Hey, Ye Old Ram, are you around? I have some questions....

[Our7Wonders]

I've been reading through Pat Coleby's book again - makes more sense to me now that I've had my goats a bit longer and I have a question.

Lurcerne chaff - what is it? Is this alfalfa? And what about chaff? I'm guessing it to be processed a bit like what we do to alfalfa and some of the grass hays when it's made into pellets or cubes- does that sound right?

She also mentions the lucerne tree. This isn't the same plant as what lucerne chaff is made from is it?

And her mineral recommendations are impossible to find in the U.S. Frustrating!

Anyway, hoping you could shed a little light for me. I'm likely to have more questions if you don't mind.

Thank you!

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day O7W,"I hear and obey",I am always happy to chat about "goats",they are my "very favorite animals" after 'my dogs ' and 'my Suffolks"..............So lets see what you need .............

Lurcerne Chaff: Yes ! its Alfalfa,How they turn it in to chaff? Well its usually a season or so "old".They take a machine like a 'leaf shreader' and chop it up fine to disguise its age,,,We used to buy 'new seasons hay . and run it through a shreader and mix it with some 'grain' and they ate the lot ,goats usually waste so much of premium hay because once it hits the ground they 'wont ' touch it.

Lurcerne Tree,botanic name Tagasaste.(Google search Tagasaste)..Needs deep soil (best on really sandy soils)will not tolerate "wet feet",once established ,can be pruned hard and the branches fed to the goats,it also can be grown in fenced off rows and the goats 'nibble ' what they can reach.(first option best).

Next the mineral mixolomite Lime...CaMg(Co3)2..Look for it at your big garden supply stores,or your fertilizer supplier.(Google search will get you suppliers)

Salt ..We use Swimming Pool Salt,because everything else in the mix sticks to it

Sea-weed Meal....Kelp Meal in the US....Look for where it has been harvested from,some of it has a fair amount of 'heavy metals'................We use Vitram from Tasmania.

Copper Sulphate..or Bluestone..Garden supply stores

Sulphur...Yellow Sulphur or Flowers of Sulphur...Garden supply store

The thing about this mix is its all Natural Minerals and it does not "go off" so there is no wastage,I had some recently which got soaked in the rain ,so I put it in a plastic container and let it drain and dry out ,put it back out in a block form and they ate the lot.


Hope I have been of some help,any time you have questions ,just ask,after all we are just a big family and we should be happy to help one another out......................Good Luck...............T.O.R...................

 

[Our7Wonders]

Thank you, T.O.R.! I thought you might be able to clear it up for me! I appreciate some "down under" insight!!

Blessings!

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G,day all, in Mineral Mystery's,I showed one of our min. mix containers ,here is one in action,this group of lambs were on there way to rest in the shade for a while, so on the way past in go there noses.

..........................T.O.R.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey TOR... just popping in to say hi!