Feeding 

Some golden rules on feeding! They do not eat everything!

The aim should be to keep every goat in the herd in good bodily condition, not too thin and not too fat, all the year round. Good feeding can only be effective as part of a total package of good management, including adequate housing, exercise and health care, particularly the prevention and treatment of parasitic worm infestations.

Food must be stored properly prior to feeding, to protect it from damp, contamination and vermin. Food must be hygienically presented to the herd, with an understanding of goat behaviour so that each animal gets its share. Good hay is the single most important item of the diet. At least half the diet (on a dry weight basis) should consist of forage. Green food, concentrates, minerals, vitamins and water are also important, and a balanced and adequate diet is crucial to success. Any change to the diet fed must be made gradually to enable the population of rumen bacteria to adjust.

Kids must receive colostrum immediately after their birth, followed by a sufficient milk diet leading up to weaning. Drinking water must be clean, fresh and always available. It is important to establish a regular feeding routine. Take notice if any of the goats do not eat their food. All goats take a day or two to get used to a new food item, but a goat refusing an accustomed concentrate mixture is probably a sign of it being unwell. Clean food and receptacles are essential. No goat will touch food or water contaminated with droppings.

During the run up to mating in the autumn, and from the time of housing, all our does are fed extra rations to ensure they have enough food to support their growing kids. This consists of home mixed ‘cereal’, containing oats, sugar beet, maize and some plant protein pellets. In addition, they are fed good quality hay from our own ground. All food is sourced locally from mills and contains no GM ingredients. This ensures that the food we give our animals is safe and of good quality.

      A daily diet for a milking goat fed partly indoors, partly out in good pasture, should be:

Foodstuff	60 kg. Goat	90 kg. Goat
Good hay	0.5 kg.	0.5 kg.
Grass	4.3 kg.	5.0 kg.
High energy goat-mix with 14% CP	1.0 kg.	1.3 kg.
Sugar beet pulp	0.2 kg.	0.2 kg.

As well as colostrum in the first day or two, kids require milk for at least the first three months of their lives, in addition to a gradually increasing amount of solid food.

As a guide, a typical programme for feeding kids is:

Age of kid	Amount & Frequency
0 to 1 week	300 ml. 4 times per day
1 to 2 weeks	400 ml. 4 times per day
2 to 8 weeks	Increase to 850 ml. 3 times per day
9 to 10 weeks	Decrease to 850 ml. twice per day
11 weeks	500 ml. twice per day
12 weeks	500 ml. once per day
13 weeks onwards	solid feeds only

 Too much grain can ferment in your goats belly and cause a painful death. We also give them fruits, vegetables, bread, leaves etc.

Do not give your animals, onions, house plants, rhododendrons, or any bulb plants, for these are poisonous to them. Depending on where you live, you will need to supplement with a vitamin salt mixture, i.e. feed supplement blocks and licks. .

It is a myth that you get a goat to be a good lawn mower - they are fussy in what they eat!  They must not be put on waste ground and left to clear it up for you.  This, I am afraid, is a job for you.