# My goats are suddenly not liking their feed.



## Natalia Richards (Sep 29, 2020)

Hi everyone! 

Since I acquired my NDG I have been giving them the medicated feed to Prevent coccidiosis. When I decided to milk them I changed to a non medicated feed. Now I noticed the difference between the medicated to the no medicated was huge! 
The first one, medicated, was sort of grey-green color didn’t look very appetizing. 
The non medicated was a rich molasses brown with some pellets but also had different seeds and other greens. The does loved the non medicated one.

Now that I’ve changed them back to medicated feed we have noticed they are nor eating it as well as the other one. 

Question: Should I continue to feed them the non medicated one?
Or get a better sweet feed and mix with the medicated one to make it more palatable?
Or look for a better brand of goat feed that might be more palatable. 

Yes, I know sweet feed should be consider a treat and not part of the main diet. 

Also, I live in Dade City, Florida. I’ve been told coccidiosis is rampant in Florida. Can’t I just purge them once or twice a year, like I do my bird flock, for coccidiosis and let them eat the non medicated feed? 

And last, how do I know I am buying the best feed for them?

And can I feed them the feed only in the morning and just make sure they have hay for the day and overnight? 

Thank you for your help!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Are you feeding adult goats medicated feed? Are you drinking the milk?


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## Natalia Richards (Sep 29, 2020)

Yes adult. And no we only milked them while they had the kids. Two months.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Adults don't need medicated feed. And the medication with go into the milk so the milk really isn't good for people or goats. Have you had fecals done on your goats?


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## Natalia Richards (Sep 29, 2020)

I am aware that I can’t feed medicated feed if I plan to milk them. The medicated food was removed from the does two weeks before I started milking them. That’s how I started feeding them the unmedicated one that they prefer. And yes. They are vet check. No problem. If I give them the medicated feed they always have leftover. If I feed them the non medicated one they always eat all and do not leave any in the container. 
Vet told me that cases of coccidiosis are dangerous in Florida. It’s everywhere in the soil and hard to avoid or keep farm animals from getting it. So if I don’t feed the medicated one to the goats they could get sick.


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

From what I understand, there's not actually enough medication in the medicated feed and it's very difficult to ensure each goat is getting the correct amount, so all it does is build up a resistance to the medication. You're definitely better off just treating when there's a problem. Coccidia is rare in mature goats anyway, usually it's the kids that are susceptible. I use toltrazuril to treat kids because that's the only thing that works for me, but I've only ever needed to treat an adult goat once. And definitely don't go the sweet feed route. My dairy goats like the Purina 16% Grower (formerly Noble Goat) although even that has more molasses than I'd like.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

A lot people don't feed the medicated property. They need 1 lb of grain per 50 lbs goat to maintain the medication in their bloodstream. If they aren't eating that amount then it isn't doing any good and possibly building resistance to the preventative. 

I would buy a bag of Decoxx from premier1 supply, figure the dosage for the amount of grain they are eating, and mix it into the food they like.


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## Justaffagirl (Jan 26, 2021)

Natalia Richards said:


> I am aware that I can't feed medicated feed if I plan to milk them. The medicated food was removed from the does two weeks before I started milking them. That's how I started feeding them the unmedicated one that they prefer. And yes. They are vet check. No problem. If I give them the medicated feed they always have leftover. If I feed them the non medicated one they always eat all and do not leave any in the container.
> Vet told me that cases of coccidiosis are dangerous in Florida. It's everywhere in the soil and hard to avoid or keep farm animals from getting it. So if I don't feed the medicated one to the goats they could get sick.


They could possibly have worms because my ffa goat lost appetite when he had worms


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