# What do you all feed???



## Jamocha Girl (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone~ I am new, just registered! This is an awesome site! 

We are a new goat family, we have 1 wonderful, sweet goat. She is a sable saanen cross; her mother was about 1/4 alpine x 3/4 oberhasle and father is a sable saanen. So, I am just curious what everyone feeds their goats? Right now she eats oats/dried corn/barley mix in the morning and hay throughout the day.

Thanks much! I look forward to meeting everyone! :type:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

welcome :wave: 

I feed a mix from the store just for goats -- but what you are feeding sounds good.

Hay is their main diet so that is what she should have most of each day


remember goats are so addicting -- you cant' have just one :greengrin:


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Welcome! I'm pretty new here also! :wave: 

We are feeding premium alfalfa. They have constant access to a bale, unless they are to fat. But our goats aren't much on the heavy eating side. We also feed show goat pellets and another type of mineral pellet. They also have constant access to baking soda and free choice salt blocks and minerals. They are out on scrub ground now. So pretty much they eat a variety of stuff!!


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

I give my 5 pygoras a bit of grain in the morning and at night (just enough to keep them out of my hair while I do the morning chores) - I use Purina Goat Show with BOSS added - and a plentiful supply of grass hay to munch on all day. I also have free choice loose minerals (Golden Blend for Goats) and baking soda. They all seem to be doing very well for the last year and their fleece is gorgeous. 

Do your goatie a favor and get her a buddy. Goats are a herd animal & shouldn't be alone. IMHO


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Welcome :wave: First of all I just want to tell you that we LOVE pictures, SSSOOOOO. Do you have any?

How old is she? Are you milking her? One way or the other, that will change if you are milking ot not. I feed my goats a mix of Oats, Wheat, Milo and Barley, along with BOSS. (Black Oil Sunflower seeds). They have free choice grass haty and they are out on somewhat pasture. (Very dry here).

Ok, Goats need to have a free choice LOOSE mineral. I have free choice baking soda out in case they get a upset tummy, they will eat it when they need it. That is very important. They are also herd animals, they should always be at least two. 
They are VERY addicting. So you better watch out. :ROFL:


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Lori, where do you get milo and how is it compared to other grains protein wise? Do your goats do good on it?

We feed a mix of oats, barley, wheat bran, BOSS, beet pulp and cottonseed. This is fed to all the goats, milking and dry, bucks, does and kids. We also feed the milkers high quality alfalfa.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Hello and welcome!! Mine have a mixed grass hay available as well as a good bit of browse and they get a pre- mixed sweet goat feed made by Blue Seal, I do milk 2 of the does but they all get the same grain, just different quantity...they all have a loose mineral freechoice as well as fresh clean water .....and I do agree that goats are herd animals and to enjoy your girl even more it would be best to get her a buddy, be it another doe or a wether.


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## Farmer Gab (Jun 25, 2008)

We feed our Nubians alfalfa pellets, free choice baking soda & minerals, and goat chow when they are on the milking stand for any reason. That's it and today my breeder told me my goats look fat! :? After he left, I took them for a walk around the property and I plan to try to do this daily until they are ready for the Olympic trials!


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## Jamocha Girl (Jul 3, 2008)

StaceyRoop said:


> welcome :wave:
> 
> I feed a mix from the store just for goats -- but what you are feeding sounds good.
> 
> ...


Thanks Stacy!!! Ok, so I will offer more hay. She free ranges in the backyard during the day so she munches on this and that, but I will leave her more hay. THanks for the suggestion!

Uh oh! Really??? I just may end up wtih more then. We now have a horse, 22 chickens, 2 dogs and a cat. Last spring we started with 6 chickens, then we ended up with a dozen, and now we have 22~ HA HA..........We better get some more land for more goats!!!!


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## Jamocha Girl (Jul 3, 2008)

KW Farms said:


> Welcome! I'm pretty new here also! :wave:
> 
> We are feeding premium alfalfa. They have constant access to a bale, unless they are to fat. But our goats aren't much on the heavy eating side. We also feed show goat pellets and another type of mineral pellet. They also have constant access to baking soda and free choice salt blocks and minerals. They are out on scrub ground now. So pretty much they eat a variety of stuff!!


Ahhhh, baking soda! We will put some of that out there for her too. Thanks for that! I wonder, she is corraled with the horse, I wonder if it is okay for her. I will have to look into that....

Thanks so much!


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## Jamocha Girl (Jul 3, 2008)

MissMM said:


> I give my 5 pygoras a bit of grain in the morning and at night (just enough to keep them out of my hair while I do the morning chores) - I use Purina Goat Show with BOSS added - and a plentiful supply of grass hay to munch on all day. I also have free choice loose minerals (Golden Blend for Goats) and baking soda. They all seem to be doing very well for the last year and their fleece is gorgeous.
> 
> Do your goatie a favor and get her a buddy. Goats are a herd animal & shouldn't be alone. IMHO


Yup, that is what I do too. She has her grain while I am milking....... I had no idea they like BOSS, I have that here too. She will be thrilled to get some of that tomorrow!

We actually got her for the horse, well not completely for the horse but that was the pushing factor. So far she does very well with the puppy and the chickens all around with her. She is corraled with the horse at night and a few times during the day when I let my Boxer out (he is a CITY dog!) but otherwise she is in the backyard with the chickens and us (me, hubby and/or kids). She is adorable. She just hangs out whereever we are and follows us around, etc. Are there specific signs that show they need abuddy?


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## Jamocha Girl (Jul 3, 2008)

sweetgoats said:


> Welcome :wave: First of all I just want to tell you that we LOVE pictures, SSSOOOOO. Do you have any?
> 
> How old is she? Are you milking her? One way or the other, that will change if you are milking ot not. I feed my goats a mix of Oats, Wheat, Milo and Barley, along with BOSS. (Black Oil Sunflower seeds). They have free choice grass haty and they are out on somewhat pasture. (Very dry here).
> 
> ...


Oooooooooo, ok. I will look into posting pix! Wonderful!

She is 4. I am milking her every morning (that is the schedule she was on when I got her). Which is a question I have. How long will she produce the milk? Is there anything I will need to do (other than milk her) so she continues to produce? Thanks for the baking soda info, I will get that out there for her.

Yikes, you arent the first one to mention the addiction!!! LOL


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Good Morning! Welcome to TGS. I actually keep my bucks with the mini horses. We had an "unfortunate" accident when we got our Nigerians, one of the doelings got into the horse pasture when I wasn't looking. It still hurts to talk about it, so I won't, just be careful. You have a full size adult goat so it should be ok. There should be a place she can get away from the horse if she has to, though. 

Ok, I'd sure be milking your goat at least twice a day. As close to twelve hours apart as possible. That will keep her producing. Are you going to breed her? You will have to dry her up two months before she "kids". 

I feed a locally produced goat feed. And good quality hay. In addition to browse, which is what we originally got goats for.

Yes, she must have a goat "friend", in addition to the horse, she'll be happier, and you know you are going to get another...so it might as well be sooner...this goat addiction is "for real"!

:wave:


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## Cinder (Mar 3, 2008)

I just wanted to welcome you! We're glad you found us and have a goat! I agree that having a goat friend is really important. I watch my two together and they'd be lost without each other ... when they are out and about with us and they can't see their buddy, they call for each other and then run and jump around together.

I'm feeding a good alfalfa/grass hay with free choice loose minerals and baking soda right now. My girls are only three months old. They also get out to free graze when we are outside and they nibble on lots of different weeds.


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## redneck_acres (Oct 18, 2007)

Our does get grain with molasses twice a day(we milk them twice a day). They also have access to a mineral feeder and pasture. And we feed them Alfalfa twice a day-they eat all but the stems and we feed those to the steers or bucks. Keeping up on their feet trimming is very important. We do CD&T shots on a shedule, and with the Saanens-copper if they need it. I dont know if my mom has given them copper lately or not though.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

First, Welcome :wave: from Idaho!

We feed a 50 / 50 alfalfa / grass that is just awesome! My one milker also receives alfalfa pellets with a little BOSS while on the stand.

They have loose minerals mixed with baking soda at all times and a mineral block along with water.

There is not much browse - but they do have some and I let them out on the weekends to munch the land.

We started with 4 goats a year ago August. Now I have 14 on the property (7 possibly 8 pregnant) 8 sheep with 5 babies (2 might be pregnant) and 2 horses and a 2 month old colt. 

The colt and his mom are in with all the goats and sheep and once in a while I will see them get into the loose minerals but only once in a blue moon and it has never hurt them


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## goatiegurl*Oh (Nov 11, 2007)

How much hay do you guys feed? 2 of my does are outside in their pasture,and get grain ( Im guessing its about 2 1/2 cups combined,for a dry yrlg and doeling ) in the evening,and I give them 1 flake of hay each,but my mom thinks 1 flake is enough for both of them and my other doeling combined. Opinions? Then my other doeling gets about 1 cup of grain in the a.m. and 2 cups in the p.m along with one flake of hay because she is a bit thin.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

What kind of goats are they? 

I don't feed small bales - but I usually estimate that my large does (nubian and alpine) get about 3 pounds of hay each feeding (twice a day) and my little ones get about 1-2 pounds.

It really depends on if you are giving grains (which you are), their condition, and also browse availability.


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## goatiegurl*Oh (Nov 11, 2007)

The yearling is a Boer/Alpine,and the doelings are a Lamancha and a Nubian/Alpine.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Our goats are on nice pasture most days of the week but we give them hay every night, just in case. . . they are all of healthy weight now. Some are kind of working off the "pregnancy weight". We feed alfalfa in the winter but not in the summer unless the doe is lactating. Milking does get premium alfalfa hay or pellets.


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