# Switching from goat feed to only whole grains?



## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

I was thinking about stopping the goat sweet feed and switching to whole grains such as whole oats,cracked corn, timothy grass or alfalfa pellets would that work i fed manna pro minerals would that balance there diet if not i know manna pro has a product call goat balancer i don't know if that provides real nutrition or it's just hype?


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## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

I was kinda hopeing to have at least 1 response by now i guess nobody here feeds whole grains?


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

I switched from the Purina Goat Chow to a home mixture of Barley, Oats, BOSS and sometimes Wheat and the goats are doing fine. I don't give calf Manna or anything......


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Manna Pro Goat Balancer is primarily a protein supplement with alfalfa as the first ingredient. In my opinion that product is not worth the cost and you may as well just feed alfalfa pellets. There are a LOT of threads on here that outline various whole grain mixes for goats and I support a switch from pelleted goat feed to a whole grain mix. Try doing a search to read up. Ingredients may include: alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, soybean meal, black oil sunflower seeds ( BOSS ), flax seed, whole or crimped or rolled oats, and many others. The most important thing in your goats diet is a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio. What type of hay are you feeding?


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

The oats are good, the corn is not good, and the pellets count as forage, not grains.

What do you use your goats for? Pets don't need grain at all, maybe a small handful as a treat. If you have pregnant does and/or milking does, they need much better nutrition.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Kat - thanks for clarifying on the alfalfa or Timothy pellets - I always forget to include that when explaining feeds!


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Growing pet goats should get a little....

My goats get a mix of 2 parts oats, 2 parts barley, and 1 part Calf Manna, with free choice Alfalfa.


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## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

SalteyLove said:


> Manna Pro Goat Balancer is primarily a protein supplement with alfalfa as the first ingredient. In my opinion that product is not worth the cost and you may as well just feed alfalfa pellets. There are a LOT of threads on here that outline various whole grain mixes for goats and I support a switch from pelleted goat feed to a whole grain mix. Try doing a search to read up. Ingredients may include: alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, soybean meal, black oil sunflower seeds ( BOSS ), flax seed, whole or crimped or rolled oats, and many others. The most important thing in your goats diet is a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio. What type of hay are you feeding?


Timothy grass or alfalfa


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## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

We made up an organic/non-GMO mixture of:

3 parts Oats
2 parts Barley
1 part corn
2 parts beet pulp
2 parts alfalfa pellets
1 part Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, (BOSS)

They also get minerals and organic hay.

Since I added the last 3 ingredients to the original above mixture, their coats have really brightened up and are beautiful and shiny. It's probably from the BOSS. 

We are feeding dairy goats with it. I also give a little to our buck when he's in rut, and any goat who is pregnant. 

I change up the amounts a little bit depending on the season, too. Like before winter, I change the corn to 1 1/2 parts due to the temperatures we experience here. I could probably do without the beet pulp if I needed to, but they really like it. I'm including the alfalfa pellets just because we can't always find nice, leafy alfalfa for them. (I'm so tired to stemmy hay! Ugh.)

I hope this helps. You will get many different opinions and in the end, just decide what will work for you and your goats.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we feed non GMO so we give 

6 parts whole oats
4 parts whole barley
2 parts BOSS

mix and serve one part mix with three part alfalfa : ) 

another good one for those who dont mind GMO...

6 parts whole oats
2 parts Calf manna
2 parts BOSS
1 part Beet pulp

mix and serve one part mix with three parts alfalfa pellets...


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## KmB (Mar 29, 2018)

happybleats said:


> we feed non GMO so we give
> 
> 6 parts whole oats
> 4 parts whole barley
> ...


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## KmB (Mar 29, 2018)

What is BOSS?
Thanks so much


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

BOSS is black oil sunflower seeds. A little bit goes a long way. Too much and the oil coats the intestines and can prevent he nutrients from getting absorbed.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Another thing to consider is where you live. If I tried to feed whole grains in my area, I'd go broke. I can get oats cheap enough, but everything else is stupidly crazy expensive. I do mix whole native oats with their commercial fed and then further add Alfalfa pellets and soaked beet pulp. That's at least better than completely using commercial feeds.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

We do:

2 parts Oats
2 parts Barley
1 part beet pulp
1 part BOSS

We then give them about 2-3 parts alfalfa pellets or chopped alfalfa on top of that.


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## capracreek (Apr 5, 2016)

We mix 2 parts purina Goat chow
1 part barley
1/2 part beet pulp
1/2 part BOSS
Once I started the mix over just the purina Goat chow I saw a huge improvement in coats and weight. I add loose minerals to the feed as I feed them.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Barley used to be a big crop around here, now hops are the new thing.


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