Best Food to Start baby Goats On...

[alsea1]

would soaked beet pulp offer a good fiber source for sheep and goats?

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

would soaked beet pulp offer a good fiber source for sheep and goats?

I know people will give beet pulp to replace certain grains and corn esp for bucks and rams here in this area at least but I hve never used it and really know nothing about beet pulp so I have no idea.

 

[Renegade]

Personally, I have never heard of a goat getting and inflamed rumen from pellets--is that something that sheep experience?

The animal manager at the farm I worked at used to raise dairy goats and she showed nationally; she also had a large flock of sheep (numbering in the hundreds). We were talking about feeding stock after work on my way out to my car like she buys/bought her feed, what she feeds, etc and she told me she will NEVER feed pelleted feed because she went to a feeding seminar when she was still raising her own stock and they were shown two different rumens--one who's diet included textured feed/whole grains and one who's diet included pelleted feeds. The rumen with the pelleted feeds was all inflamed. It gets like that because the pieces of feed are so finely ground in the pellet and when the critter goes to chew, it all breaks a part essentially into a powder and the rumen tries to get the nutrients from the powder, but it has a hard time because it's used to rougher, not as fine feeds, like chewed up corn, oats, grass, hay, etc. An inflamed rumen is more prone to acidiosis.

Personally, I've tried researching it myself, but I haven't been able to come up with anything. So maybe I'm not searching the right thing or there is nothing on the internet about it but after she said that it makes me want to stay away from pure pelleted feeds! So much so that when I bought feed last time and I opened the bag to find they changed the recipe to include more pellets and less corn, I returned the two bags I hadn't opened and went to another Southern States that mills their sheep feed on spot and keeps the recipe the same all the time.

I disagree with this mainly because one goat with an inflammed rumen does not mean the pelleted feed had anything to do with it. That goat could have eaten just about anything from hay or pastured that could have caused the inflamed rumen. If they had butchered a dozen goats on each feed and had gotten those results I might say they have something there. I've had goats for more then 15yrs and have always fed pellets. I have friends that have been in goats for more then 20 yrs and they feed the same pellets and none of us have ever had goats with rumen problems. Over the years I've had 4 goats necropsied for various reasons and they all had normal rumens. We feed ADM Meat Goat pellets.
I should also point out that feeding sweet feed to bucks can cause UC.

JMO
Donna

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

I disagree with this mainly because one goat with an inflammed rumen does not mean the pelleted feed had anything to do with it. That goat could have eaten just about anything from hay or pastured that could have caused the inflamed rumen. If they had butchered a dozen goats on each feed and had gotten those results I might say they have something there.

x2

 

[Roll farms]

A diet of exlusively pellets wouldn't be good, regardless of what the pellets are made of / what's in them...they do NEED long fiber for proper rumen function. Maybe the necropsied goat had been fed *only* pellets, and no hay....

Regardless, our kids do well on Noble Goat and alf./grass mix hay.
Some of the Noble goat feeds are medicated w/ a coccidistat, some aren't, it varies by area...some also contain AC to prevent UC. Check the label.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Purina makes the noble goat AND the goat chow. In my expirience I like the noble goat(non-medicated here, I treat with dimethox seperately). I am now feeding only hay and brush plus loose minerals but when I was feeding pellets I mixed beet pulp pellets, noble goat, and alfalfa pellets together. I have a nigerian dwarf that WONT touch the grain. He's 5 weeks old and will nibble the other pellets, but he hates the 'grain'(refering to noble goat as the grain.) Give him a cedar branch and he'll eat the heck out of it though! The cost for the goat chow is a few dollars more then the noble goat too, at least around here. So I think I'm going to try and wean mine without pellets.. I bought 2 young goats from someone on here and she didn't give any grain, alfalfa only. They seemed to be in good condition too, I was suprised she didn't grain them.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Adding in.. I dont follow the directions and would never put my goat on free choice pellets!

http://www.goatnutrition.com/OURPRODUCTS/PRODUCTS/NobleGoatGrower16/default.aspx

Feeding Directions:

Feed as the sole diet to growing goats from weaning to desired weight. Feed at a rate of 0.25 to 2.5 pounds per head per day along with good quality grass hay. Can also be fed free-choice to high-producing goats on range or under dry lot conditions after they have acclimated to this ration.

These are only guidelines for consumption. Some goats may have a tendency to go off feed. When this occurs, feed long stem grass hay for two to three days then continue feeding NOBLE GOAT GROWER 16. Feed consumption will vary with life stage, environment and activity. Always provide adequate amounts of fresh, clean water.

In groups of goats there are certain animals that experience chronic bloat, or other digestive disturbances and consequently, are poor performers. In addition, excess feed consumption, severe weather changes resulting in erratic feed consumption and poorly managed feeding practices, can increase the incidence of bloat in all goats. If bloating occurs, the above management practices should be reviewed and your veterinarian consulted.

Do not allow horses or other equines access to feeds containing monensin. Ingestion of monensin by horses has been fatal.

Note: This product contains copper and should not be fed to sheep.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Adding in.. I dont follow the directions and would never put my goat on free choice pellets!

http://www.goatnutrition.com/OURPRODUCTS/PRODUCTS/NobleGoatGrower16/default.aspx

Feeding Directions:

Feed as the sole diet to growing goats from weaning to desired weight. Feed at a rate of 0.25 to 2.5 pounds per head per day along with good quality grass hay. Can also be fed free-choice to high-producing goats on range or under dry lot conditions after they have acclimated to this ration.

These are only guidelines for consumption. Some goats may have a tendency to go off feed. When this occurs, feed long stem grass hay for two to three days then continue feeding NOBLE GOAT GROWER 16. Feed consumption will vary with life stage, environment and activity. Always provide adequate amounts of fresh, clean water.

In groups of goats there are certain animals that experience chronic bloat, or other digestive disturbances and consequently, are poor performers. In addition, excess feed consumption, severe weather changes resulting in erratic feed consumption and poorly managed feeding practices, can increase the incidence of bloat in all goats. If bloating occurs, the above management practices should be reviewed and your veterinarian consulted.

Do not allow horses or other equines access to feeds containing monensin. Ingestion of monensin by horses has been fatal.

Note: This product contains copper and should not be fed to sheep.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I know that Modesto Milling is a major player in the organic market here in California...

How do the prices on the organic feeds add up compared to non organic? I think you might have to order quite a bit at a time to keep the cost reasonable...I know Modesto is a few hours north if me and I would think the freight or shipping on heavy feed might be cost prohibitive???? Of course organic wouldn't have the pesticides or GMO in them so I would go for the organic if you can.

P.S. about inflammation....GMO corn and soy have been show to cause organ inflammation and changes to the intestinal lining in animal studies, so if any of the pellets or textured feeds contain those, that might be why the inflammation was present....

 

[Chris]

We have a really hard time finding goat food around here and seems like this is all I can find. I'd like you guys to take a look and let me know which one is the best. Thank you!

Noble Goat Grower:
http://www.goatnutrition.com/OURPRODUCTS/PRODUCTS/NobleGoatGrower16/default.aspx

Purina Goat Chow:
http://www.goatnutrition.com/OURPRODUCTS/PRODUCTS/GoatChow/default.aspx

Or

Modesto * Organic Goat Dairy Pellets #5030
http://www.modestomilling.com/livestock.html

Are you feeding Milking Does this feed also?

Chris