# new to wethers... suggestions about feed please



## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

hi, i think y'all will get tired of all my questions  
well, i'm hoping my girls have good strong kids. praying for 2 doelings and 2 bucklings so i can keep the boys as wethers. i have 2 other posts about training so i'll try not to repeat too much...
we've never kept any wethers so i was wondering how much i should feed them. i buy 18% protein feed right now. hoping to grow lots of stuff to feed the animals. anyone grow or mix any of their own feed? 
thanks!


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

search this site for nutrition and feed, there's a lot here already. Learn what the cal"phos ratio is and apply it so that you don't overfeed. Easy to do.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Just rehashing the mineral options.
I emptied the bag of Purina minerals.
So need to buy some more minerals.

Well I would like to know what other options
are out there.
:?: 
What do others on this list use?
The purina has not done any harm. But 
it is not as balanced for wethers as I would
like.
I know Hoeggers is probably the best.
But when you add the postage. It is pretty
expensive.
Just so you know. I have searched this site for
info. But only got the 2:1 ratio posts. 
And since I only know of 3 brands of minerals here.
My research is limited. 
Thanks for any insight on what to buy next...


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

We went through the mineral catalog at the feed store and ordered the 12:6 Cattle mineral with Selinum. It has worked great for us.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

What brand would that be Rex?
We have a grange and a Big R (coastal farms)

I seen Jeffers has sweetlix meat goat minerals.
That is 2 to 1.
Anyone have any experience with that one?

Thanks,


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Well here is my LOCAL options so far.

Purina goat minerals. these are for dairy does.
Cattle minerals 12:12 which is a 1:1 ratio.

I could order from Jeffers Sweetlix 16:8 meat goat minerals.
Or Hoeggers golden blend. Postage is more than the bag of minerals.

Rex's 12:6 minerals are not available here either.
Oregon sucks...
I asked local distributors that do have sweetlix protien block if they could order the loose minerals in their next order.
They can if I order a pallet load. 

We just have too many dairy goats and cattle in this state.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

ryorkies said:


> What brand would that be Rex?
> We have a grange and a Big R (coastal farms)
> 
> I seen Jeffers has sweetlix meat goat minerals.
> ...


We went to the local feed store and ask to look through their catalog. They can order in pretty much anything they want.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Thanks Rex.
I did read through Big R's book. But they did not have
anything. And were not willing to even try to order it.

I have been scanning, scrolling, calling local feed stores all
morning. And since I knew that I was going out of town tomorrow I was checking that town too. LOL
Well I found some. 50 miles from here. But I go that
way every so often. I had called a little feedstore market. And they said they could order the sweetlix 16:8
and have it here by thursday. So I had ordered it so they
could get it on the truck. 
Then.....
Grange coop called and they have a meat goat mineral that
fits the bill (sku#25GM). They do not have it on their website. And was cheaper than sweetlix by $6.00. And it was instock.
I already ordered from the little feed store. But I am a really really happy camper. And happy to find some other options...


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

I've been told by my vet who is an international goat judge and small ruminant specilaist that there are a lot of problems with the Sweetlix. It's palatable and so the goats eat too much resulting in stones. She has warned me to not feed it free choice, or better to switch to another mineral. Just FYI.

She says 60% of the goats she's taking stones out of are on Sweetlix. It's popular but is startign to be a problem.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

So now what do I do?
I got the sweetlix. Had to special order it.
Drove 40 plus miles one way to pick it up.
And I can not feed it now?
Or can I just limit how much they eat of it?
It will take over a year for them to eat this 
25 lb bag of minerals going by the last bag 
of minerals I had. I am going into a winter 
with no work in site. So can not afford to
throw it away and buy something else.
And my freaking luck it would be the wrong
stuff to.. I am  
This is just so frustrating....
:roll:


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

PS.
I did notice that all the feed stores do carry a sweelix goat block.








GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein, Min20.00%
Crude Fat, Min1.00%
Crude Fiber, Max12.00%
Calcium, Min5.00%
Calcium, Max6.00%
Phosphorus, Min3.00%

Versus:









GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Calcium, Min14.00%
Calcium, Max16.80%
Phosphorus, Min8.00%

I wonder which sweetlix that is
being fed and causing the stones. If people are feeding the
block thinking it is the 2:1 calcium minerals. And yet isn't.
Then they tell the vet they are feeding sweetlix. Yes that
is what they were feeding but it is not the right minerals

Also when I called the feed stores and was asking if they
had sweetlix they said yes it comes in a big tub. And yet
none carried the accual minerals. So what sweetlix were these
customers accually feeding for sure.
Here is sweetlix website. There is the tubs,blocks,and minerals 
there is a big(huge) difference. Please read the loose minerals
and tell me what you think.
http://www.sweetlix.com/products/C14A34/meat-maker-products.aspx
Just makes me think.
I did a search. 
And can not find any data on stones linked to sweetlix minerals.
Yes, I could very well be grasping at straws because of my
now desperate plight....


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

See my comment under feeding wethers. The Meatmaker is causing problems and I am willing to give you my vet's contact info if you email me privately.


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

Limit feed it, with goats less is best, witness the millions of goats in the ME and Asia and Africa. 

Carolyn wrote the book on feeding goats, literally, its sure well worth having.


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