# Making milk without grain?



## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

For all of you dairy goat folks -- are any of you feeding a "no grain" ration? I've been thinking about trying this and would appreciate any advice, tips, experiences, warnings, suggestions...in a word, "help!" Thanks!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I've been thinking about this, too. I have already cut their grain to a pound a doe, once a day. Interested to see what others have to say


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

You will still get milk, maybe not as much and your girls could lose condition, a high quality alfalfa hay is what I have found to make the most milk in my herd. My girls get grain but really not very much but I figure they deserve some treats on the stand. Plus I like the fact that grain made for goats does have a small amount of minerals included and I feel it helps round out the loose minerals they get. Anything to keep my milk tasting super yummy.


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## arielmadison (Jul 25, 2016)

There's a dairy farm nearby that I bought my first nubian doe from that swears by high quality alfalfa. Not sure where she's getting it. Because I know it's not coming from our neck of the woods. She told me that was all she fed but I have my doubts. Star wouldn't stand to be milked worth a crap if it wasn't IDEAL conditions and certainly not if there wasn't grain. I tried to hobble her one time it was so bad. She kept laying down on my arms and I couldn't even get the dang thing around her legs, everytime I would try and get her back on her legs she would just dead weight. She was the biggest Diva. Oh how I miss that goat.

Have you thought about sprouting grains?

If there were more hours in a day I would've tried it by now.

This article has a part 1-6, in the end her goats aren't in love with the sprouts though. Different strokes for different goats though. 
http://grannysbest.blogspot.com/search/label/(71) Growing Fodder for my Goats (part 1)


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I know someone who feeds sprouted barley, milk production went down and her girls started getting acidosis, my thoughts are that being sprouted they have started to break down and that makes it break down faster in the rumen. I'm not going to try it but she still feeds that way so she made it work for her. Personally I don't have a problem letting them have grain, if they need more than I think they should have I add whole oats which they love, or alfalfa pellets on the stand.


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## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

mine get a measured amount of sweet feed (goat concentrated feed) and then they gr alfalfa pellets - our alfalfa hay sucks and is expensive.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

alfalfa hay here is almost impossible to come by and very expensive. The pellets work fine for me...but I add whole oats, beet pulp, small amount of sweet and if needed, calf manna.
I know two of my girls would not stand for no grain while being milked lol


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

I recon if you have really good pasture you could get away with not feeding grain. But I find they really need some sort of grain to keep up health in general and yes added minerals are good not to mention getting them in to be milked. A person I know and compete against in the showring (this person has some of my breeding)dosnt feed much grain and results are thinner milkers and smaller kids,not a good look in Toggenburgs and in the showring. yes it impacts their milk volume. At the moment all my milkers are very pregnant,due in a couple of weeks they get fed lupins and a sweet feed as I said for general health and in the afternoon they are fed lucerne hay. Results are healthy coats and good condition no fat ones and no Preg.Tox.  Ive just read in our national magazine of a dairy goat breeder who feeds corn cobs still on the stalks which they cut themselves and they also fed lucerne hay and had mineral blocks. Results were good,teejae


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I wish we could get Lupines in America, we have to settle for peas :lol:


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## deniseross (Jun 10, 2016)

teejae said:


> I recon if you have really good pasture you could get away with not feeding grain. But I find they really need some sort of grain to keep up health in general and yes added minerals are good not to mention getting them in to be milked. A person I know and compete against in the showring (this person has some of my breeding)dosnt feed much grain and results are thinner milkers and smaller kids,not a good look in Toggenburgs and in the showring. yes it impacts their milk volume. At the moment all my milkers are very pregnant,due in a couple of weeks they get fed lupins and a sweet feed as I said for general health and in the afternoon they are fed lucerne hay. Results are healthy coats and good condition no fat ones and no Preg.Tox.  Ive just read in our national magazine of a dairy goat breeder who feeds corn cobs still on the stalks which they cut themselves and they also fed lucerne hay and had mineral blocks. Results were good,teejae


I thought lupines were poisonous for goats. I think that was on the fiasco list...


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## deniseross (Jun 10, 2016)

They are actually on both lists. Says seeds are the biggest problem...did you guys ever read "the story of miss rumphius"...made me always want Lupines.


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## Melinda29 (Apr 19, 2016)

http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/library/field/hart02.pdf

http://tiramarhomestead.com/2014/06/5-tips-on-how-to-raise-grass-based-dairy-goats/


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## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

Melinda29 said:


> http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/library/field/hart02.pdf
> 
> http://tiramarhomestead.com/2014/06/5-tips-on-how-to-raise-grass-based-dairy-goats/


Good discussion! Thanks, Melinda, for these links!


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