| Many people
have asked, 'What do you feed?'
Well to answer
this, we included the following article:
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FEEDING |
Goat owners are always looking
for the best thing to feed their animals. We feed Tennessee
Co-Op Goat
Starter (#93448). We also feed Tennessee Co-Op Goat
Grower (#93461). We only feed rumensin-medicated feed.
In attempt to bring down our cost we looked around for
a less expensive rumensin-medicated feed. We have tried
several but the cost keeps creeping up. We have found
a rumensin-medicated cattle feed from Performance Feeds
with 14% protein. We are using it as a maintenance feed
mixed with Goat Starter, and it seems to be working well.
The rest of this articles is how we got to this point... |
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A couple of years ago, we attend the monthly meeting of
the Middle Tennessee Goat Producers Association and heard
the nutritionist from the Tennessee CO-OP speak. He spoke
for 30 minutes before he started talking about anything
we were interested in. As a result of his talk and an
after-the-meeting conversation, we have changed what we
feed.
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Prior to that meeting we had fed TN
CO-OP 16% Goat Grower medicated with monensin
for about a year. To each 50 lb. bag of the Goat Grower,
we added 2 scoops whole corn and 2 scoops black oil sunflower
seeds. The sunflower seed shells are an excellent source
of fiber while the meat of the sunflower seeds contain
protein and act as a lubricant. The corn contains vitamin
C and is an excellent source of glucose. The nutritionist
suggested we take them off all medicated food for a while
each year. When we reintroduce the medicated feed, it
will be more effective against coccidiosis. |
The Tennessee CO-OP has a goat formula that is not medicated,
16% Pelleted
Goat Ration # 93842. It is the goat decoquinate medicated
feed with the medication removed. We started feeding the
non-medicated formula in November 2004 to return to the
Goat Grower with monensin as the kidding season begins.
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During the Q and A part of the presentation, a question
about N-Timidator
was asked. The nutritionist was very familiar with the
Land-O-Lakes goat feed. After laughingly denying the N-Timidator
contained steroids, he stated the CO-OP Goat Grower with
monensin (CO-OP 93461) is almost identical to the N-Timidator.
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He then told about full ration and part ration
food, saying that the Goat Grower was a full ration, and
their other feed is part ration, meaning the feed needs
to be supplemented with hay or browse. Goat Grower was
developed for a goat producer who wanted something for
his Boer show goats. As a complete ration, no additional
ingredients are needed. No hay, no browse, no whole corn,
and no sunflower seed.
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Regarding sunflower seed, the oil of the sunflower
seed does help the coats of goats, but he suggested we
might consider pouring corn oil over the ration for our
show goats to improve their coats. Corn does provide quick
heat and is often recommended to feed during extremely
cold spells; but it brings down the percent of crude protein
in the diet because whole corn is only about 8 % crude
protein. Part corn and part Goat Grower will reduce the
intake of crude protein by the amount of whole corn consumed.
So if you are feeding Goat Grower at 5 parts to 1 part
of whole corn, then you have reduced the 16% crude protein
by 10 percent. Since it is a full ration food, the crude
protein in Goat Grower with monesin is reduced by anything
else a goat eats - hay, forage, or browse, whereas a 16%
crude protein feed that is not a full ration needs the
supplementation of hay, forage, and/or browse to complete
the nourishment of the diet. |
For the last thirty days of pregnancy we added two scoops
of alfalfa pellets and 1 scoop of 48% soybean meal, raising
the overall protein level of the above mix. We fed one
scoop per goat per day the month before the goats are
bred and during periods of lactation. Our yearling does
and breeding buck are fed one scoop per goat twice a day.
We fed alfalfa hay the month prior to kidding and through
the lactation period. We feed grass hay year 'round. The
goats also have available to them browse and a hay pasture.
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Then we learned the Tennessee Farmer's CO-OP has yet another
goat feed. This one is Goat
Starter (#93448) with Rumensin. It is 18%
protein and designed to give new kids a jump-start in
growth. The label recommendation is to feed it the first
six weeks; but, according to Mr. Niver, Nutritionist for
the Tennessee Farmer's CO-OP, it can also be fed as a
sole ration. We are currently feeding the Goat Starter
to the entire herd, except the bucklings; Goat Starter's
formula changed somewhere along the line, and it no longer
has the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio for post-weaned
bucklings. Part of the herd is on full feed and part are
getting feed as a supplement. |
When we obtained our buck, Rimfire, we started a dry lot
operation at the top of the hill. Rimfire and his harem
are on free-feed CO-OP Goat Starter. They have fresh water
and Goat Starter in their creeper. We kept the does with
Rimfire until we get a positive untrasound indicating
they are bred. We found that the free feed did not put
excess fat on the animals. The first couple of days in
the dry lot, they pig out; but with feed available all
the time, they tend not to eat as much and do not become
over conditioned. We now have multiple breeding pens for
our bucks; when not breeding the boys average eating 5
lbs. of feed a day. (They sometimes forget to eat when
they are preoccupied with does.)
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After does have weaned their kids, they go into a different
lot. There they only get hay and water for a month. This
allows them to dry off and to recovery from the pregnancy.
Following their drying off, they are either put with a
buck or returned to the paddock which had access to graze
and browse. Depending on the show schedule, we select
them for breeding and either AI them or expose them to
one of our bucks. Our does who produce "meat"
kids are put with the buck (or AIed) to coincide with
the demand for goat meat.
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Our nursing does and kids are free-feed Goat Starter from
creep feeders. We make sure we have the Goat Starter available
to the kids from the time they are a couple days old.
They don't start actually eating the feed until they are
about 10 days old, but they do nibble at it and get accustomed
to the taste. Our weaned bucklings are fed Goat Grower.
Mr Niver advised that the phosphorus and calcium ratio
was changed in Goat Starter to make it more palatable,
at weaning we put them Goat Grower.
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Our non working bucks get CO-OP Goat Starter to supplement
to their browse.
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WARNING: If you have horses,
DO NOT FEED any feed with monensin. Over a period of time
the monensin will kill a horse!
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MONENSIN VS. DECOQUINATE: We were feeding CO-OP
16% protein goat feed medicated with decoquinate. We switched
when we learned decoquinate mimics thiamin, thus potentially
causing goat polio (polioencephalitis) and realized the
decoquinate was no longer offering protection against
coccidiosis for our goats. Decoquinate kills coccidia
in some stages; monensin kills coccidia in all stages.
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HINT: Do not feed too much whole
corn. The goats are attracted to the corn like children
to candy; there is little nutritional value, but it does
encourage eating. Whole corn has an estimated crude protein
level of around 8 percent. Crushed corn vs Whole corn:
part of the nutrition is lost when the corn is crushed,
bringing the crude protein down below 8 percent.
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NOTE: The label states not
to feed Goat Starter (or Goat Grower) to lactating does.
This warning is on the label because rumensin has not
yet been approved for human consumption. If you are milking
your goats for human consumption, then don't use the rumensin-medicated
Goat Grower or Goat Starter. But if you have kids nursing,
then feeding the rumensin-medicated feed provides protection
against coccidiosis since the medication is passed on
to the kids through the milk.
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