# how often do you feed your goats



## mimzidoat (Jan 26, 2013)

I feed hay and little grain twice a day. Thinking of having another baby myself so I wont have as much time for the goats. Wondering if they'll be fine w once a day. Also interested in minimizing wasted hay. Thoughts?


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I give my goats free choice hay, replace every evening.. I grain once a day, it's all I have time for frankly. :lol:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Why wouldn't you be able to feed? Really, I don't understand this kind of thinking. I raised 4 kids while I was farming and never had to do more than put a playpen in the barn and teach them not to eat dirt. Why is it different now?


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## CAjerseychick (Sep 21, 2013)

free choice hay and AM/PM grain (we are trying to settle new goats in and tame the wild ones)....


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## AmyBoogie (May 20, 2013)

when I was pregnant with my 2nd child I thought I wouldn't be able to do XYZ that all the things I could do now with 1 kid would make my hands tied if I had 2. Turns out nothing changed and I was able to still do it all. Like Goathiker said, well placed play pens were all I needed. And a good monitor for naptimes if I didn't want to bring them out to the garden and monitor dirt intake

But you can easily do free choice hay and grain once a day. 
Babies love goats....Some goats love babies.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

AmyBoogie said:


> And a good monitor for naptimes if I didn't want to bring them out to the garden and monitor dirt intake


dirt intake, lol.... that made me chuckle.


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## mmiller (Apr 3, 2012)

My main herd is on full browse an get grain in the PM. I have a couple babies that are on full feed an free choice hay.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

goathiker said:


> Why wouldn't you be able to feed? Really, I don't understand this kind of thinking. I raised 4 kids while I was farming and never had to do more than put a playpen in the barn and teach them not to eat dirt. Why is it different now?


Well...Having a baby might not change everything, but being pregnant can change a lot of things for a lot of people. I was so sick for 6 months during my first pregnancy that I lost 19 lbs. during that time. I was a walking twig with a bump. Even sounds made me sick.
I also have a friend who had to take on the full time care of her newborn grandson, and she had 45 goats to care for at that time. It was very hard for her, and she was often stressed. Living in northern MN means long winters with lots of snow and severe cold. Play pens are not an option in weather like that.
So, it would be safer not to jump to conclusions about what another person's life is like.

But, if your pregnancy and your life are fairly normal, and you have good support, caring for your animals and your baby should all work out fine.


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## CAjerseychick (Sep 21, 2013)

mimzidoat said:


> I feed hay and little grain twice a day. Thinking of having another baby myself so I wont have as much time for the goats. Wondering if they'll be fine w once a day. Also interested in minimizing wasted hay. Thoughts?


Maybe buying a good hay rack - the kind with the trough along the bottom, it catches hay and you can pour feed into it, they arent cheap though...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

My friend feeds every other day. She has feed lot feeds and just fills them up. I like to make sure they get something at least once a day. I like to go threw and make sure nothing is off about them.
Ohhh boy do I know about being sick that was me with #2 and the pills make you just want to sleep. just make sure things are set up so things will be easy on you later. Have the hay bales close to feeders. Even sleeping and throwing up most of my days all my critters got fed. We are women we are smart and strong and even if it takes all day we get what needs to be done 
I also had 3 play pens placed all over....I think my kids spent more time in them then their own bed......and they ate tons of dirt and still going strong lol


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## littlegoatgirl (Jan 11, 2013)

I feed hay twice a day, and I give them a lot so they have it 24/7. Give grain once or sometimes twice a day when I'm feeling particularly nice  

As for catching the hay, I also have this problem. Going through tons if hay every day... I'm making just a "tray" to go underneath the feeder with a six inch lip or so.


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## GreenMountainNigerians (Jul 3, 2013)

I'm raising four ND doelings. Seven months down to three months. Right now they are on Noble Goat grower free choice but I usually add raisins at bedtime to make it more pleasant. They have two hay feeders we made with the garden type wire and I keep them both full of alfalfa. Usually add some am and pm. Goathiker ,I also raised my kids in the barn and didn't really have any disruption in my routine. Thank God for backpacks and play pens.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

I do complete rounds of feeding/watering chores for the horses and goats 3 times a day; milking, dog feeding and kennel cleaning twice a day, horse stall cleaning and chicken chores once a day. In the winter months the goats and horses get fed and watered 4 times a day, the dogs 3 times, the chickens twice. I don't have a way of free choice feeding the hay, so 3 or 4 times a day I unroll the big round bale and wheel it to the horse stalls or the goat feeders. They get grain at milking time. The bottle kids get bottle fed 4 times a day with hay and grain available 24/7.

I ran an entire 65 dairy cow milking farm with an added 65 dairy goats milking, with young stock, dry stock and bucks plus I had ducks, chickens, rabbits and 12 horses when I was pregnant with my 3rd and 4th sons. I did all the barn chores, all the goat chores, all the house work, barn work, child care, bred outside mares to my stallion, showed the foals in the furturities, did the training etc. The only thing my now ex did was field work. I worked right up until i went to the hospital in labor and went right back at it the day I came home from the hospital. I had a playpen and crib in the milkroom. They were on wheels so i could roll them into the midway of the barn during milking and feeding time. My ex was a lazy slug who would hide in the bathroom at chore time. I had to do it all. Because of it, labor and delivery was easy because I was in really good shape. My doctor was fine with it, just gave me 2 things I was not allowed to do-skydiving or underwater diving.


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## Riverside Fainters (Feb 6, 2013)

My girls gets a half slice of hay am/pm, grain at night and fresh water either am/pm... I like to be able to check on her and make sure she's "right"


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Patricia-Meyer said:


> Well...Having a baby might not change everything, but being pregnant can change a lot of things for a lot of people. I was so sick for 6 months during my first pregnancy that I lost 19 lbs. during that time. I was a walking twig with a bump. Even sounds made me sick.


Why on earth did you get pregnant again? That would of been more then enough a reason for me  hehe

Here is what I have learned under my farming situation. Feeding once a day leaves the animals very hungry by the next feeding to the point of them fighting for the first flakes of hay dropped into feeders. They also tend to pull more hay outta the feeders and drop it on the ground at first. They do end up picking the scraps off the ground, which isnt a good thing as feeding on the ground is the main way worms are transmitted.


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## mimzidoat (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks for the responses. My last pregnancy was very difficult and working 10 hr days while keeping up w the chickens, goats, outside avairies, greenhouse in winter and garden in summer, made it even harder. Hopefully this one will be easier. Definitely some impressive goat keepers here. Glad to hear im not the only one here crazy enough to take on goats on top of everything else. All for the love of goats


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

TDG-Farms said:


> Why on earth did you get pregnant again? That would of been more then enough a reason for me  hehe
> 
> LOL! Yeah, call me crazy! I actually got pregnant three more times.  Middle two not bad. Fourth, bad again but not quite as bad, thank God bc at that time I had a 6, 4 and 1 year old. Crazy times!


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

mimzidoat said:


> I feed hay and little grain twice a day. Thinking of having another baby myself so I wont have as much time for the goats. Wondering if they'll be fine w once a day. Also interested in minimizing wasted hay. Thoughts?


I feed once a day in the afternoon/evening. My girls do not get grain - only hay.  I didn't plan on feeding that way - it was just the only way I could ensure they got fed what they needed to be fed during the summer months. I kept a close eye on them and I noticed that they did not lose condition as a result of only being fed only a day, and they did not swarm me like they were overly hungry because of being fed only once a day. If you decide to feed once a day you will need to keep a pretty close eye on them for the first few weeks and adjust the amount of feed you're giving if needed. I would also suggest you feed at night so they are going into the coldest part of the day with a full tummy.

As for the wasted hay, what are you feeding? Is it stemmy, overly coarse, or rank? If grass, how many seed heads are in it? If alfalfa, are the flakes purple when you pull them apart? Are the seed heads closed or open? Are you feeding free choice?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

My goats have hay at all times. I can feed a bale and it might last for days even a week because they are out eating in the pastures still. I feed grain in the winter only and once a day.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We don't have a lot of land, just a couple of acres. 
Through the summer, does who are not being shown/not nursing are on browse, free choice minerals <everyone gets minerals>, and hay on rainy days. Goats that my kids show get fed 2x a day and have hay off/on through the day.

Once the kids are done showing we wean them down to 1x a day feeding depending on the goat, but still get their hay. Usually we start putting hay out 2x a day for everyone at that point.

It's getting into the cold season now, and we try to keep hay available as much as possible.
We have so much going on, that I can't get more hay feeders built. I'd like to build an outside covered area and put a roll bale of hay under it with something protect it so there isn't too much waste on the ground. That away they can have hay 24/7 vs. me having to refill hay feeders several times a day.

All the does are now getting grain in the evenings, and once it gets really cold we'll offer 2x a day, plus add in alfalfa pellets since we are feeding grass hay.


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## fiberchick04 (Mar 8, 2010)

goathiker said:


> Why wouldn't you be able to feed? Really, I don't understand this kind of thinking. I raised 4 kids while I was farming and never had to do more than put a playpen in the barn and teach them not to eat dirt. Why is it different now?


Some people do things differently. That's wonderful that you were able to do all of that. My family are all farmers in ND and did the same thing. Just up to the person. Every person is different


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## uglywon (Dec 21, 2012)

I only have 5 goats (3 wethers, 2 does) on about 2 wooded acres. I give them free choice hay (timothy since my breeder said alfalfa is too rich for them) of which they waste probably half...I think I need to find better hay. I refresh it every evening. I've cut back giving them grain to about once a week as a treat. I sneak the girls extra grain sometimes while the boys are Bogarting the hay. They've all pretty much cleared my entire woods 4' and lower, but are currently very happy and fat with all the leaves falling right now. I'm worried that their browse is all gone so I'm going to order a portable electric fence setup in the Spring...my neighbors want to clear their woods too.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Try not refreshing it. I know it sounds cruel, but when goats are given hay free choice they pick through it, eat the best parts, and waste the rest. I don't play that game, and I have very little waste under normal circumstances. I've also been known to not feed when the waste exceeds a certain amount. Rain/snow will throw everything out of whack because of the moisture. You might want to do a little research on orchard, brome, or wheatgrass hays. I think you will find they have a little higher protein content and are more readily ate - at least in my experience. The key to feeding straight grass is to know what to look for and avoid over-grown/rank hay. Grass/alfalfa is another option. I feed 5-6 lbs/adult doe/day of a good quality grass/alfalfa hay, sometimes a little more - it varies according to the weather - and my girls do very well on hay alone even when nursing kids.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just turn the hay. I turn mine over and it brings up more good stuff. It gets them to eat most of it.


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## uglywon (Dec 21, 2012)

These are fantastic suggestions. I've already started just leaving the hay now that I've built a feeder that keeps it from the ground. They've gotten a little better. I'll start turning it now and see of that helps even more. I will look into those hay options too. This is a great Forum. I learn so much from everyone. Goat Peeps are awesome!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I would be careful about feeding hungry goats grain cause they could choke on it due to them inhaling it. If you can have hay available all the time or at least for a while before you grain will help with them diving into their grain and possibly choking. Or you could put some large rocks in their feeders so they have to go slow to lick up the grain amongst the rocks. 
Good luck , hope you can figure out a schedule that works for you and your animals. Hope al goes well


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I have also let them pick through what I gave them last so the waste isnt as much. They will waste hay regardless , its just what they do .


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

If there is a will, there is a way...each life is different, and outlook just as different..what one can handle, another can not, where one will figure a way to make it work, another will decide to put it on hold...I had fairly easy pregancies, My daughter was sick through 7 1/2 months of hers...just never know..but once baby is born...many things still factor in..safety issues, weather, and bull headedness lol..desire, and committment..

Keep fresh hay out free choice, loose minerals free choice and grain one a day is more than plenty, as long as they are not dairy goats you hope to get milk from..that is a whole other ball game..best wishes


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

I clean out the hay feeder twice a day and feed what the goats won't eat to the horses, who are more than happy to do clean up duty. The hay the buck wastes during rut gets cleaned up and used as bedding in the outside part dog kennel. It keeps the mud from getting too bad. When the bucks are not in rut, the hay goes to the horses also. 

From what the goats waste in 1 day I can feed the 3 horses an entire meal.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

our hay from a basket cleaning, which is daily, goes to the donkeys, if its on the ground but clean our pig gets it....they love it!


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

Patricia-Meyer said:


> Well...Having a baby might not change everything, but being pregnant can change a lot of things for a lot of people. I was so sick for 6 months during my first pregnancy that I lost 19 lbs. during that time. I was a walking twig with a bump. Even sounds made me sick.
> I also have a friend who had to take on the full time care of her newborn grandson, and she had 45 goats to care for at that time. It was very hard for her, and she was often stressed. Living in northern MN means long winters with lots of snow and severe cold. Play pens are not an option in weather like that.
> So, it would be safer not to jump to conclusions about what another person's life is like.
> 
> But, if your pregnancy and your life are fairly normal, and you have good support, caring for your animals and your baby should all work out fine.


 For me, human kids before animals. Maybe your husband can help out while your pregnant and help you get a routine down after the baby is born. You need to take care of yourself while your pregnant. Children are blessings. Congrats on your pregnancy!!!!


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Here, animals always first (including the child-kind) then ourselves last. Haha!


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## StaceyC (May 13, 2013)

I feed once a day in the morning. Because of my children's busy sport and activity schedule at night it's easiest and most consistent. In the morning(7:00) I fill the hay manger, feed them grain, bring them fresh water, muck the barn and pasture. At night (all different times) I check and refill hay and water if needed when I lock them up. Once winter sets in, I will have to bring them warm water three times a day but the feeding and cleaning schedule will remain the same.


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## dallaskdixie (Jan 3, 2014)

I feed grain twice a day to all my goats. The amount depends on grass amount in pen. I feed hay twice a day, amount also depends on grass.


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## MrSchaeferPants (Dec 31, 2013)

Never!!!

I have browse for days, for weeks, months, years even. Well, I have been giving them some goat feed as treats so they get used to me. Think that's accomplished now as I got goat bombarded after work today while feeding them. 8 goat faces, in my face as I sat to feed them.

But I'm new in the goat world, take that with a grain of salt


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## Bagwell (May 2, 2015)

The keyhole type feeders help but goats do lije to find a way to waste hay.


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

My kids and my lactating doe get fed twice a day everyone e else is once a day. But everyone else has grass to eat too.


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