Got our goats yesterday!

[mama24]

I gave them some stems with a few leaves attached from some greens (called creasies around here, a type of cress) and they weren't interest. Threw them over the fence and the chickens liked them much more!

The carrots, they mouthed a little and spit out! Strange animals! I do think I found the key to their little hearts, though. They will do anything for some sweet feed! The big one will now come running over to root around my hands to see if I have a handful, and the little one will eat out of my hand if the big one is between us, but I'm still not allowed near her or to touch her.

They really like oak leaves, too.

Electric fence is working very well. They don't go anywhere near the fence anymore, but if you leave the gate between them and the chickens open for even a minute, they are right there nudging through!

 

[B&G Eisenbeis]

Hello! I also recently got (milking) goats. Since there are so me people on here that have knowledge about keeping them,thought I would ask.... What do you feed goats who are not grazing in winter if they are milking? Reason for this seemingly obvious question (goat feed) is that all the suppliers seem to sale only medicated feed. This milk is for drinking,cheese, etc. for my son who is not yet a year. Antibiotic feed is not an option!

Any input is appreciated!

 

[zzGypsy]

B&G Eisenbeis :

Hello! I also recently got (milking) goats. Since there are so me people on here that have knowledge about keeping them,thought I would ask.... What do you feed goats who are not grazing in winter if they are milking? Reason for this seemingly obvious question (goat feed) is that all the suppliers seem to sale only medicated feed. This milk is for drinking,cheese, etc. for my son who is not yet a year. Antibiotic feed is not an option!

Any input is appreciated!

we feed half alfalfa and half grass hay to our producing milkers. they also get as much grain as they'll eat while on the milking stand... we use dry 3-way (corn, oats, barley) but you could use that with molasses or other grain mix, just depends on whats available locally. we don't feed a goat ration. we also always have a white salt block, goat minerals, and baking soda available to them free choice. plus we toss them tree cuttings, pulled weeds, bamboo leaves, whatever other browse we have.
ETA: alfalfa because of the high calcium and protien content, and only half because it's too rich to feed straight.​

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
good job on the fencing!
keep working on the treat program, you'll bring them both around. hand raised goats (handled a lot when they're little) are easier but most can be convinced.

 

[B&G Eisenbeis]

Wow! Thank you so much zzGypsy! That was the best answer I could have hoped for! "to the feed store for me..." Happy goating to everyone!

 

[mama24]

I'm feeding good hay with sweet feed as treats right now, plus minerals of course. Planning on finding some better grain eventually, mixing it myself if I have to. The guy I got my goats from suggested giving them some alfalfa hay or pellets when milking, plus definitely some grain, but they've been on straight hay only with free choice goat minerals, no grain for a while now. I was told goats also don't really graze, they are mostly browsers with diets more like deer than cattle or sheep. So they need hay free choice all the time, lots of browse would be ideal, which I have, but is not really feasible to use until we get these girls tamed and trained, since it's not fenced in! There's a falling down barbed wire fence that is nothing but dangerous now, not useful at all. I do have a portable electric fence, but I can't see how that's going to do any good setting up in the middle of a bramble patch where it will get shorted out! So the plan is to get them somewhat trained so we can take them for hour long or all morning or afternoon trips to browse, either on a lead or loose if we can get them trained to not go too far and come when called (whether by voice or shaking the feed scoop is another discussion!

) I have 3 boys who are old enough to supervise!

They really do like the fallen oak leaves that were already in their pen, lots of oak trees in our yard plus pecan and what I think is some sort of small walnut. I read in one of my goat books that tree leaves, especially oak and other edible nuts, are excellent for goats and full of trace minerals they don't get from other hays or feeds.

And they're free, too!

 

[zzGypsy]

B&G Eisenbeis :

Wow! Thank you so much zzGypsy! That was the best answer I could have hoped for! "to the feed store for me..." Happy goating to everyone!

you're welcome!
a couple more quick notes - transition to your new feed over a week or so, goats can get upset stomachs from sudden changes. ours are pretty tollerant because we throw them a variety of browse and it changes all the time, but it's not the primary feed. some goats are less happy with sudden changes.

and if you've got bucks, limit alfalfa to 25% or don't feed it at all - they can get urinary calculi (stones) from the calcium.

BTW, the medicated feed is usually used for kids, especially around weaning as they can get coccidia and that's usually what the medication is for. we haven't used it, and we've had no coccidia problems, but lots of folks do.​

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
sounds like a good program... goats are browsers not grazers. if we had acres of brambles, they'd probably prefer that to hay. ok, maybe not to the alfalfa because it's tasty... at any rate it's good for the milkers.

free choice hay is best, and if you can offer them a variety, they love that!

leaves - yep, ours love 'em! especially fond of fallen persimmon leaves. you'll want to ask about the walnut - some walnut is poisonous but we don't have them so I've never looked up the details. avacado is another one that can cause issues in sheep, I don't know if it's bad for goats.

 

[mama24]

I don't think the walnut is close enough to their pen. I have a friend, actually my supervisor at work, who swears goats know what they need. He says his wife was freaking out over theirs eating pokeweed, which they had always left alone, and he shrugged and said they must have worms they're trying to get rid of. None died, and he never needs to deworm, so he may be on to something. Walnut leaves and husks used to be used as dewormers for people, so maybe eating a few leaves now and then, if that's what they choose to eat, wouldn't be so bad for them.

I have to wonder how people 100 years ago or more managed to keep all these animals without all of the chemicals we rely on now...

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
I'm guessing they weren't as sentimental about culling, and they lost more animals too ... plus they didn't have near as many resistant worms to deal with.

there are lots of things that are listed as poisonous that critters can sometimes eat some of without trouble. here the cows eat poison hemlock... and it doesn't kill them or make them sick. that is, unless they eat too much. usually problems with poisonous plants are seen in two circumstances - either there's no other forage and they eat a lot of something noxious to fill their bellies, or there's a sudden change in the plant (like an overnight hard frost) that turns it from ok to poisonous. the animals eat it on day one and are fine, then eat it on day two and die.

also animals that are raised around a particular poisonous plant tend to learn not to eat it,while animals brought in from other areas may not know the plant and may eat it and die before they learn they shouldn't.