# Homemade Feed



## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

I feed bags of dairy ration which is very expensive. At the moment I am only feeding one milking goat which is no biggie for cost but will eventually have 4 alpine does milking. So am wondering if any of you make your own feed. I was thinking oats, barley and boss and maybe something else. I know the protein and balance has to be right.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

a few choices we have used are 

6 parts whole oats
2 parts calf manna
2 parts BOSS
1 part beet pulp..

mix and serve one part mix with 3 parts alflafa pellets

for a NON GMO feed we mix
6 parts whole oats
4 parts barley
2 parts BOSS

mix and feed one part mix with three parts Chafe haye...


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## peggy (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks for your response Cathy.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

I bought a doe in August, and grain wise all she got was 2lbs of wet cob, and 2lbs of barley, half at each milking, and she was obese when I got her. 
It was a really long drive and she wouldn't eat or hardly drink for like 3 weeks when she got here, and in that three weeks she lost 40lbs. Her ribs were showing, sharp topline, etc. She's finally eating barley again (5-6lbs a day because I want to breed her and I'm pushing the feed to her to make up for the weight loss) and now I can't see her ribs, just a week later, and she's looking better and better every day.
So something to say about barley. They also milk really well on it, this does mother was milking almost 3 gallons a day, and she was getting the same feed (just a little more of it).
It's rather low in protein, but if you feed alfalfa it won't matter. Cob is about 9% and barley is about 10.5% protein. 

Back in the day when I had a lot of money I would mix calf manna, dairy grain, cob, boss, sometimes alfalfa pellets, and one other thing I can't remember, but that wouldn't be economical for you!

The barley cost me $16 for a 70lb bag, and my dairy grain cost me $21 for a 75lb bag, but it might be more expensive where you are.


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

Just curious, what is wet cob? I've seen it mentioned a lot.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

It's corn, oats, and barley sprayed with molasses. I use dry cob myself as I don't need the extra iron in their feed. 

During the summer I feed whole oats...period. They keep condition and milk very well on them. The kids grow huge, etc. 
During the winter I mix one bag of whole oats, one bag of barley, and one bag of dry COB. This is really high fat so it's fed only to the does and youngsters. The mature boys just get oats. 

They also get free choice alfalfa pellets, limited orchard grass hay, minerals, and kelp.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

It's cheaper for me to feed a commercial dairy goat pellet than it is to feed grains! I pay 13.25 for 50 pounds of the commercial feed and 14.20 for 50 pounds of native oats! The barley is more expensive as is the COB.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

That's too bad. We get field run oats for $18 a hundred here, fresh right off the farm. Same for red wheat for the chickens. Barley is $14 for 50 and Goat Chow is $20 for 50.


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## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

We feed organic:
3 parts oats
2 parts barley
1 part corn
2 parts beet pulp
2 parts alfalfa pellets
1 part BOSS

After we started on this particular home made mixture, all our goats coats got really shiny and the colors came out like never before. We also feed hay free choice all day, minerals free choice and baking soda once or twice a week. We put a plop of organic, raw apple cider vinegar in their water. 

We have one goat who has been in milk over 2 1/2 years...trying to dry her off but she is a machine. One other has been in milk 1 1 /2 years, and the third one was a FF in April and still going strong. 

We're really happy with the results of the feed plan we're using right now. It's a keeper.


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## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

Oh, and we buy the oats, barley, corn and hay right from a farmer, so it cuts out the cost of the middle man that we used to pay by buying it from a mill.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Goat granny where do you find organic BOSS? other then a few small bags off line we can not find it.....

our feed mill mixes our grain for us and actually saves us 3 cents per bag lol...
keep in mind the amount of feed you get once mixes...a Bag of oats may cost more but its mixed with barley and BOSS you get more...figure out what it cost you and how much pound wise you get..then compare to your bagged feed...


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## SunnydaleBoers (Jul 28, 2012)

goathiker said:


> That's too bad. We get field run oats for $18 a hundred here, fresh right off the farm. Same for red wheat for the chickens. Barley is $14 for 50 and Goat Chow is $20 for 50.


Wow. You're paying $18 per hundred pounds of oats? We averaged just under $4/bushel when we harvested this spring. A bushel of good quality oats averages 32-33 pounds.

We typically fill our feed bins and then run the rest to town, but that kind of price makes me think it'd be worth the hassle of selling directly to people, especially if you're buying them before they've been run through the cleaner, etc. (Heck, that kind of price REALLY makes me wonder why we're screwing around with the goats some days!)


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The farm I buy from also rents a seed container for $10 a month with a deposit for return and our burlap bags are ours after the first trip when we pay for them. We bring them back every time for the next load. Selling to the public isn't all bad. There is a huge support your local farmer movement going on. I have to make an appointment to pick up my feed so, they still have a life. 
The oats I get are really nice. They aren't dusty and the bits of chaff and stalk don't bother the goats a bit. It's nice for me because I can ask how they were fertilized, when they were sprayed, etc. 
I don't mind paying that price to know exactly where my feed is coming from and what was done to it.


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