# favorite goat feed mix (pre- or homemade?)



## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

We currently by a 50# bag of oats from one feed store, 12% sweet feed from TSC (because they seem to love it the best and wouldn't touch other mixes) combine those in almost equal amounts maybe a little heavier on the feed side, and mix in a bit of black sunflower and alfalfa pellets (which are completely WASTED on my buck, but my girls love). We use comparatively small amounts of alfalfa and sunflower, so I estimate that 50# of this mixed costs me about $12.00 when it's said and done. They get free choice minerals on the side too. 

What do you guys do for your favorite feed? Mix your own? Buy in bulk? I don't want anything wasted (which was the case with one kind of feed, they just picked everything else out, literally, wasn't gonna do that again). I wouldn't mind adding something else, especially if it would stretch the life of the mix and, of course, be good for the goats!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I just use alfalfa pellets and a little oats. I have a wether so I make sure the calcium to phosphorus is correct.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Alfalfa pellets on the milk stand. Natural forage, and the best hay I can get in the Winter are the daytime feeds. If the hay is really awful then I supplement with alfalfa pellets in the pens as well. One girl gets oats. Free choice good quality minerals.

The alfalfa pellets I get are the Summit brand, out of Canada. They are non-gmo.

My bucks LOVE the alfalfa pellets. They get a hand full every morning when I put them away.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

Milking does get a little grain mix that I mix up. Equal amounts of Oats and Barley and about 1/3 of those amounts of BOSS.

Everyone else (and the milkers) all get alfalfa pellets mixed with chaffhaye in their pens. My buck used to hate the alfalfa, he eats it up now. I did get a different brand so maybe try that?

We go through 2 bags of chaffhaye and 6 bags of alfalfa pellets a month for 9 goats. We also go through about 1 square bale of hay a week. They started eating less hay when I started feeding them alfalfa more.

After this next month, they'll have access to a pasture full of brush...so I anticipate their feed will go down quite a bit for a while.


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## Goat man (Aug 24, 2018)

I use ADM dairy goat feed
Oakley s heifer ration
Alfalfa pellets
Grass hay
Onyx mineral


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I mix 8 parts sweet COB (from a local mill), 1 part calf manna and 1 part BOSS. My milkers get that on the stand, my bucks get a dab when in rut. Everyone gets free choice triticale with some alfalfa. I usually give approximately 2/3 triticale to 1/3 alfalfa.


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

Oh, loose minerals, Replamin gel every other week.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

These are great to hear. I see a lot of folks liking the BOSS for a premix. I should add I use sweetlix 16:8 goat mineral and my goats are on rotated forest forage during the day, this is just their "dinner bell" food that brings em running. Based on you guys' input, I think I'm going to give adding barley a run. 

While this would be a supplement, I know, have any of you had any experience using kelp or purchasing it in bulk? The breeder of our newest ND said she used it when her goats looked a little 'off', and they responded really well. She says got it at a local feed store there (several hours north of us), but everyone gives me the crazy eyes when I ask about it around here.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

I offer it free choice when I have it. I ran out and did not get it ordered in time. Excellent source of iodine and other trace minerals. @goathiker uses a sea salt lick instead of kelp and says it works just as well.

The brand she uses is Redmond. I order my kelp from North American Kelp. I can find links if you want them.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

mariarose said:


> I order my kelp from North American Kelp. I can find links if you want them.


Just found em online and it looks like I'll have to get a quote. Not enough of a calling in Mississippi I guess. No wonder I was getting the stink eye.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Before you pay shipping, look for it as single ingredient organic fertilizer from a garden center.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

goathiker said:


> Before you pay shipping, look for it as single ingredient organic fertilizer from a garden center.


ooooooooh. sneaky and effective. love it!


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

My first kelp was from the garden section of a BBS (Big Box Store) Just be sure it is pure kelp, not mixed with other fertilizing substances.

I think this is the salt lick that you use instead of kelp, @goathiker ?
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/redmond-rock-all-natural-mineral-salt-7-lb

I know you told me once, but I'm having trouble finding the exact place.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Yep, that's the one...

I'm ordering this one to try. It takes the place of sea salt and cobalt block plus contains selenium, copper, zinc and manganese from all natural organic sources. 
https://www.doitbest.com/products/759243


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Oh my gosh, I like the looks of that one!
Just too much iron for us, though.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Iron oxide can't be absorbed in this form by anything but a plant root. About the most it will do is make nutritious poop. Here's a good read that explains iron oxide 
http://extension.uga.edu/publicatio...895&title=Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

After all that I'd better add my feed lol 

I make a custom mix: 

200 lbs. whole oats 
100 lbs. rolled barley 
50 lbs. field peas 
40 lbs. boss 

A forage pellet: 

Orchard grass hay 
GMO free alfalfa 
Beet pulp 
Rice bran 
Flaxseed oil 

I use Purina Wind and Rain Storm minerals 
An iodine source 
A cobalt source 
A salt source 

I feel the new trend of limiting salt to the small amount in loose minerals is not good for our goats. No other type of livestock is denied their salt lick. 
I did try it for a few years and was constantly fighting copper, selenium, zinc, and other deficiencies. Since adding it back in I rarely have to give anything more than a copper bolus once or twice a year.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

Do goats get different minerals with all the different wild plants? Ours get a big berth and we rotate and shepherd them as much as we can, more to come.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

goathiker said:


> After all that I'd better add my feed lol
> 
> I make a custom mix:
> 
> ...


Someone on here once told me that salt was most important in the hottest times of the year for them. I'd been using red edge year round and they said that was good to add to a hearty mineral blend, for salt. Ya think that's ok?


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

forkedpath said:


> Someone on here once told me that salt was most important in the hottest times of the year for them. I'd been using red edge year round and they said that was good to add to a hearty mineral blend, for salt. Ya think that's ok?


Now we use a much better mineral, sweetlix and they use it much more sparingly, but I can see the difference in their coats and horns


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Goats who are able to move about and pick and choose are really lucky. Most people can't allow their goats to do that and have to work a bit to bring variety and completeness to the goats.

Red Edge is a truly excellent salt that I would offer separately from my mineral mix, not mixed in with them.

I think your goats are lucky and have a wonderful home.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

goathiker said:


> Iron oxide can't be absorbed in this form by anything but a plant root. About the most it will do is make nutritious poop. Here's a good read that explains iron oxide
> http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B895&title=Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle


But what about the ferrous carbonate, though? The iron oxide is for color and is barely mentioned. But the ferrous carbonate is a dietary supplement that treats anemia, and is the 4th ingredient.

I'm not arguing, really. I just have to be so careful with iron right here. I can get this block at Lessenberry's only one town away (they don't carry it, but ship to store is available) and it would be nice to have this.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

goathiker said:


> After all that I'd better add my feed lol
> 
> I make a custom mix:
> 
> ...


so whaddya got a cement mixer handy to get all that good and mixed???


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

forkedpath said:


> so whaddya got a cement mixer handy to get all that good and mixed???


"just pull it 'round back, Jeeves..." :bookgoat:


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

My feed co-op in town will make me a custom mix. I have to have a minimum order, they won't just mix up a single bag for me because of the requirements of their machinery. I've never done it but I know they offer that service. Perhaps yours would too.

As for the forage pellets, I don't know if they have a pelletizer to do that or not. I never asked them. 

I've seen used cement mixers on Craigslist for about $200, so that is not outside the realm of possibility either.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

mariarose said:


> Goats who are able to move about and pick and choose are really lucky. Most people can't allow their goats to do that and have to work a bit to bring variety and completeness to the goats.
> 
> Red Edge is a truly excellent salt that I would offer separately from my mineral mix, not mixed in with them.
> 
> I think your goats are lucky and have a wonderful home.


Aw. Thank you so much. They show off and drive me crazy sometimes, but, they never do unless I'm up around em. They're seriously the best little animals short of my dogs I've ever known, absolutely in love from the start.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

mariarose said:


> My feed co-op in town will make me a custom mix. I have to have a minimum order, they won't just mix up a single bag for me because of the requirements of their machinery. I've never done it but I know they offer that service. Perhaps yours would too.
> 
> As for the forage pellets, I don't know if they have a pelletizer to do that or not. I never asked them.
> 
> I've seen used cement mixers on Craigslist for about $200, so that is not outside the realm of possibility either.


i have a cement mixer actually....wasnt joking there....
dont think it could handle the poundage that goathiker was talking about though....
that brought up images of dudes in hardhats and the thing having to get waved in to some big vat in the ground


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

i dont have a silo! yet! lol!!


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

you guys just clearly have better options out there and i think the feed situations are kind of closed off out here. i may be wrong because i havent fully checked my options seeing as i have so few animals, but to my knowledge........yeah. you guys have a different deal going on in KY


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

down here the main focus is on poultry and plants


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

am i mistaken in thinking that kentucky has shifted mostly to growing beef? on large scale i mean?


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

forkedpath said:


> am i mistaken in thinking that kentucky has shifted mostly to growing beef? on large scale i mean?


oh and still growing corn?


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Not a lot of corn around where I am. Most of the dairies have closed. Animalwise, it is mostly Tyson Chicken and the farmers who get sucked into that are poorer than dirt and deeply, deeply in debt. Getting worse for them every year.

There are some beef herds but the land is worn out and erroding, so the herds are less and less profitable.

Boer goats are popular, and some are pretty high quality herds. Most are not high quality because of the mentality here being quantity over quality, and a deep seated distrust for science and education.

There're still ongoing tobacco crops, but the smaller farms have lost their tobacco bases, only the larger farms are allowed to grow it now, so it is more concentrated in some places, and nonexistent other places, and fewer people overall are employed in tobacco.

I'm not speaking for other parts of KY, only around me.

I've learned I get much farther when I go in armed with companies and with actual product numbers and start asking. The people who would go to work trying to get what we needed get my business, and also my referrals to others trying to get started. I buy local every time I can and that keeps people happy to try to stock what I need.

The ones who don't try, don't get my business and I tell everyone who asks my advice why I go here and not there.

I've been doing this for a lot of years now and it takes time and effort to build up these relationships. Going in to stores with specific product numbers of what I want has really been key. Loyalty to the people who try to help me has also been key, I think.

I guess this is a long winded answer to your questions, but I really think it valuable to try to influence your community in a good direction. I'm not anti-online-ordering. Far from it. I don't want it to be my only option, though. I think that isn't sustainable.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

@forkedpath,
A feed store here, Natchez, has a custom blend 12% feed that I feed to our goats. The store is Gamberi Feed if you come down here. Second red light in town, turn right, immediate left.
I don't have a label to get the ingredients for you,or the break down, but the lady who mixes that feed had ADGA LaMancha and Alpines that she showed and sold dairy off of. She is more or less my local mentor.
Gamberi's has a few larger farms that buy their feed in bulk because of her blend. I didn't ask, but I think she meant large goat farms.


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## Graceunknown.introvert (Aug 17, 2018)

My local mill has an awesome show premix, 17%. My show or underweight animals stay on that, but dry does get rolled oats topped with Calf Manna. I've had a lot of success with the higher protein, probably because our hay around here is crap.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

What is in your show premix? Can you share the nutrition tag with us?


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

I make ours with 200lbs of each (oats and barley and 40lbs boss) at a time. We put it in a big blue barrel. I just do a bit at a time and mix with my hands. We mix once a month (feeds chickens, turkeys, peacocks, rabbits, and goats)

I forgot to say our minerals are Purina Rain and storm. I'm about to try some various others I can get trucked in and see if they are better.

We leave kelp out free choice. I get mine in 50lb bags from Azure Standard.

We also leave Redmond selenium 90 salts out free choice.

Cobalt block which is ordered from TSC and I haven't gotten yet.


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

Dwarf Dad said:


> @forkedpath,
> A feed store here, Natchez, has a custom blend 12% feed that I feed to our goats. The store is Gamberi Feed if you come down here. Second red light in town, turn right, immediate left.
> I don't have a label to get the ingredients for you,or the break down, but the lady who mixes that feed had ADGA LaMancha and Alpines that she showed and sold dairy off of. She is more or less my local mentor.
> Gamberi's has a few larger farms that buy their feed in bulk because of her blend. I didn't ask, but I think she meant large goat farms.


I haven't been to Natchez since I was a little girl, just by mistake! Sounds like it's about time I head back down there. I teach, so, soon as I can catch my breath I'll pack up the dogs and the husband and check it out! Thank you!!


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## forkedpath (Mar 3, 2018)

NO, i LOVE long-winded answers when they're as intelligent and meaningful as yours!! Mississippi is a little strange in that it feels like as much as I want to embrace local community, it doesn't wanna embrace me back. It's untrusting. Even though I was born and raised here and graduated from MSU and began my career teaching in the Delta, and even though I've given EVERYTHING to be back here....I spent 2006-2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah....so I might as well have been born, raised and graduated from Jupiter. I'm hoping in another year or so it'll be like "ok...so you really are staying? good, lemme tell ya bout.................." 

I'm really always trying to gain a 'bigger picture' kinda view from folks , so I really appreciate hearing what it's like to farm these guys anywhere, btw. There's always something to learn, to relate to and all. I just can't imagine the farm without them and we've already been through so much. THIS site has helped so much. I remember what it was like to not have the internet when I was a kid, but as a beginning farmer, it scares the crap out of me to think what it would have been like to not be able to ask someone else that's been there, especially when your nearest vet is 20 miles away.

I wanted to move into Boers for meat and then another teacher at my school lost almost an entire herd he'd bought at auction out of Texas. He'd put countless dollars into deworming, coccidiostats, antibiotics, fecals, vets, everything....I think out of 90 goats he said he only ended up with 10 surviving. Scared me off of em. I don't see them advertised very much either around here...equally scaring me off of em. Thinking maybe Kiko?


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

LOL. I moved to KY, from IN, back in '97. I'll always be foreign and I've come to accept it.

I agree with you about the internet, AND about this site. I raised Nubians pre-internet. I spent a lot, I mean A LOT, of money on books...

Boers really can be tough to raise in certain areas. South Africa and Texas are not Mississippi, that's for darn sure. But Boers really can pack on the meat more efficiently than any other breed I know of. And they have very laid back personalities. But you are right, unless someone has been paying attention to breeding hardiness in, they can be a really expensive proposition. 

Almost all of my herd is part Kiko now, and they are great. I have a gorgeous Boer/Kiko buckling that is just charging right along, bulky, healthy, sweet. I'll miss him. I'll make you a good deal on him! LOL. I really like Kikos.

But there are other meat goat breeds to investigate as well. Consider the Spanish goat, which has been here so long it is considered a landrace breed now. Gobs of surviveability that hasn't been bred out of them yet! Of course, I don't know what your herd goals are, I'm just musing.

I think it is important to think about how a goat has been raised. If it is similarly to how you want to raise yours, and it still looks good to you and it performs well under those conditions, then chances are it'll be OK on your farm. If we bring in goats without that consideration, we may have an unpleasant awakening if we've changed major aspects of what kept that goat looking as good as it did.

Forgive my meanderings. I'm just killing time waiting for my day to start, waiting for the coffee to perk, and listening to the clacking of horns in the predawn scuffle for the correct position at the gate.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

mariarose said:


> Not a lot of corn around where I am. Most of the dairies have closed. Animalwise, it is mostly Tyson Chicken and the farmers who get sucked into that are poorer than dirt and deeply, deeply in debt. Getting worse for them every year.
> 
> There are some beef herds but the land is worn out and erroding, so the herds are less and less profitable.
> 
> ...


And these people in the service industry must be BLOWN AWAY by your knowledge!

SERIOUSLY VERY HELPFUL!♥

Only wish I have, is that you also raised sheep!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Lol


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

forkedpath said:


> I haven't been to Natchez since I was a little girl, just by mistake! Sounds like it's about time I head back down there. I teach, so, soon as I can catch my breath I'll pack up the dogs and the husband and check it out! Thank you!!


I read the nutritional information on the bag I just bought and it is not that good of a feed. I guess the lesson learned is not to follow your mentor blindly. I didn't look any farther than the 20 ppm of copper. 
I will be looking for better feed for the goats.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

What benefits do you get from the BOSS?


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## Redbarngoatfarm (Jul 8, 2015)

Alfalfa pellets 30%
Whole oats 30%
Medicated Lamb creep 30%
Boss 10%
Always free choice minerals, only graining when off pasture and breeding/kidding seasons.
Why the creep? I breed tiny mini’s and used to have so much problems with coccidiosis as we dry lot some times of the year. I have had a huge improvement since trying this year, love this mix for my kids so just going to stick with it for my does and see how it goes....

If any sees concerns with this please let me know - always learning!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Just curious redbarngoatfarm why don’t you use goat creep in your mix instead of lamb creep? 

We have both goats and sheep and the main difference seems to come down to whether or not the sheep or lambs get copper-which they do not get and typically shouldn’t have any extra copper.


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## Redbarngoatfarm (Jul 8, 2015)

No goat creep available here, just a heavy molasses base dairy ration.
The lamp creep is medicated for coccicidosis prevention....I do wonder if I dilute it too much with my mixing for it to be useful, but so far I love it. Not a fan of molasses mixes as goats act like it’s crack cocaine!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Funny! You can always calculate the amount of cocci preventative in there, as you likely are diluting it.

Our feed mill allows us to buy rumensin by the pound. It’s very inexpensive. We have calculated it out to equal what they would get in straight creep and/or what’s allowable by law per the veterinarian rules.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

odieclark said:


> Our feed mill allows us to buy rumensin by the pound.


I don't have that ability. However, everything I COULD buy labelled with Rumensin says specifically to not give to lactating animals. Since someone or other is always lactating here (I have 2 does about to kid so that brings me up to 8 does that are lactating) I try to avoid rumensin if at all possible. How do you deal with this, @odieclark, or do you even concern yourself with it?


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Interesting. Yes, I understand precisely what you are saying and asked the same, both from the feed mill and our veterinarian who I seem to talk to every week theses days,... lol. Love love love our vet!!!! He calculates everything out for us on our feed and we have different mixes for different groups of sheep. Not so much yet on the goats, but those expecting lambs, versus those under a tear, etc. We aren’t using the milk for human consumption, as our goats are Boer meat goats and we leave the kids with mom until we wean or sell them.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I feed this to my kids in a creep feeder (full 24/7). Why? It seems I have tried every kind of everything and my kids have grown best on this















It's for sheep so no copper but I give copper like a mad woman anyways so I just make sure kids get a bolus at 6 weeks old. Works good for my kids. I thought about mixing calf manna in but thought about the medicated part so I don't do it. If I have a lactating doe that needs extra she does get this as well. It doesn't seem to effect milk in any negative way for the kids so since I don't milk them (Boers) I don't worry about it. I do sometimes milk my alpine and the human kids drink her milk and for her I will just use some cob to keep her busy. Usually I'm attempting to just dry her up and she never has weight issues so really I just need something she likes to keep her busy while I milk her.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Since the warning simply said lactating, I took it to mean all lactation, whether I was the one using the milk or not! TeeHee.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Lol no I would have too! The only reason I didn’t was because all I looked at was the medicated part and then the analysis of the feed at first. It wasn’t till I had already fed a few lactating does that I even saw that whole thing then I was like oops lol but I had already seen that it really doesn’t do anything “bad” like dry them up or anything so I just figured it was for human consumption.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

As you know, Jessica, I am extremely literal, very linguistically precise! And one of my faults is I tend to act like all others are as well. This makes me a good editor, and not a good communicator. But I mean well...


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