# What do you feed your Dairy Goats?



## DownHomeDairyGoats (May 8, 2015)

Hello!
I have a small herd that I am just getting up and going. I have four Alpine doelings/does (two 7 week olds, one 2 year old and one 3 year old), one Alpine buckling (about 6 weeks old), one ND/Alpine wether (about three or four months old) and one Nubian/Alpine wether (approximately five months old).
The wether's are just pets, but the Alpine's are all my future breeding herd. The 3 year old is currently in-milk. The 2 year old is dry, and the kids are obviously just kids.
Currently, I have been feeding a mixture of Purina Noble Goat and Purina Goat chow daily. Plus they have hay at all times, as well as pasture (a variety of weeds and grasses, ALL edible of course!). 
I was wondering what feed or feed mix everyone else feeds their goats (especially Alpine's)? Also, what amounts do you feed?

All of the kids are weaned now except for my Alpine Buckling. My one Alpine doeling was weaned from her mom, and the other weaned herself off of the bottle. My Alpine buckling is currently drinking goats milk, and is doing very well on it! 

Just wondering how and what everybody else feeds 
Thanks!


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Milkers- Free choice alfalfa and grass hay. Free choice Manna Pro Goat minerals. 5 acres browse during the day. I use a dairy goat feed from a local milling company that is awesome. They get free choice of that and alfalfa pellets when being milked. 

Pregnant does. Pretty much same except they get 1 to 2 cups of grain a day depending on stage of pregnancy/ condition. 

Others- same as above pretty much. Babies get a little grain.


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## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

i was wondering if it's possible or ok to not feed dairy goats any grain? i've read a few posts on here recently that grain is not really good for them. And didn't goats live for years without any grain and do just fine? With good pasture (brush, weeds, browse, grasses, clover), hay (alfalfa/clover/grass), and a cup or two of organic alfalfa pellets, plus good minerals and supplements like kelp, can a dairy goat be maintained in good health without any grain? Has anyone tried this or know of anyone who has tried it or is doing this?

thanks


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Dairy quality alfalfa year round. Not free choice as they will get fat. Adjust amount as needed (time of year / browse available). No grain. The only time a dairy goat should be feed grain is while on the milk stand. And thats just to keep them busy while milking. and to give em that little extra sugar/fat they dont get from hay. Grain is the equivalent of candy for goats. Alfalfa the equivalent of a balanced diet. Goats stomachs are designed to digest browse and hay. The fiber in these slows down the digestion process. Grain is digested rapidly. Can use alfalfa pellets in place of grain.

If you cant keep weight on your animal by feeding alfalfa, then there is either something wrong with the animal or the quality of the alfalfa.

And your right bornagain. Grain came about as a means to finish butcher stock originally. Aside from small farms feeding their animals off fall from crops.


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## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

TDG-Farms said:


> Dairy quality alfalfa year round. Not free choice as they will get fat. Adjust amount as needed (time of year / browse available). No grain. The only time a dairy goat should be feed grain is while on the milk stand. And thats just to keep them busy while milking. and to give em that little extra sugar/fat they dont get from hay. Grain is the equivalent of candy for goats. Alfalfa the equivalent of a balanced diet. Goats stomachs are designed to digest browse and hay. The fiber in these slows down the digestion process. Grain is digested rapidly. Can use alfalfa pellets in place of grain.
> 
> If you cant keep weight on your animal by feeding alfalfa, then there is either something wrong with the animal or the quality of the alfalfa.
> 
> And your right bornagain. Grain came about as a means to finish butcher stock originally. Aside from small farms feeding their animals off fall from crops.


thanks. i have a few questions, just to clarify if you think its ok to totally eliminate all grain from dairy goats. First you said "no grain" but then you said grain only "while on the milk stand". Is it ok to feed alfalfa pellets on the milk stand and no grain whatsoever in their diet? You said that the grain will give them the extra sugar/fat they don't get from hay. If they aren't given any grain ever, will their health be negatively affected, will they be lacking in something?

thanks


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Diary goats put a lot into their milk. Hay alone usually can't provide enough energy/protein and other nutrients to allow the goat to milk to full potential and maintain her weight.


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## LibertyHomesteadFarm (Feb 1, 2014)

TDG-Farms said:


> Dairy quality alfalfa year round. Not free choice as they will get fat. Adjust amount as needed (time of year / browse available). No grain. The only time a dairy goat should be feed grain is while on the milk stand. And thats just to keep them busy while milking. and to give em that little extra sugar/fat they dont get from hay. Grain is the equivalent of candy for goats. Alfalfa the equivalent of a balanced diet. Goats stomachs are designed to digest browse and hay. The fiber in these slows down the digestion process. Grain is digested rapidly. Can use alfalfa pellets in place of grain.
> 
> If you cant keep weight on your animal by feeding alfalfa, then there is either something wrong with the animal or the quality of the alfalfa.
> 
> And your right bornagain. Grain came about as a means to finish butcher stock originally. Aside from small farms feeding their animals off fall from crops.





bornagain62511 said:


> thanks. i have a few questions, just to clarify if you think its ok to totally eliminate all grain from dairy goats. First you said "no grain" but then you said grain only "while on the milk stand". Is it ok to feed alfalfa pellets on the milk stand and no grain whatsoever in their diet? You said that the grain will give them the extra sugar/fat they don't get from hay. If they aren't given any grain ever, will their health be negatively affected, will they be lacking in something?
> 
> thanks


Is Chaffhaye a good alfalfa to feed in replacement for grain?


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

For a milking goat a little "candy" isnt bad for em. But other then that, there is just no need for grain if you are feeding a quality alfalfa. Dairy quality is 18%-24% on average. There are places that cant grow good alfalfa, to spendy or just cant get it. So depending upon where you are and your access to quality alfalfa will determine what you can feed.

This statement "Diary goats put a lot into their milk. Hay alone usually can't provide enough energy/protein and other nutrients to allow the goat to milk to full potential and maintain her weight." is correct for lesser quality alfalfa and grass hays. Here we have access to as much dairy quality alfalfa as we want. I feed the equivalent of 1 good sized (roughly 5 lbs) of alfalfa per goat per day and we have huge goats. 95% of the girls maintain the same weight all year long. Only a handful drop weight a little but that is something they do regardless of what the eat. We are dry lotted and this along with the grain they get at milking is all we feed.


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