# won't eat loose mineral



## jfixit (Mar 4, 2012)

I have two does, a two year old and a 1 year old that ignore their loose mineral. After a while I started dressing their feed with it but have no idea how much to put on it. Any suggestions as to the proper amount?


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## sblueram6 (Nov 19, 2009)

thay will eat as needed


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## SandStoneStable Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

Mine don't eat it either. You could try it as a treat...
I have a "treat" bowl, sometimes I put peanuts, or BOSS or mineral... and present it as a treat.
They know the bowl and run to it, sometimes they need/ want mineral and sometimes they don't, but they respond to it when I put it out, never when I leave it out. If I leave it out free choice it goes to waste.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would just start out with a small amount of mineral on their feed and then slowly increase it. Hopefully they would get to the point that they are just eating it on their own.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

What brand of mineral are you using? I found mine like some more than others. Are you sure they are not eating; like if you leave a tiny amount in a bowl it never goes away?


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

I had/have the same problem! I got mine the cargill onyx this past summer--was so excited thought they would "chow down" and magically transform-LOL!

Well they snubbed it of course and would not eat it at all---at first. With my does esp. I have found that ANYTHING new they have to have repeated exposure to a new food item-even a new treat-before they will willingly eat it. 

I don't leave minerals out free choice either; but I do plan on getting a mineral feeder to keep in the stalls and then I will leave it out for them. Since this past summer I will occasionally put a small amount in their feeder, when they are done w/their grain for the day. It is usuallly gone by evening feeding time. If not I leave it and just pour their grain over it. I do the same w/our bucks. 

I was told, here, when I posted about mine not taking the minerals that they will eat them as they need them. I was warned against putting it in their feed-because if they don't need the minerals then I am MAKING them eat them and can be overdoing it. Don't get me wrong--every now and then I DO put a bit in their feed-but not all the time :thumb: hope this helps some.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We've had that problem too! 
We were using ultralyx goat mineral that the feed mill keeps in stock. Well it's a red based mineral, but they looked GREAT, they loved the mineral.
I was told by a couple of local boer people to use the 'dark' colored mineral, so I switched to the dark colored goat mineral at Southern States. 
They HATED it. I tried and tried to get them to touch it. I put it in different places, and they just wanted nothing to do with it, this went on for a few months. The only way I could get them to eat it was in their grain, but...how do you know if your giving too much or not enough?

So....I went to the feed mill and bought more of the mineral they like. They were eating it like candy when I first introduced it! They slacked off after that, but I figure they will eat it if they need it.


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## jaycee (Aug 3, 2011)

Have the same problem... they wont touch the purina goat minerals just switched over to the manna pro stuff from tsc havent seen em eat that yet either.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I've found that my boys will ignore them sometimes and go nuts for them at others.... it almost seems to be vaguely seasonal... I'd just say offer some each day and if they eat them great if they don't then they don't need them now.... btw I feed cargill as well....
M.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I switched mine from a goat mineral to a cow mineral and they were fighting over it. They barely touched the goat minerals, but love the cow minerals. All of my does that were bred, after being fed they would line up to take turns getting their minerals. The mineral they get is red and they love it, the goat minerals are dark and they hated them.

The amount of salt in the minerals will affect how much they take in, sometimes they just don't like them and of course there is always the possibility that the minerals had been in the store for a while and were old/stale.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I think red means lots of iron compared to the grey minerals. I think iron interferes with the uptake of copper. So the grey minerals are better. I think I have this right. If not I am sure someone else will know.


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## Skyz84 (Jul 25, 2011)

We feed Sweetlix mainly because it is the easiest to find. Mine wouldn't touch it at first.

After wasting a LOT of minerals I found out the humidity in our air made them not like it. :shrug: I don't know why... picky goats? 

I put fresh minerals out every morning and pick them up every night. As long as they are still clean they get mixed back into the mineral bucket. Mine run straight to the mineral bowls every morning and I usually see them stop by a few times a day too. If we are having an extra humid or rainy day I don't leave minerals out. They get them for about 20 minutes and then I put them away again.

It helped even more when I added 1lbs of Kelp to every 25lbs of minerals. Mine really love the kelp. We go through 25 lbs of minerals every 4-6 weeks with 6 ND.


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## jfixit (Mar 4, 2012)

Never thought about it but I like the idea of putting a bowl out for a short period of time and then picking it up. I'll try it. I know everything I leave in the mineral feeder is wasted because it absorbs moisture and then it is hopeless.


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