New goat!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ok. Sounds good. So you feed a good quality hay, and baking soda, and minerals, and that’s it?
That seems almost too easy!

They also get pasture in warm months, and I give mine tree trimmings like willow, and Apple to name a few. Goats are browsers like deer. Feeding them is pretty simple. Keeping them confined can be the challenge with goats.

 

[cassie]

Another member @cassie has fed alfalfa. I personally prefer a good grass hay especially for males. It can depend on what you can find. I personally wouldn't feed alfalfa pellets. Goats are ruminants. They need long stemmed roughage to keep their digestive tract working well.

Just a comment. Alfalfa pellets are a great feed, particularly when good hay is hard to find. I fed them a lot. Where I lived dehydrated pellets (as opposed to sun dried) were available. The quality was excellent and there was no waste. However, as oldhenlikesdogs pointed out, goats do need roughage. You should feed at least some hay along with the pellets.

Where I lived bean straw was available. It is coarse (like browse), inexpensive, and relatively low in feed value but the goats liked it. It made up for the roughage the pellets lacked. If you can feed a good grass hay with or without the pellets that should do the goats just fine but grass and alfalfa complement each other nicely. Alfalfa is high in calcium and low in phosphorous. Grass hays are high in phosphorous and low in calcium. Keep in mind that hay for goats must be of good quality, meaning leafy, fine stemmed and free of dust and mold. Otherwise they will waste more than they eat.

I fed alfalfa for two reasons. One, it was always available and good grass hays were not, and two, I had a dairy. It is hard to beat alfalfa for milk production.

 

[Cyprus]

What a precious boy! His mama is pretty too.

I know nothing about goats, I've always been interested in them, but we live in a neighborhood. (Always have and always will want some land to have more than just ducks!) I hope you enjoy caring for Gandalf and his brother!

How many ducks and what breed do you have?

 

[drumstick diva]

I love Gandalf- he looks like he has black curls. A million years ago my mom had a gray coat, with a black curly collar. She called that "mouton lamb" Don't know if she was right or not but the name stuck in my head.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I love Gandalf- he looks like he has black curls. A million years ago my mom had a gray coat, with a black curly collar. She called that "mouton lamb" Don't know if she was right or not but the name stuck in my head.

Haha! He is the curliest little guy ever. He is an angora goat which is a fiber goat. They produce mohair, that is used for making yarn and doll hair.
Here he is now. He has little horns growing in now.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I forgot to post this earlier, so I am now.
This was back when Gandalf was 2 days old, and he was getting a feel for his legs and learning how to jump over my leg