Goat Sweet Feed

[HensAndFriends]

You guys helped me out last time I had a goat related question! Thank you!

My goats:
Three doelings ages from 8-11 months old
One wether 8 months old
All of them have been getting 2 cups of Purina Goat Grower in a communal trough.

Since they will be a year old soon, and I plan on breeding and milking, I wanted to switch off from the medicated grower and to a feed that is more ‘adult’/‘maintenance’.

Feed considering switching to:
Purina Goat Chow

I chose this since it has added Vitamin E for their coats (which need some supplements). I found out it is a ‘sweet feed’ and am now vary wary about the Purina Goat Chow, since ‘sweet feeds’ have a bad reputation for causing issues. Maybe I should try DUMOR Goat Feed? (Only other brand that I can get a hold of)

 

[HipMystic]

I feed Dumor Goat Sweet Feed to all of my does, and usually Dumor Goat Feed (with ammonium chloride) to my bucks.

Dumor is the only one I’ve found that I can feed my herd, they get zinc deficient otherwise (zinc deficiency is something I have to watch out for here). I supplement with MannaPro goat minerals.

Wethers don’t usually need grain, as long as they have a good quality hay and minerals.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yeah, honestly, I'd be tempted to forego grain altogether if I had a wether, but again, idk much.

My girls get a handful of Purina every night before being put to bed (I lock them up because of large predators). And that's it. Some nights, I only bribe them into the barn with carrots or dates. They eat hay and whatever they can find on the property.

Yeah, I think I would get rid of grain too but for milkers I’d maybe give them some to help production?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Yeah, I think I would get rid of grain too but for milkers I’d maybe give them some to help production?

For sure. I don't milk mine. If I did, I'd probably be a little pickier. My girls are brushers. Their sole purpose on this little farm is to eat blackberries and poison oak.

 

[HipMystic]

Interesting! People said that their goats’ coats improved after eating the sweet feed. Did you notice this after feeding your sweet feed for the first time?

Also, how did you know that your goats we’re zinc deficient?

If you don’t mind me asking!

I don’t mind at all!
So I’ve pretty much always fed Dumor, it was what I started with and it just happened to work well
With that being said, my goats do get noticeable differences if I switch feeds for whatever reason. Coat quality goes down, the guard hairs go wiry and the goats get a “fluffy” look to them. I also notice hair loss on a few specific goats, especially around the ears and nose.

I always thought it was a copper deficiency, because that’s what you always hear about, until I had a necropsy done on a buck a few years ago. He died from unrelated causes, but I had a mineral screening done with the necropsy because my does were showing the symptoms above. All of his levels were good except for zinc, which was just barely in the healthy range. Everyone was getting the exact same feed, except that the does were getting extra calcium, which slows the absorption of zinc.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You guys helped me out last time I had a goat related question! Thank you!

My goats:
Three doelings ages from 8-11 months old
One wether 8 months old
All of them have been getting 2 cups of Purina Goat Grower in a communal trough.

Since they will be a year old soon, and I plan on breeding and milking, I wanted to switch off from the medicated grower and to a feed that is more ‘adult’/‘maintenance’.

Feed considering switching to:
Purina Goat Chow

I chose this since it has added Vitamin E for their coats (which need some supplements). I found out it is a ‘sweet feed’ and am now vary wary about the Purina Goat Chow, since ‘sweet feeds’ have a bad reputation for causing issues. Maybe I should try DUMOR Goat Feed? (Only other brand that I can get a hold of)

Sweet feed is fine in moderation. All grains are fine in moderation.

Your does will be fine. I know wethers are prone to urinary calculi if the ratio of calcium and phosphorus is off. I know lots of goat owners who forego the grain entirely and only feed hay (not alfalfa, though) because they have wethers. I wish I was more knowledgeable, but I think as long as the feed has ammonium chloride in it and you don't feed more than the bag (or better yet, your vet) recommends, you'll be fine.

Let me tag a couple of folks who might be able to offer more insight.

@1cock2hens
@TheDawg

 

[ShrekDawg]

Sweet feed is fine in moderation. All grains are fine in moderation.

Your does will be fine. I know wethers are prone to urinary calculi if the ratio of calcium and phosphorus is off. I know lots of goat owners who forego the grain entirely and only feed hay (not alfalfa, though) because they have wethers. I wish I was more knowledgeable, but I think as long as the feed has ammonium chloride in it and you don't feed more than the bag (or better yet, your vet) recommends, you'll be fine.

Let me tag a couple of folks who might be able to offer more insight.

@1cock2hens
@TheDawg

Thanks for the tag! Unfortunately I don’t really know very much either. I don’t have goats myself, just really like them and have done some research, so I know about as much as you. Probably less since you have them and I don’t. I was gonna say the same though.

 

[Silexian]

I feed the purina goat chow to mine. I don’t milk my goats, so I only give them grain about once a week. Just so they come in the holding pen. When I call them.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for the tag! Unfortunately I don’t really know very much either. I don’t have goats myself, just really like them and have done some research, so I know about as much as you. Probably less since you have them and I don’t. I was gonna say the same though.

Yeah, honestly, I'd be tempted to forego grain altogether if I had a wether, but again, idk much.

My girls get a handful of Purina every night before being put to bed (I lock them up because of large predators). And that's it. Some nights, I only bribe them into the barn with carrots or dates. They eat hay and whatever they can find on the property.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I feed the purina goat chow to mine. I don’t milk my goats, so I only give them grain about once a week. Just so they come in the holding pen. When I call them.

I do pretty much the same.