A quality grain feed is comprised of significant percentages of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Pasture. If goats or sheep are feed grain in groups, one may push the others out and get more grain than planned or even realized. The sweet feed debate is a big one. Goats in general are very social, curious, gentle, independent and intelligent creatures. If feeding grain to goats it should account for no more than 10% of their overall daily food intake. It is never a good idea to just have one goat, you need at a … Grain or concentrate feed can be useful for getting them to go where you need them to go. They do not need it. Finding your goat’s head in the bag of grain after you know you locked the gate and checked twice. From the combination of these grains you can expect for them to get a … Overgrazing is the primary cause of parasitism in small ruminants, such as goats. You'd be amazed at what selling animals or putting them in dry lot will do for your parasite control program. And if I do need to give goats more due to extreme temperatures, I supplement in minerals and hay. Many show-goat people are being taught to feed only grain to try to add weight quickly and to reduce the size of the stomach. They get bored and lonely when alone. Pregnant does often need a little more. Not grain because too much grain will cause some goats to founder. I have one doe that is almost 2 yrs old that i have about cut out grains from and just have on strictly hay because she was getting overweight. Prevention is the best form of treatment: lots of fresh water, and good quality hay. They also get hay, of course. Alfalfa should not be fed on a free-choice basis, but portioned into flakes depending on the goat’s size and nutritional needs. Grain Feed – usually a combination of oat, barley, & wheat, though some goat feeds have soy & corn in it as well. In this way, some goat owners can eliminate the need for grain with alfalfa and good pasture. Grain may also be useful, but only as needed, for example: kidding mothers, recovering animals, etc… Wethers do not need typically alfalfa or grain. Goats are a species of animal who are uniquely adapted to thrive on sparse land in dry climates, and they can digest only a limited amount of protein. It is important to only feed male goats grass hay, roughage, minerals, and necessary supplements. 4.  Grain should not be overfed: it can make goats fat, cause illness and even death. We have been keeping goats for 20 years and I always have something at hand, e.g. In the short term, you need to deworm parasitized animals, but in the long run, you need to find other ways to keep the system from getting out of balance. organic oats or organic feed pellets "to keep them sweet", say a cupful per head and to lead them to temporary pasture areas and back. I feed all my goats a little grain daily and always have hay available to them. 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