Nutritional Feeding Management Of Meat Goats is a NC State Extension article that goes into what is a high quality feed for goats and why goats need better feed than other ruminants, like sheep or cattle. The idea that goats can eat anything and do well is not true!Įven the working goats that are out eating “scrub” or brushy areas are actually eating the nice growing points of the brush, that’s where the energy is! Goats need a high quality diet full of goat appropriate nutrition, especially for any goat kids. I know this is an article about feed, but knowing when your doe is due to have her babies is a big question in most new goat owner’s minds, so I thought this would help, or at least give you a better idea of what to look for with your goats! Goats need high quality feed Get goats that match your plans or adjust your plans to match your goats. If you want to manage them in a different way than they need to be managed, you have the wrong goats, they don’t fit you and your situation. Once you get “in the trenches” you may find your herd requires different management than you had planned on providing. One piece of advice, before we go further: be willing to change. This will involve research on your part, to figure out the specifics and a watchful eye to monitor your herd to see how your feeding plans are working! So, here are some overall guidelines to help you get started. What your goats need depends on so many factors, a few of which are:įor anyone to tell you, “oh, you just blah, blah, blah” is way too simplistic! Goats vary so much in genetics, management and feed situations that a blanket “one size fits all” recommendation is misleading. This is the part where some folks are going to be frustrated, because the truthful answer to what should you feed your goats is: you guessed it, it depends.Īre Meat Goats Profitable? is an article that I wrote to help you figure out the basic costs of raising your own herd of goats. Grain for goats: kids and lactating does need higher quality feed (14% protein) and maintenance goats need less, more like 10-11% protein, given in the amount required to keep goat in good condition with a shiny hair coat. Those two views are polar opposites, so, which is correct? How should you feed your goats?Ī general recommendation for feeding goats is free choice water, grass hay and for most goats, grain. Some folks say “just let those goats eat brush and forage for their keep” others say “give the goats a pelleted ration and some high test hay, that pasture is just for exercise”. Now that you have decided to get a few goats, you’ll need to figure out what you should be feeding them.
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