fat, just looking good. And she knows when she's had enough, even when it comes to oats! She won't eat all I give her, as completely opposed to those three skeletons - they will eat until they die. So I must watch it.

What do you think? Should I pump food into them if they want it, or watch it rather and wait patiently for them to start looking healthy? Oh, and they all were given some medicine from my vet to relieve them from any possible parasites.
Thanks for your advice!

Karamba.

Pull down the eyelid and check the color on the inside. It should be a dark pink. If it is pale pink or white they are anemic. Anemia is a sign of worms but can also be an indication of Johnes. Your goats should have all the hay they can eat. You can also feed them some alfalfa pellets. If they don't start picking up soon even though they have plenty to eat, have them checked for Johnes.

 

[waddles99]

As cassie said, I give my goats all the hay they can eat, then when they get turned out to the pasture they get all the grass they can eat. Plus half cup of purina goat chow 2x daily.

 

[Karamba]

Now you've scared me :-(
They do have all the hay they can eat, I only limited the amount of oats or they would stuff themselves to the point of death of the rumen.
I'll check their eyelids, thanks. I still hope it's simply undernutrition they'd suffered for God knows how long, and not Johne's disease.
There's no diarrhea (I know it seldom happens to goats with Johne's), they're all pretty lively and alert, with voracious appetites, their skin and coat seem to be getting bettter too. What other symptoms of paratuberculosis should I look for?

Today I finally managed to count their front teeth and now I know one of them must be four years old, another two yrs, and the last, smallest one - under 1 year of age.

IF their appearance is due to just malnutrition, how long do you think it will take for them to get better? And thanks again for your help

 

[cassie]

If their coats are getting better it is unlikely to be Johnes. Johnes animals typically are alert with good appetites but they are anemic and their coats are rough. They steadily lose condition no matter what they are fed. I missed how much oats you are feeding them but as long as you increase the grain gradually you won't have trouble.