# Homemade goat feed???



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Lately I have read a lot of articles on people making their own animal feeds. (Horse, goat, rabbit, chicken, etc.) Would it be OK to just feed oats for maintenance grain? Like for open dry does, bucks that aren't in rut, etc. and then a higher protein mixture for pregnant does, milking does, growing kids, bucks in rut, etc.? For example, someone was mixing oats, barley, kelp, molasses, and linseed in 100lb increments and feeding it to her dairy goats.. would something similar to that work? Maybe add some BOSS or something? I just would want to make sure that my goats weren't deficient of anything that is in their grain. I am happy with my current grain but basically every grain has at least a couple things (corn, soy, fillers, etc.) and I don't really like my animals consuming those things. I thought that it would be nice to have a few grains and things on hand (things like wheat, barley, oats, BOSS, linseed, molasses, etc. you get the idea) to mix up a special ration for each goat to make sure that they are getting the nutrients they need. Basically custom feed for every goat depending on their needs. Thanks in advance for any insight, advice, etc.


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## just_plain_bob (May 4, 2013)

what is your hay/browse/pasture situation ?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Straight oats in addition grass hay would be a bit high in phosphorus. Many people add alfalfa (pellets or hay) to bump up the calcium so the C balance is correct.

Here is a good thread on the subject: http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f217/homemade-feed-172344/

And there are several others too that I don't have links for at the moment! Check the "Similar Threads" box at the bottom of that link above.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Yeah, oats need to have a calcium rich feed to balance out the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio. Oats have very little calcium, in fact most feed grains are high in phosphorus. Most grass and grass hays are high in phosphorus and low in calcium also. I feed native whole oats to all my goats, but I mix it with alfalfa pellets so the ratio is 2.5 Calcium to 1 phosphorus.

I mix and match for my goats using a variety of feeds and such, depending on what their current status is. It's time consuming for 13 adult does and 3 bucks but it has worked out for me so far. We don't get much in the way of whole, native grains up here, mostly just oats, so I have to use commercial feeds in the mix. I add beet pulp, BOSS, flax seed meal or rice bran meal, oats, cracked corn, horse feed, dairy goat pellets, barley (if I can find it), linseed meal and other things as I can find or get them. I don't, however, add molasses. The soaked beet pulp binds everything together and is less messy.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Our goats mainly just have a HUGE indoor area in the barn, and we are getting a pasture soon. Currently they are on an alfalfa/grass mix hay. They are let outside to graze and play (while we are outside to watch them) a lot.


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## Bree_6293 (Aug 4, 2014)

I mix a feed of alfalfa pellets, whole oats whole barely and cracked corn (only a little bit) with a horse sweet feed that is 2:1 calcium phosphorous and has BOSS in it plus alfalfa hay at night and grassy hay 24/7 and my goats have been going no perfectly on this. It was designed by my vet who lives 10 mins away and runs dairy goats. The sweet feed is high protein too and as I have minis I feed half the amount he does per goat and it works perfectly. My mix is:
8 cups oats
8 cups barely
4 cups sweet feed
2 cups corn
10 cups alfalfa pellets 
Plus 2 table spoons linseed 
mixed together for 1-2 cups per goat 2 times a day.
Plus about 1/4-1/2 biscuit alfalfa hay per goat and then free choice grassy hay, free choice kelp, free choice loose minerals, the pink salt rocks out at all times and once or twice a week I make a big bucket of molasses water that they all drink from that would be 40L water to maybe 1-2 cups molasses. They also always have clean fresh water and an ACV water bucket available at all times.
In colder months I will soak beet pulp in warm water and ACV or molasses and add that to the feed too.


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