# how about raising no grain goats?



## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

been pondering this lately. my boys are three weeks old and my dad keeps bugging me about pan training them. i'm putting that off a bit until i bond with them more though. 
being a back to nature type of person i've been wondering...
since you dont want to be hauling around feed on your trips you gradually get them used to eating only on the trail, no feed. so what if you just raised the boys with no grain. or very very little grain.
i'm growing corn, amaranth, and quinoa to feed my goats. i plan on harvesting the grain for feed and cutting the stalks to feed in winter. 
so what does everyone think?


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Hello,

depending on what type of goats they are, you can raise them without grain. I've done it for several years with the bucklings that had some boer-blood. Can't do it/won't do it with the younger bucks which are all out of pure dairy breeds, except for one who is out of that one old Boer-Saanen-cross doe (his grandmother). When all the others need grain to put on weight and grow he will be just short of being overweight from eating grass and brush alone.

You have to allow for 2 more years of growing, though.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

hm... well the boys are saanen. the sire is from another farm and they dont feed much grain at all. their goats are just for fun though. and they are good size goats.

oh, and my pasture is about 5 acres. and i have mineral block set out for any of the goats to lick as they choose. 
right now it has three angora goats, two in-milk saanens, and one pygmy doe on the pasture. and its not looking over eaten in any areas yet. i would like to fence in another pasture for the three angoras so there will be less stress on the pasture then. 
and the pasture is about half woods and half field. 
thanks!


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I have been scared to feed grain. The calcuim thing. Felt it was 
better to not feed it than to feed the wrong thing. 

I do use COB in my pocket to call them and treat them on
the walks.

I have not been able to afford Carols book yet.
I think Julio could use a bit extra. He is a little thin I feel.

He is saanen/alpine/tog.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

Cuzco never really got grain when he was growing up, and he seemed to thrive all along the way. I would usually give him a handful if the horses got grain, just to keep him from feeling left out, and I would use it as a treat during training, but no regular grain. He was never thin on pasture, browse, and hay. In fact, he got downright pudgy during the summer months, even when he was still growing.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Thats is what I am hoping for now that the browsing brush is leafing out. Sully the 4 year old gained weight last yr. Am hoping Julio does this year also.


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## gsbswf (Apr 5, 2009)

You feed grain when they are growing kids as part of a balanced diet for proper growth. You don't need to carry it on the trail to "get them used to eating on the trail". You pack enough for supplementing their diet if they are working really hard and/or for treats. Don't stop feeding them grain as part of their healthy diet while they are growing since they don't really get grain when they are full grown adult packers anyway, so hauling grain feed on the trail is a non-issue. 

Not feeding grain due to a worry of stones is not an appropriate way to prevent stones. If a growing goat is getting alfalfa, that is higher in calcium. Without the grain that contains phosphorus to balance out the calcium, they are at much greater risk of getting stones because of excess calcium. 

This is very oversimplified but it is dangerous to think that not feeding grain is the solution to preventing stones in growing kids. It is very easy to search this stuff on this site and find plenty of information to help you get started with proper diet...
However, a quick google search comes up with "Diet for Wethers" at $14.75 on Hoegger's site. There is no reason not to own this book, and as the description on Hoegger's site says:

"When the life and health of your valued goats are at stake you can't afford to be uninformed."

Also, I think that Cuzco, who we all know is a very glamorous goat, probably gets as much grain in the form of a handful when the horses get it, and as treats, as my guys get from me scooping it into their bowl every day. It isn't much, but depending on the rest of their diet, they don't need much. I would say his glamor and acting ability are examples of a goat that was raised on a good amount of grain rather than a goat not raised on grain.

That is my 2 cents.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

Well, like I said, besides during training sessions, Cuzco only got a little grain when the horses got some, and I don't usually feed grain to my horses. But I did grain them more often when Cuzco was small because my mare was nursing. I didn't want to overdo the phosphorus because I fed no alfalfa and have always tried to avoid alfalfa not only for my goat but also for my horses. Alfalfa has too much sugar and is more prone to dust and mold. One of my horses has a slight alfalfa allergy and it makes him cough pretty bad. So it's grass hay all the way with my animals.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

Diets need to be balanced to provide enough phosphorus to make bones. If you have 5 acres they may be getting enough phosphorus in the form of seed heads from brush or from chewing on bark but it's tricky balancing a diet with out providing at least a little grain and alfalfa. What gsbswf says is all true.
Boers do tend to be more efficient at getting the most out of pasture but if you don't have 5 acres of mixed brush you'll have to supply some extra nutrition or your kids won't get to their optimum size.


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