Wednesday, February 4, 2009

More notes...

From: http://www.mohairconnection.com/goathealth.htm


FEED

As a general rule, we feed grain year around -l lb. pound per animal per day. If you choose not to feed grain throughout the year, begin feeding ½ lb. per day when pasture is no longer available (usually October through April). Growing kids need 1 lb. of grain a day until they are one year old. In severe cold weather, feed extra grain at night to provide energy . A handy measuring container is a margarine tub. One "fill" is a pound. Goats are fussy eaters when it comes to cleanliness - if their grain has been fouled in some way they will not touch it.

For pregnant does, we feed 1 lb. of grain per day until the last four weeks of gestation, at which time we gradually increase feed to 1½ lb. per day and keep them at that level until kids are weaned. (Do not overfeed during early gestation since this can result in kids that are too large boned to be delivered.) For does with twins or triplets, we increase grain to 2 lbs. per day and keep an eye on them. If they look like they are getting too thin, we increase the grain, or vice versa. You get the idea.

We have our grain ration mixed in 1,000 lb. lots. Here is the "formula" (with rounded percentages) for a 12% protein feed: 350 lb. (36%) cracked corn, 300 lb. (32%) rolled barley, 150 lb.(16%) whole oats, and 150 lb. (16%) 38% Dari Blend, which is cracked and mixed with 5 lb BioBaby Premix (kelp fortified with other plant based minerals), 5 lb. PYK (a yeast culture that feeds the rumen microbes), 10 lb. Icelandic kelp, 25-30 lb. diatomaceous earth, 160 lb. (17%) liquid molasses and .4% ammonium chloride (to prevent urinary calculi in males). The Biobaby Premix, PYK and Icelandic kelp are nutritional supplements that we buy from Midwestern Bio-Ag (as well as our diatomaceous earth) . We also feed kelp free choice. Kelp has just about every nutrient in it that a goat needs. You’ll be astounded how the animals fight over it.

When making any change in grain "formulas", or when beginning grain in the fall or ending grain in the spring, do so very slowly to allow the rumen to adjust. Similarly, introduce any new food very slowly.

As to hay, a mixed grass hay is best for goats. Alfalfa is too rich and will cause all kinds of health problems and diarrhea. During severe cold weather, feed the poorest hay you have—this stimulates the rumen, which acts as the goats’ "furnace"
.
Also, allow some bedding to build up during the coldest months of the year—the urine and feces provide healthy heat. Goat urine and feces do not smell — although you may notice an ammonia smell in the Spring just before you clean the barn. In this event, sprinkle a liberal amount of barn lime about and that will take care of it. Goat urine and feces do not contain urea, and for this reason the bedding can be used to directly on your garden for fertilizing and mulching and will not burn plants. A healthy goat will produce feces that look like black, shiny marbles

.Make sure that your goats have mineralized salt (the kind sold for sheep—not the kind sold for cattle) available free choice. (It can be tricky figuring out where to put the mineralized salt feeder so they can’t poop in it!) We feed a salt/Icelandic kelp mix and have observed an increase in overall sturdiness as well as fleece quality since we added this to our nutritional regime. If you don’t have a source, ask us about it.

1 comment:

LeatherneckJoe said...

Diatomaceous Earth is used by many horse owners and they will swear by the results. Just make sure it is Food Grade. Here is a good online resource for DE, http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/product/diatomaceous-earth-de-food-grade