Goats should have access to pasture whenever possible. However, be careful when moving goats from an all feed diet to a pasture. Sudden change in diet or overfeeding on green pastures,
can cause bloat, and bloat can be deadly! Always offer sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). We
just hang a bucket in each pasture area and allow the goats to take it by choice.
We offer "free choice" Sodium Bicarb (Baking Soda) in buckets for each pasture. You can buy the old
standard Arm & Hammer from the Grocery Store if you have just a few goats,
or buy 25-50lb bags from your Feed Distributor.
You will have to make your own decision on what diet your goats will have.
Many people buy Sweet Goat Feed from the local feed stores for about $9.00 per 50/lb.
That can get a little expensive if you have a lot of goats.
We know some people who feed their goats a mixture of cracked corn and peanut hulls. Peanut hulls are an excellent source of protein, and are very inexpensive.
We usually mix our own feed. We use to use a cattle feed, cracked corn and grain.
We are now using a Southern States feed that has a preventative dose of decox in it. It seems to be
working very well. We pay a little over $6 per bag, and they are happy to order it by the ton
for us. We limit each goat to about a cup a day of this feed, along with the all-you-can-eat pasture buffet!
In the Summer all of our goats are on "Pasture Only" Diets. In the Spring, Fall & Winter we supplement
with a good wide leaf hay as needed, depending on the level of pasture.
Aside from the high cost of sweet feed, keep in mind that too much sweet
feed is not good for your goats. In addition, the sweet feed draws flies to
the manure.
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Keep in mind that the more grain you feed, the more you increase the chance
of UC problems with your bucks and wethers.
We rotate our herds across several pastures to insure they are always getting plenty of
nutrition. You will soon learn that you have to let the livestock eat the pasture down to a
level to spur new growth.....it takes practice....because you don't want them to eat it too low
either. The better rotation you have on your pastures the less you will have to supplement your
herd. The biggest benefit to rotational grazing is to keep the parasites to a minimum.
This is critical to getting a good return on investment (ROI) afterall....it is a business.
This is a picture of one of the feeding shelves we built. We used old pallets
to construct the feeder.
The shelf keeps the food well above the ground
and the dividers keep the goats from bucking each other out of the way.
This enables even the smaller goats to get their share! We did have to run
a board along the top to keep the smaller goats from jumping right in!
The sizes and breeds of your goats will dictate the measurements needed for
your herd.
We are now using another type of feeder we built using PVC pipe cut lengthwise. It really
works the best! We either attach to a fence or use crossed 2x4s to hold the pipe.
In some of our maternity pens we have used lengths of Guttering attached to
the fencing to feed pellet food.
If you have wethers (castrated males) in your herd, be careful not to feed them too much grain.
Too much grain can cause crystals in the urinary tract which can not always be passed.
When pastures are sparse, we supplement with hay.
Always supply your goats with lots of fresh, clean water. They drink a lot of water, but will
go thirsty before they drink dirty or fouled water.
