Can Goats eat Horse Feed?

[arabianequine]

Funny how there is a goat on the picture of the all stock bag then, isn't it?

I think the things I mentioned were grain based bread, crackers, what animal by products are in those? Nothing we or any animal is good for them anymore according to many someone will always say something bad about something or another. Against federal law omgosh.....thats to funny at least they get some food I said a treat not main source of food hang me come find me.

 

[cmjust0]

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Funny? No, I don't think that's very funny at all. I actually think it's terribly misleading and really irresponsible.

Check the tag; if it doens't contain copper, it's not for goats. Period.

I think the things I mentioned were grain based bread, crackers, what animal by products are in those?

Fat, quite often.

Nothing we or any animal is good for them anymore according to many someone will always say something bad about something or another. Against federal law omgosh.....thats to funny at least they get some food I said a treat not main source of food hang me come find me.

Feeding ruminant parts back to ruminant animals is how Mad Cow Disease came to be; they were putting cow parts in protein tubs and feeding it back to cattle.

Before you ask how a goat can get Mad Cow, understand that it's called Scrapie in sheep and goats...pretty much the same thing.

That's why it's against federal law.

I wouldn't expect you to know that, though.​

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Well, you can feed a goat horse chow, but don't be surprised when he starts practicing dressage moves in the goat pen.

 

[kuntrygirl]

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[arabianequine]

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Funny? No, I don't think that's very funny at all. I actually think it's terribly misleading and really irresponsible.
.

I think the things I mentioned were grain based bread, crackers, what animal by products are in those?

Fat, quite often.

Nothing we or any animal is good for them anymore according to many someone will always say something bad about something or another. Against federal law omgosh.....thats to funny at least they get some food I said a treat not main source of food hang me come find me.

Feeding ruminant parts back to ruminant animals is how Mad Cow Disease came to be; they were putting cow parts in protein tubs and feeding it back to cattle.

Before you ask how a goat can get Mad Cow, understand that it's called Scrapie in sheep and goats...pretty much the same thing.

That's why it's against federal law.

I wouldn't expect you to know that, though.​

Not me misleading if thats the case I will look today and see since I don't have a bag on hand right now but gotta get other feed today.

Fat exactly like I said.....so some truth to what I said then. Soooo your saying that there is animal by products in bread, crackers, and ice cream cones and its a against federal law to give them to the goats but ok for people to eat them?

In chicken feed is dry cows blood too and they sell it....thats where the protein comes from I was told this by a guy at the feed store that use to work for swanson. If these things were against the law they would not be on the market for sell would they?


Check the tag; if it doens't contain copper, it's not for goats. Period......the tag says copper in it so what are you squawking for are chickens rubbing off on you?​

 

[cmjust0]

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Uh, no, not you misleading... That's not what I meant. I meant that it's misleading and irresponsible to put a picture of a goat on a bag of feed that's not even appropriate for goats.

Reason being, some people are dumb enough to shop by pictures without really ever researching the nutritional requirements of the animals for which they've made themselves responsible.

Fat exactly like I said.....so some truth to what I said then.

Again, you've misunderstood what I'm saying..

What you said was that some folks object to feeding things like bread and crackers because it might make the goat fat; what I'm saying is that there can be animal fat -- possibly among other animal products -- in some of the products you mentioned, and that alone makes it not only a bad idea, but against federal law.

Big difference.

Soooo your saying that there is animal by products in bread, crackers, and ice cream cones and its a against federal law to give them to the goats but ok for people to eat them?

Absolutely. Commonly referred to as the "feed-ban," it's against USDA regulation to feed most any protein derived from a mammal back to ruminant animals.

In chicken feed is dry cows blood too and they sell it....thats where the protein comes from I was told this by a guy at the feed store that use to work for swanson. If these things were against the law they would not be on the market for sell would they?

Chickens aren't ruminants. Hell, they're not even mammals. They're not herbivores like ruminants, either -- they're omnivores. They normally eat things like bugs and grass and perhaps even the occasional mouse, snake, etc.. They even eat each other sometimes.. Goats? Not so much...doubt you'll ever catch a goat snacking on another dead goat.

In other words, feeding chickens is a completely different endeavor that really doesn't apply here..

However.....you do bring up a good point! Lots of times you see people on here go "Oh darn, my goats goat into my chicken feed. Is it OK for them to do that?"

The answer should be NO, and that you should make every effort to prevent it from happening. The reason is just as you've stated above -- chicken feed may legally contain ruminant parts. I wouldn't even necessarily trust that it's strictly cow's blood, but could also contain pig blood, goat blood, sheep blood, etc.. Feeding goat's blood to a goat........generally not recommended.

YET...time and time again, most folks here are like "a little bit is OK."

Again...to reiterate...feeding ground-up cows back to cows is why the US, Canada, Britain, etc ended up with a mad cow outbreak. That's been proven. It's a fact, founded in solid scientific evidence. And since the ruminant-parts ban has been enacted, the number of mad-cow cases has plummeted to near zero.

Look it up if you don't believe me.

Check the tag; if it doens't contain copper, it's not for goats. Period......the tag says copper in it so what are you squawking for are chickens rubbing off on you?

If it contains copper, then it's not suitable for sheep, which is another species you mentioned that particular feed was suitable for. Copper is toxic to sheep. If it's ALL STOCK like you say, and it says it's OK for sheep despite the fact that it contains copper....well, that's even more suspect to me than saying a copper-free feed is suitable for goats.

As bad as copper deficiency is, it's generally accepted as being much easier to deal with than a hemolytic crisis resulting from acute copper toxicity.. Pretty much 100% mortality there..

That said, I've never, ever seen a guaranteed analysis tag on ANY feed containing copper (be it for goats, cattle, rabbits, horses, you name it) that didn't also include a statement which reads something like "CONTAINS COPPER: DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP". If the bag of whatever you have contains copper and doesn't have that statement on it, I'd be very surprised. Likewise, if it says "ALL STOCK" on the front and "DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP" on the tag, well...again, extremely surprised.

Somehow, though...I sorta doubt either of those scenarios apply here. I frankly think you're confused about something...I'm just not sure what, exactly.​

 

[arabianequine]

No I am not confused....I'm just not a fuss bucket nor politically correct.

I do care for my animals and they like treats so they get them.

I eat and you I am sure all kinds of things that are not good for us and cause ill effects over time but we don't die from it instantly.

I believe if it is ok for me to eat it my kids and pets can too pretty much with in reason you know. Like I don't eat raw meat so my animals don't get raw meat nor do I give my horse or cow nor do my goats or chickens get meat but you have to have some kind of common sense and judgment. I honestly don't think giving something like I mentioned is a big deal. Moldy hay I don't give to any of my animals not cows or chickens and I know people do.

The op's question was can she give the goats that feed and it has copper so thats cleared up and imo I think it is ok for treat or just that one bag.

No need to get all technically probably not a good idea to feed to goat on a daily bases for its lifespan. Not sure why she is asking maybe she just has one bag to get rid?

 

[mekasmom]

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Too much sugar can cause them to bloat. I would be very scarce with the feed if you give it to them. Use it like candy, not as a main food stuff.

 

[cmjust0]

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Ugh..

What I'm saying is that I think there must be some kind of confusion about what's actually printed on the bag of "All Stock" you're referring to.....or are you really telling us that you have a bag that's labeled "ALL STOCK" which also states on the tag that it contains copper, yet does NOT also have a warning not to feed it to sheep?

If so, someone seriously needs to notify the manufacturer and/or the USDA before someone kills their sheep with it.

Seriously.

I do care for my animals and they like treats so they get them.

Caring for something and giving it treats aren't he same thing. I care about my animals, too...so much so that I research what's safe and what isn't.

What I generally recommend to people as treats for goats are alfalfa pellets. If they're not something your goats get a lot, they'll go nuts and attack you for them. As an owner, you really shouldn't be any less satisfied with the reaction simply because it's not "naughty" or that you're tricking them into eating something healthy and appropriate as a "treat" -- you should be proud of yourself for doing right by your animals..

That's what I would think, anyway..

I've had people come back and tell me that they're super happy to have been told about using alfalfa pellets as treats, because they feel like it's something "special" they can do for their goats without having to worry or feel bad about it.

I eat and you I am sure all kinds of things that are not good for us and cause ill effects over time but we don't die from it instantly.

I believe if it is ok for me to eat it my kids and pets can too pretty much with in reason you know. Like I don't eat raw meat so my animals don't get raw meat nor do I give my horse or cow nor do my goats or chickens get meat but you have to have some kind of common sense and judgment. I honestly don't think giving something like I mentioned is a big deal. Moldy hay I don't give to any of my animals not cows or chickens and I know people do.

First of all, cows don't immediately die of mad cow either. Takes years for that kind of thing to show up.
Second, just because something's OK for an omnivorous human doesn't mean it's OK for a herbivorous ruminant.
Third, just because you don't think feeding mammal-derived protein back to ruminants is a big deal doesn't mean that's actually true.

Look, you can keep giving your "garbage guts" their crackers and ice cream cones....they're your animals, afterall, and aside from it being illegal and against every "best practices" standard I've ever heard of, I don't guess there's anything to stop you.

However...when you come along and recommend such things to others, you should expect that people are going to disagree with you and cite verifiable facts which run to the contrary of your beliefs and opinions.

Typically -- and this is just me -- but typically, when someone comes in and cites verifiable facts that run contrary to my beliefs or opinions, I tend to change my beliefs and opinions.

I'm weird like that, though.

The op's question was can she give the goats that feed and it has copper so thats cleared up and imo I think it is ok for treat or just that one bag.

Running one bag of anything through goats is rarely a good idea, because it usually means switching feed twice in a fairly short period of time....from the norm, to the new, back to the norm. If someone said to me "Hey, I'll give you $10 worth of free feed if you'll switch your goat's diets overnight!"...I'd tell them to go pound sand.

No need to get all technically probably not a good idea to feed to goat on a daily bases for its lifespan.

Well, feeding goats is a technical thing.. Or, rather, feeding goats properly is a technical thing.. Maybe you don't believe that, but it is..

I know a lady who was just like you seem to be with her own goats... She'd brag about how they got garden scraps and spoiled produce from the local grocery store and how she "spoiled them" with bags of shelled corn, etc.. Said she'd never had any problems at all.. She didn't vaccinate.. She didn't deworm. She didn't trim hooves.. Just turned her goats out and they were healthy as horses, no problem at all! Couldn't believe how "some people" put so much time and effort into raising them and seem to have so much trouble when it was just so daggone easy for her..

I tried to warn her, but -- just like you're doing now -- she blew me off like I was being "all technically" or whatever.

Next time I spoke to her, she immediately said "You jinxed me!" and went on to tell me how she'd had **four** to die of scours within a matter of days. By the time the whole thing was said and done, she'd lost either six or nine..can't remember. However many it was, it was that many too many..

Needless to say, she got "all technically" and put her goats on hay and goat feed after that, and started listening to me when I advised her on vaccines, deworming, medications, etc..

Not sure why she is asking maybe she just has one bag to get rid?

My understanding was that she had a coupon for a free bag. That was stated within the first few posts..​

 

[chickenzoo]

My goats and sheep eat our sweet feed for horses from the local mill, have for years.......

many of the other people I know do also? My llamas, Alpaca, zebu, emu and like it too....