Would Layer feed hurt goat?

[spacepony]

So my new enclosed critter 'yard' contains my geese, chickens, and the goat (and the insistent cat that will climb 5 foot wire). I feed a basic laying pellet and scratch for the birds, and the (fat) goat gets her sweet stock plus hay. She, however, seems to want the layer pellet. The chickens, then, eat some of her sweet feed, which has molasses. Might there be any problems? I kinda wonder if layer has too much calcium and might give the goat stones, but I don't know.

Any thoughts?

 

[mlm Mike]

Chicken feed is bad for goats. I believe it's the nitrogen content.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

I believe it is the excess calcium that causes Urinary Calculi. But the memory isn't what it used to be...

 

[donrae]

Won't the goat gorge on the chicken feed? I've always thought the problem was they'd overeat, not esp what was in it. Goats will go through fences or tip things over to get chicken feed.
I don't see a huge problem with the chickens eating some sweet feed, but if the goat is already overweight, why are you feeding her sweet feed? They really don't need it, the hay is just fine.

 

[Chris09]

There are a number of things that can be in poultry feed that could be bad for goats. The amount of calcium/ phosphorus, high protein amount, animal proteins and unnatural protein types that may be used in poultry feed can all be bad for them.

Chris

 

[spacepony]

Thanks for the thoughts, all.

donrae, her sweet feed is treat mainly, and winter supplement, and I'm hoping with her new access to the larger yard, she now will get more exercise (I actually do think she's trimming down just a hair). I had hoped she would like the change to a new tastier looking feed and that she would attack that first before bothering chicken feed.

I had thought originally she was going after the scratch, but I see that she nibbles the layer pellet. It seems this is not good for her.

Soooo, any thoughts on the tastiest goat treat I can distract her with?

I am still working the coop/housing area, and I will now plan to incorporate a (hopefully) goat-resistant feeding area for the chickens and geese to access their layer pellet.

....Any thoughts on goat-proofing chicken feed? (Short of re-locating the goat).

 

[mlm Mike]

I don't know of any goat treat that would distract her from eating something else, they are browsers by nature. We use cattle panels, the chickens can fit through the squares, but keeps the goats in or out, as the case may be.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

When I looked into getting goats, I heard that the goats will just eat the chicken feed up until it actually kills them. They die of overeating it.

 

[omegorchards]

Poultry feed should not be feed to ruminants.

 

[duckinnut]

Is there any way to put the layer feed somewhere that the chickens can get to it and not the goat? Sorry just me being uber-practical or otherwise known as frugal. I always look for the least costly measure and be effective.