# Building a Feeding Station?



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Lately now that I am really getting into serious goat keeping, I am realizing how hard it is to give certain goats a certain amount of feed. We free feed hay, but with grain or other feed, it's a complete fiasco. :hair: Some goats don't need any, some goats need a lot, some goats just need a little, some goats may need supplements, and it's very hard, well impossible to keep them to their own feed! 
I am wanting to build or come up with a system that keeps all the girls separated when they get their grain or whatever (morning and night), so I don't have to stay out there wrangling goats and keeping them away from each other. Some of them eat faster than others, and it's really hard and quite the pain!!!

Anyone have a system or pictures of something I could do?

Thanks


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I have separate areas that I can put goats into. They all know where they need to go now. So they just go in their spots and I close gates.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Scottyhorse I feel your pain!
I built a creep out of a few cattle panels & a small guilotine type door for the kids.
While they are pigging out I go into main pen where there are 2 dry does, one whose kids left a few weeks ago & a few others whose kids utilize the creep.
I dodge horns & try to keep my balance in the feeding frenzy.
The doe whose kids just left gets tied up in her spot.
But her sister runs from pan to pan, I need another eye bolt to hook her to.:hammer:
Meanwhile other does (including the dry ones) are running pan to pan, it's a real zoo!
So, I just dump a little here & there & the 2 at the bottom usually get hand fed out of a container. It's certainly not ideal, but Im still alive & have the inadvertant bruises to prove it.:cheers:


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

All my goats get 3lbs of feed a day but! 
What you can do is have small pence only moved to be as wide and long as the goat and have them all connected and each with a door and have the goat in there the ones thatcdont get feed dont need one. As they finish their feed let them out

show goat/lamb equipment
www.Facebook.com/wickedshowchains


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

I lock up the two that need grains so the other can't steal. Will be getting a new kid and he'll be lock up separately also.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Fiasco farm says they tie everyone up at feeding tjme and give them separate dishes


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> I have separate areas that I can put goats into. They all know where they need to go now. So they just go in their spots and I close gates.


Do you have any pictures?


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

nancy d said:


> Scottyhorse I feel your pain!
> I built a creep out of a few cattle panels & a small guilotine type door for the kids.
> While they are pigging out I go into main pen where there are 2 dry does, one whose kids left a few weeks ago & a few others whose kids utilize the creep.
> I dodge horns & try to keep my balance in the feeding frenzy.
> ...


Do you have any pictures of yours? And yes it IS a zoo!!!! :lol: :hammer:


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

can you tie them up at feeding time? and have separate dishes for everyone, and have everyone far enough away they can't steal from another? that maybe the cheapest option...


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

goatgirl132 said:


> All my goats get 3lbs of feed a day but!
> What you can do is have small pence only moved to be as wide and long as the goat and have them all connected and each with a door and have the goat in there the ones thatcdont get feed dont need one. As they finish their feed let them out
> 
> show goat/lamb equipment
> www.Facebook.com/wickedshowchains


Kinda what I am thinking of.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

PiccoloGoat said:


> Fiasco farm says they tie everyone up at feeding tjme and give them separate dishes


That would work on weekends and during the summer while I am not at school, but if I need to throw feed out there real quick, not sure if that would work.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

nchen7 said:


> can you tie them up at feeding time? and have separate dishes for everyone, and have everyone far enough away they can't steal from another? that maybe the cheapest option...


No matter how far the tubs are, they still steal. LOL


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## goatgirl132 (Oct 18, 2012)

I feed once a day. I dont have time in the mornings. 
I did twice feed this year for a while didnt notice any difference!

show goat/lamb equipment
www.Facebook.com/wickedshowchains


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Hmm. I guess any goats I am milking can get extra grain


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

I use the milking stand for all does. Dry, milking, and doelings. They learn to associate the stand with good things. I also train the bucks to use the stand as well. However-
Morning feeding is easy. I run the milking girls to the stand, the kids to the stand after the ladies. They get their rations. Bucks, dry ladies, yearlings, and weaned kids get tethered to the fence while I milk with individual rations. Goats love repetition, patterns, and schedules. They soon learn to go where you need them to go. 

Night feeding I run who needs the extra to the stand (milkers and kids typically).


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

That sounds pretty good. Any pictures of your setup?


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Of the tethering?


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Any of it.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Well I mean, the milk stand is self explanatory but I attached one. I don't have one of the whole setup, as my phone doesn't take quality pics but here's an example, you can only see three goats in this pic. 

I mix up individual rations in the feed room, put them in the labeled pails. Everybody has their own written in permanent marker. My containers are labeled boldly in the feed room and I have mixing instructions for rations, and a "map" of where to tie everybody if someone needs to come and do chores for me. Scoops are labeled as well (1#, 2#, 5#), as well as have a measuring spoon set hanging on a nail for minerals & copper. After each feeding, the pails get a good rinsing and set out to dry. Especially if I add any molasses or soaked beet pulp, they make a mess. Lol


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## katie (Dec 3, 2012)

I have tied up before but doesn't work great if your milking most of your does.  I have seperate pastures so I put the babies in one pen and the milkers in the other with the horses. I have to let the milkers out anyway so they eat on the milking stand and I have a hang up bucket attached to the babies stall wall and they eat out of there. Of course with the babies eating out of the same thing there is a little bit of stealing but I don't pay much attention.  poor babies.


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## katie (Dec 3, 2012)

mjs500doo said:


> I use the milking stand for all does. Dry, milking, and doelings. They learn to associate the stand with good things. I also train the bucks to use the stand as well. However-
> Morning feeding is easy. I run the milking girls to the stand, the kids to the stand after the ladies. They get their rations. Bucks, dry ladies, yearlings, and weaned kids get tethered to the fence while I milk with individual rations. Goats love repetition, patterns, and schedules. They soon learn to go where you need them to go.
> 
> Night feeding I run who needs the extra to the stand (milkers and kids typically).


 Talking a bout always using the milking stand, Although its probably a great thing that you do I've always let them eat out of something else while the milkers are on the stand and it works pretty well. One of our babies couldn't get it for about 2 weeks but now she's the best one we have for getting up. She does it without fail.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks for the tips and suggestions, guys. But what if I have multiple milkers, I only have one milking stand. Or if I have 15 does I can't put them all on a milking stand.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Scottyhorse said:


> Thanks for the tips and suggestions, guys. But what if I have multiple milkers, I only have one milking stand. Or if I have 15 does I can't put them all on a milking stand.


I run 8 milkers to the stand. I hand milk. I also run all the kids to the stand afterwards to get milk and eat grain. You'd be surprised how fast and efficient it can be. I only have one stand as well. Takes roughly an hour.

I prepare all the meals before I milk. I then go in and tie up all dry does, weaned kids, and bucks. I open the milking gate and yell milk time! They come runnin'! I grab em all and tie them to the wall in the milk room in order per milk weight. I go back to the other pen, give everyone their grain, then get back to milking. Get done milking one doe, switch girls, new grain. Wash, strip, milk, post strip, wash again, and dip. Switch, etc.

The girls know when they're done it's straight back to their pen, no fooling around. Everyone else is still tied. Once the girls are locked up and comfy I head back to the other pens, take the pails away (no helpers), then unhook everybody. Tethers are only long enough to comfortably get their heads in the pails. Not big enough to jump, run, circle, etc. Never had an issue. Easy.


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## katie (Dec 3, 2012)

Scottyhorse said:


> Thanks for the tips and suggestions, guys. But what if I have multiple milkers, I only have one milking stand. Or if I have 15 does I can't put them all on a milking stand.


 I suggest having two. If of course you can get a hold of them. I wish I had two and I only have 3 milkers.  I of course understand if you don't feel like you have room.


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## Aristeidis (Jul 10, 2013)

www.milkplan.com has the solution for your all questions. My mail is [email protected]


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