We are now off of grain!

[outdoorhoney]

You have beautiful kids! Once my girls grow up a little and mature I will slowly wean them off grains. It's definitely helping them put on weight though and I don't see a problem with it at the moment (minus the girls crying for their feed). Glad you found a diet that works for them

 

[samssimonsays]

The two does look small for their age
Maybe it is genetic just slower growth
I have Nigerians born first of March that weigh 36 lbs
For reference they need to weigh 40 lbs to breed
We don't breed that young but we are breeding and feeding for faster growth

My Alpine will be smaller. It was just a genetic trait her lines have. The breeder has small bucks I can cross her to so it's not too big of an issue for that. They also are penned and get to come out when we are home to graze more.

 

[samssimonsays]

Your doelings need some grain to grow quickly but they will grow without it; I don't grain my kids but they do grow more slowly than they would with grain. The main reason I don't feed grain to kids is just that I have too many and no way to feed them and not the does, I need a creep feeder.

But that being said if you intend to milk them when you breed them they will need grain when in milk. There is a direct correlation between the amount of grain they eat and the amount of milk they produce. (within reason of course, there is a limit to milk production)

Why no grain?

Oh yes! I definitely will feed grain on the milk stand but mine got to a point where they we're destroying everything because they we're frantic for it. My wether is a bit of an a**..... I admit that. He's destroyed several metal food containers to get to it. Since he hasn't had any, he is now not being that way so much anymore . maybe its a coincidence

I don't plan to breed any of the girls till fall of next year so slower growth isn't a problem in my eyes? should it be? Like I said before though, they are the same size as their Grain fed full siblings and mine are filled out a lot more.

I should add that they will be getting it over the winter but I will also be stand training them as well.

 

[samssimonsays]

You have beautiful kids! Once my girls grow up a little and mature I will slowly wean them off grains. It's definitely helping them put on weight though and I don't see a problem with it at the moment (minus the girls crying for their feed). Glad you found a diet that works for them

Thanks! We we're suggested they don't need it so we started off with it since they were on it but weaned off of it. There never been too skinny but their attitudes sure did change after being off it for a while Lol. amazing how that changes them!

 

[Alibo]

Grain is not digested very well by ruminants from what I understand. They have an incredibly diverse system of good bacteria and yeasts that break down all of their food. The bacteria ferments the grain too fast and builds a very accidic environment for their body which inhibits their immune system and lowers the ability to fight parasites. Can also cause too much gas too quickly and bloat if not used to grain. Goats and other ruminants have a very alkaline ph normally that is why baking soda is great for balancing them out.

On a plus side, we has goat owners in turn get a much better gut flora of our own just from handling goats. Breathing in and touching their feces indirectly is very healthy for our gut bacteria diversity.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Grain is not digested very well by ruminants from what I understand.

Your understanding is not entirely correct

Ruminants are herbivores
Grains are seeds
Seeds are a natural part of a herbivores diet
They also have higher calories than forage plants
Offer a goat grain or hay and which will they eat first ?

 

[samssimonsays]

Your understanding is not entirely correct

Ruminants are herbivores
Grains are seeds
Seeds are a natural part of a herbivores diet
They also have higher calories than forage plants
Offer a goat grain or hay and which will they eat first ?

I am not a fan of the extremely high amount of corn that is in the grain I have available in my area, and until now, this is the only veiw "for grain" I have heard. Since being off of grain mine have had glossier and healthier coats, they have been better behaved, which may or may not be a coinsindence, and they have been healthy. No grain may not work for everyone or every goat but I have been pleased with my results of being off of it. Their vet seems pleased as well as the people I have gotten them from with how they look and feel. They have all certainly come a long way from when I brought them home though.

But to answer your question on the hay vs grain, I have two girls who would much rather eat hay My boy will pick out and eat rabbit pellets while the girls eat the rabbit hay if allowed in my barn LOL. And to get them back into their pen, grain never worked. BUT, a branch of dead pine needles works wonders My goats have been backwards from the get go quite honestly...

Maybe one day I will be blessed with a normal animal ... but until that day comes I will love every second of my weirdos LOL

 

[mikiz]

Just for another perspective - offer a child candy or an apple, which will they eat first?
Also plants wouldn't produce a boat load of straight grain in a natural diet, seeds may be a part of it but not all at once without anything else. I'd say a grass-hay with some seed heads would be a better equivalent?

@Samantha drawz what was their difference in behaviour on grain vs off it?

 

[samssimonsays]

Just for another perspective - offer a child candy or an apple, which will they eat first?
Also plants wouldn't produce a boat load of straight grain in a natural diet, seeds may be a part of it but not all at once without anything else. I'd say a grass-hay with some seed heads would be a better equivalent?

@Samantha drawz what was their difference in behaviour on grain vs off it?

Frantic and absolutely acting as if I starved them ( I know that is totally normal as they are goats but the level of frantic was mind boggling). They destroyed my fence and part of my building in an attempt to get to the grain in the barn (they are outside the barn with a pen attached to it). They no longer care about the metal feed bins my rabbits feed is in, they are no longer beside themselves hollering outside the barn door when they get to come out of the pen. If I had video taped the frenzy they were in when it came time for their grain it would blow you away. Now that it is a rare treat when people come over to hand feed them they have become accustomed to not destroying the feed metal containers to get to any kind of feed.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Just for another perspective - offer a child candy or an apple, which will they eat first?

I think comparing a goat's preference for feed vs hay to a human child's preference for candy vs an apple is a very interesting analogy.

A better analogy however, is a predator consuming the internal organs (liver, heart, and lungs) of their prey first because they are higher in protein.