# Newbie with Feed Questions



## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

Hello,

we are new to goat owning and before we bring home our new goat next week we want to make sure that we have everything we need.

We got a Saltblock, some loose Mineral that we want to give free choice, we will offer him hay also we have lots and lots of grass and when it came to food we were pretty clueless and just went to the local feed store hoping they could help us. 
What we ended up getting was what they call a 50/50 mix. 

this is what I can read off of the bag

Crescent C.F. Golden 
16% Coarse Dairy 

Ingridients:
Grain Products, 
Plant Protein Products
Processed Grain By-Products
Roughage Products
Cane Molasses
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Oil
Lecithin
Sulfuric Acid
Phosphoric Acid
Natural and Artificial Flavorings
Preservatives: ( a very long list, if you need it all, let me know and I'll write it down)

the previous owners fed him a meat goat food and we were planning on mixing his new feed with the old for a while until he gets used to the new, but now we're unsure if the feed we chose is even good for him.

I'm excited to hear what you have to say.
Thank you in advance,
Anna


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Welcome!

First off, goaties do need a goat friend. They need that friend for security and company, even if they (like my goats) are very close to the owners. 

The most important thing with boys is that their entire diet must have a calcium/phosphorus balance of 2:1. This will help prevent urinary calculi, a leading killer in male goats. Adding ammonium chloride will also protect him. He will need fresh hay at least once daily.

Other than that, sounds like you're on the right track! :thumb:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I have the feed compliance reports. Can you tell me parent which company that made the feed?


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

wow, very quick replys! I love it, thank you

@ woodhavenfarm: how do I know it's a 2:1 balance and where do I get ammonium chloride? Is that goat specific? and if not, how much and how do I give that?

@ goathiker: it's Crescent Feed Co. Inc
Springfield Mo 65801
is that what you need to know?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Absolutely will go look it all up for you


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

Thank you!!!

also we are planning on getting a girl friend for him. He has been kept by himself for the last year and we definitely want to get more goats.
For now we want to focus and getting him used to us and the new environment and once we are all comfortable we can start the research on getting another angora.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Errk, well Cresent does really bad on their inspections. Only got a 64.8% Most of the violations were on protein levels, vitamin A levels, and medication levels. That's important though, you don't want it to be a different food with every sack you open. The company needs to be consistant.

The Purina Plant in your state racks up 100% on every inspection, can you find a Purina dealer? Noble Goat DQ16 or Nobel Goat R16 both already have ammonium chloride and are formulated for wethers and bucks.

Alright, Cresent doesn't have a web site (to me that's a red flag) So we'll do the tag the hard way.
Cresent CF Golden Coarse 16% Dairy
Cresent(brand) CF (corn free) Golden (expensive) Coarse (textured feed mix of pellets and grains) 16% (16% protein) Dairy (non-medicated)

Under all the chemicals on the tag it should have a part that says guarenteed analysis. If you type that part out I'll tell you what it means.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

How to make sure it's 2:1 calcium/phosphorus is just to read up on it.

For instance, here is the calcuim/phosphorus ratio on the back of the manna pro minerals:

Calcium	Min	16.00%
Calcium	Max	19.20%
Phosphorus	Min	8.00%

That ensures that there is twice as much calcium as phosphorus. That needs to hold true for all of his food -- his grain and hay included. Nice grass hay is already balanced in its calcium and phosphorus, so no worries there. The biggest thing is maintaining this balance -- it can be a bit complicated, but I would suggest searching around this site and reading on what other people have fed their bucky boys.

Ammonium chloride isn't expensive and very healthy for the boys. :thumb: Adding apple cider vinegar is also good for them I've heard.

I'd like to link you to an amazing site on goat care. This site got us through the first rocky months of goat ownership. It's a wealth of information: http://fiascofarm.com/


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

wow, I guess you had a cup of awesome for breakfast!!

Thank you so much for taking the time for this detailed answer. You rock.

well I will spare me the time to write it all down and you the time to research it, after reading the first sentence you wrote we already decided to not feed this. 

well now what, my better half is concerned about the fact that Purina had their first plant in MO and wonders if the results are questionable...

we are entertaining the idea to mix our own, how do you feel about that? Would that be cost efficient and not too difficult to do?

thank you


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

again, thank you! 

sorry about me having a brain fart on the 2:1 ratio, makes total sense now. 
We add apple cider vinegar to our chickens water, so we got some of that.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

No problem, that's what we're here for! :thumb: 

Oh gosh trust me it took FOREVER for me to understand the calcium/phosphorus ratio and I'm still reading up on it and trying to figure it out for my wether boy. Goat care is pretty complicated the first year or so, but once you "get it" it becomes much, much easier. I've only had my goats for a year and 1/2, so the help on this forum is what's helped me take good care of my goatie kids.

I add just a tiny bit of the vinegar to the water so they can't smell it. If they smell it, up goes their nose! :laugh:

I haven't had experience mixing my own, but my aunt and many other members on here have had great success with it! Search the forum and see if you can come up with some of the mixes. Or, just make a new topic and ask people how they mix their bucks' feed. :thumb:


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

yes thank you. I just started a new thread in the Angora Forum to see if somebody has a feed mix they like and would share.

I'm very anxious and excited to get this all started.

Now I do have a questions, since we have a Buck, do you think it's wise to keep a female with him as a companion? Of what the prev. owners tell us he is very docile and they used to have 2 goats but the other goat was mean to him so they gave him away about a year back... of course that is hearsay ... we have adjoining stalls so we could separate them if push came to shove, but I'd like to keep them in the same stall...like I said we have lots to learn!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I would say get him a wether. If you put a girl in with him he will breed her and you will have a pregnant doe to take care of as well. They will also need to be separated when she kids (the hormones does give off before they birth will drive him CRAZY and he will bug her, and he will also need to be kept away from his daughters so they won't be bred too young) and then he will be alone again.

If you plan to use him for breeding I would buy one wether friend for him, and one for your doe (or another doe to keep her company). That way no one is ever alone, and you also won't get unexpected pregnancies. 

If he's just a pet, I would have him neutered and have another wether with him. Wethers are much better pets -- bucks can be lovely individuals, but wethers don't smell and are calmer.


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

we will get him a wether for now so he won't have to be lonely. Once we are a little more experienced with the whole goat thing we can think about getting a girl or two. Also we need to see if he's a good quality buck and if he has genes we want or not. Either way we love him and can't wait for him to come here and join us.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I'm so excited for you! He is beautiful -- that fiber looks lovely.


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

awww, thank you. he was shaved in July so this is 3 month worth of growth. I have a better picture. he's so cute.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I do make my own feed, will be happy to share. I keep my buck in with my does except for the 2 months that everyone is giving birth and the kids are getting their feet under them a little. Part of that is because I have a small creek running through the middle of my property and I want the kids strong enough to cross before I turn everyone back out. The other part is that the buck may bother the does during their birthing time because of the hormone smell they are letting off.
I raise and work pack goats so, at any given time I have 5 or 6 male goats that I'm feeding. I'm also feeding for long life health rather then just to make weight at butchering time. I've been doing this for about 15 years now. 

My feed recipe is
100lbs alfalfa pellets 
50lbs rolled oats
50 lbs rolled barley
40 lbs. beet pulp pellets
10 lbs Purina Amplify Nuggets
I top dress with a large pinch of kelp meal
Free choice grass hay and the occasional bale of grass alfalfa mix during the winter blah time.

This is balanced well and I've had very good results with it. I also offer free choice Nutra-Lux goat minerals and free choice Antler max deer minerals. They use both as they need it.

Wow, I am way slow on my reply.


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

thank you much for sharing... we really have to do some research on some feed stores and such so we can get all this goodness.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You do have a very cuddly and sweet looking boy. I have always thought a small fiber goat would be fun. Just can't think of an excuse to get one, a mascot maybe?

I do want to stress with the buck thing. My goats are seasonal breeders so, I can remove small doelings in early fall before heats and rut start. Wood Haven's goats are year round breeders. I'm not sure which Angoras are.


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

ok, so my next step is to figure out if Angoras are seasonal breeders or year round breeders. Got it! 

I thought a good excuse for a fiber goat would be the fiber? The women we bought him from sold his fleece raw at a small animal swap for $3 a lbs. That's a pretty good excuse to me. We've always wanted goats and everybody was always like: what for? now we can say: fiber, milk, lawnmower, cutenessfactor...... and on.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

We feed our boys free choice hay,and we give them kid feed which has ammonium chloride in it. I sold a couple of wethers in the spring and the new owners fed sweet feed(against my advice) and one passed away due to stones. What a painful way to pass.


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

what is sweet feed, it's not what I got, right? the Purina Goat Chow??

should I add Ammonium chloride to his diet if it's not in the food?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

@MollyDora: Yes, adding ammonium chloride is a great idea :thumb:


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## MollyDora (Oct 19, 2012)

ok, cool thank you! 

where do you buy that?


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