# Whole Oats & Barley



## Goat_Lady (Jan 14, 2015)

Hello-

I am new to this forum and a somewhat novice goat owner. There is a local farm offering 50lb bags of oats and 50lb bags of barley whole or ground for $10 each. The oats and barley are supposedly non GMO and they do not spray their crops. I would like to purchase from them vs. the goat grain that I get at my local feed store to supplement my goats during the winter but am unsure how much to feed. I do know from reading that the ground barley and oats is not good for the goats and I should buy whole. I read a lot of comments on here about 20 or 30% this or that but no one ever says what the other 80 or 70% is suppose to be?????

I live in the NW... West side of Washington and here is what I currently feed the goats:

-Graze all day on 14 acres
-Evening when I put up in pen I fill their feeder with an orchard/alfalfa mix, which is costly. $18 a bale
-Milking does receive a cup of goat grain (feed store purchased) while on the milking stand

What are your thoughts and Thank You!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would definitely buy them. Buy enough to get you through a year if you need to. You can add some alfalfa pellets to it.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Welcome, glad you are here.

Man if I could get ahold of that I sure would. All I feed my goats is Oats, Wheat, barley and sunflower seed pellets. I pay about $13.00 an bag of there on sale for 25#


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## Goat_Lady (Jan 14, 2015)

*Percentages*

Do you know how much of each I should add to the mix?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I did even amounts of the three when I mixed mine in my 55 gallon drum. I did like a bucket of Oats, wheat, Barley, and a goat chow I have here without corn "I never feed corn", and then about half that amount of the sunflower pellets, and I use d Milo when I can find it but I have not found it is several years. I mix them all together really well and repeat. 

I never use Molasses but that is a personal choice. I don't in my mind thing they need the sugar, so the girls just get use to the feed and they love it.


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## SerenitySquare (Jun 28, 2014)

sounds like a good deal. Where in Western WA are you? I am in the vancouver area and would buy some if it is close. I would also add the alfalfa pellets and BOSS


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Here's a few mixes you might like.
3 parts oats
3 parts barley
2 parts calf manna
2 parts BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds)
1 parts beet pulp (pellets)
(add one part above mix to 3 parts alfalfa pellets)

3 parts oats
3 parts barley
2 parts calf manna 
1 part BOSS
mixed to 9 parts alfalfa pellets

6 parts oats
2 parts calf manna
2 parts BOSS
1 parts beet pulp pellets
Mix 1 part above mix to 3 parts alfalfa pellets


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Geez , if i were closer id buy some ! That's a great price !!!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Ouch...that alf/orchard mix is costly! I'm in the granite falls area..welcome to the forum!
We'd love to see pics of your goats!


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## top_goat (Sep 16, 2014)

Thanks for the mix recipes! Always nice to see what others are feeding. I'm moving towards a sprouted forage system (see Tyler's article on forage) hoping I can increase the nutritional value while at the same time lowering my costs. Barley is the hardest thing to get down here, but my feed store is researching that for me. If it works I'll share my results. )


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## Goat_Lady (Jan 14, 2015)

You are in Luck! I live in Tenino and the barley and oats are in Toledo... halfway between the two of us!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/grd/4844483710.html


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I sprouted barley and wheat the last 2 years for apx. 8 day fodder. I used it for the goats, pigs and cows along with hay and some spent grain. I found that it was a lot of work so I'm taking this year off. I do think it's very good for the animals and nice to give them live greens all winter 


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