Feeding and Supplements
How We Feed Our Goats
Our goats are fed a mostly grass-fed diet. They spend the day browsing the grasses and various plants on our land, and at night they eat hay. We also feed them organic alfalfa in pellet or meal form. If given alfalfa meal, it must have water added to it, otherwise the powder is too fluffy and can get in their nose. For our bucks and dry does, grain is reserved more as a treat. During our does’ pregnancies, we do not give them grain for the first 4 months, or very little, as it can cause the babies to become too large and have kidding issues. They do usually get alfalfa. In the final weeks of pregnancy, the baby demands more calories from the doe, so we slowly restart the grain. Changing a goat’s diet too quickly can cause stool issues. When in late pregnancy or lactating, the does get grain mixed in with their alfalfa while on the milk stand.
Bloat
It is important to not give too much grain to goats as it can cause bloat; a painful condition where the gases in their rumen builds up and causes their belly to swell. This can be fatal if not treated quickly enough. However, a lot of new goat owners mistake hay bellies for bloat. It is normal for a goat to have a large belly, and if they are still acting playful as they normally are, they are most likely not bloated. If you see them ruminating, then they are most likely not bloated, because a goat suffering from bloat does not ruminate. A bloated goat will seem uncomfortable. This page is a good source of information on detecting and treating bloat.
Urinary Calculi
Too much grain can also increase the risks of urinary calculus (urinary stones) in bucks and especially wethers. Urinary calculi is caused by an imbalance in the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio that a goat needs in their diet (this includes the water source). Does can also have urinary calculi, but it is uncommon, as their urethra is larger and shorter than a buck's. Wethers are the most prone as the urethra in bucks grows with testosterone, so when wethered, the urethra stays smaller than an adult buck's would get. This is why it is important to wether later, especially in smaller breeds like NDs. Grain is typically high in phosphorus, and too much phosphorus is the main cause of urinary calculi. Therefore, you want to make sure that the feed you buy is balanced and that the mineral levels work with the type of hay that you feed, as well as the minerals you have in your water (especially if you have well water). Feeding alfalfa, a legume hay that is high in calcium, can help balance the extra phosphorus. You can read more on urinary calculi at these three websites: (1, 2, 3).
Body Condition Scoring
It is also important to note that a large belly (rumen) does not mean that they are overweight. Unfortunately, many goats end up underweight because people assume that their belly size is correlated with excess fat, which is not the case. A large rumen is a good thing. It helps the goat digest efficiently and can help milk production. Younger kids typically do not have a large rumen, especially if they are still nursing. The rumen develops more when the goat is weaned and with age. Also keep in mind that dairy goats look leaner than meat goats, and this is normal. To determine a goat’s body condition, you must feel the goat. This chart explains how to determine your goat's body condition:
Our goats are fed a mostly grass-fed diet. They spend the day browsing the grasses and various plants on our land, and at night they eat hay. We also feed them organic alfalfa in pellet or meal form. If given alfalfa meal, it must have water added to it, otherwise the powder is too fluffy and can get in their nose. For our bucks and dry does, grain is reserved more as a treat. During our does’ pregnancies, we do not give them grain for the first 4 months, or very little, as it can cause the babies to become too large and have kidding issues. They do usually get alfalfa. In the final weeks of pregnancy, the baby demands more calories from the doe, so we slowly restart the grain. Changing a goat’s diet too quickly can cause stool issues. When in late pregnancy or lactating, the does get grain mixed in with their alfalfa while on the milk stand.
Bloat
It is important to not give too much grain to goats as it can cause bloat; a painful condition where the gases in their rumen builds up and causes their belly to swell. This can be fatal if not treated quickly enough. However, a lot of new goat owners mistake hay bellies for bloat. It is normal for a goat to have a large belly, and if they are still acting playful as they normally are, they are most likely not bloated. If you see them ruminating, then they are most likely not bloated, because a goat suffering from bloat does not ruminate. A bloated goat will seem uncomfortable. This page is a good source of information on detecting and treating bloat.
Urinary Calculi
Too much grain can also increase the risks of urinary calculus (urinary stones) in bucks and especially wethers. Urinary calculi is caused by an imbalance in the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio that a goat needs in their diet (this includes the water source). Does can also have urinary calculi, but it is uncommon, as their urethra is larger and shorter than a buck's. Wethers are the most prone as the urethra in bucks grows with testosterone, so when wethered, the urethra stays smaller than an adult buck's would get. This is why it is important to wether later, especially in smaller breeds like NDs. Grain is typically high in phosphorus, and too much phosphorus is the main cause of urinary calculi. Therefore, you want to make sure that the feed you buy is balanced and that the mineral levels work with the type of hay that you feed, as well as the minerals you have in your water (especially if you have well water). Feeding alfalfa, a legume hay that is high in calcium, can help balance the extra phosphorus. You can read more on urinary calculi at these three websites: (1, 2, 3).
Body Condition Scoring
It is also important to note that a large belly (rumen) does not mean that they are overweight. Unfortunately, many goats end up underweight because people assume that their belly size is correlated with excess fat, which is not the case. A large rumen is a good thing. It helps the goat digest efficiently and can help milk production. Younger kids typically do not have a large rumen, especially if they are still nursing. The rumen develops more when the goat is weaned and with age. Also keep in mind that dairy goats look leaner than meat goats, and this is normal. To determine a goat’s body condition, you must feel the goat. This chart explains how to determine your goat's body condition:
Supplements
*** Keep in mind that depending on your area, you may need more or less of certain minerals and vitamins. ***
Replamin Plus
We were previously giving our goats free choice loose minerals, but it was not ideal for our herd. We started giving our goats Replamin Plus gel and it has greatly improved their coats, even those that already had soft fur. We can control the dosage for each goat and make sure that they are all getting what they need, without wasting any. We are now giving 5cc every 10 days to all our adult goats. The babies start off with a small drop and we progressively increase as they grow.
Copper Bolus
Our goats get copper boluses as needed based on fur quality. It is often mentioned to look for a "fish tail" to judge copper need, but this is not a good method. Goats can have spread out tails for various reasons, many of which have nothing to do with mineral levels. You want to look at the overall fur. Rough fur, black or brown fur turning reddish, or if the goat is a lighter colour, then they may sometime lighten when copper deficient. For our herd, the main factor is fur texture, as some goats can change colours with seasons. I have one gold goat who is a lighter golden shade in the winter when she has her cashmere coat, while in the summer she is a darker reddish gold shade once she sheds out her winter fur. However, a black goat that turns reddish is normally copper related. You want your goats to have a soft silky coat. Keep in mind that excessive copper can be dangerous, you do not want to give to much or unnecessarily.
Seaweed Meal
We also give the goats seaweed meal from Bio-Ag. It is a blend of different seaweeds to reproduce the nutrient profile of kelp. Unfortunately, kelp is difficult to find (at least in Canada) due to the warmer ocean that caused a reduction in the kelp population. We used to give it free choice, but now we blend it into their alfalfa meal and feed this way.
Zinc
Zinc is a very important mineral for goats. It affects fertility, fur quality, skin issues, etc. High calcium and iron (for example in well water) can prevent the proper absorption of zinc. The hay can also be lacking in zinc, which accentuates the issue. People often confuse zinc deficiency with mites, as the symptoms look similar. If you suspect mites, do a skin scraping microscope test, and if it is negative, try zinc supplementation. Ideally, prevent any issues from happening! In most cases, zinc issues tend to show up in the winter and go away or reduce on their own in the summer, which further confuses the mite vs zinc diagnostic. However, when the issue is zinc, proper supplementation will resolve the issue. For our herd, our well water is incredibly high in calcium, and each winter, our goats were losing some fur on their noses and ears. Since testing has shown that mites were not the issue, we started giving zinc citrate tablets (sold for humans), which helped, but didn’t completely remove the issue. We then started giving zinc in the fall, before their noses lost fur, and this made a huge improvement. This year, only a couple goats lost a little fur on their noses. The others have perfect furry noses. Just recently, we learned about a zinc supplement made for horses that many other goat breeders have started using for their herds with great results. It is easier to give more zinc that way, so we hope that this will allow us to reach the perfect level of supplementation. We just purchased some from MadBarn.ca.
We were previously giving our goats free choice loose minerals, but it was not ideal for our herd. We started giving our goats Replamin Plus gel and it has greatly improved their coats, even those that already had soft fur. We can control the dosage for each goat and make sure that they are all getting what they need, without wasting any. We are now giving 5cc every 10 days to all our adult goats. The babies start off with a small drop and we progressively increase as they grow.
Copper Bolus
Our goats get copper boluses as needed based on fur quality. It is often mentioned to look for a "fish tail" to judge copper need, but this is not a good method. Goats can have spread out tails for various reasons, many of which have nothing to do with mineral levels. You want to look at the overall fur. Rough fur, black or brown fur turning reddish, or if the goat is a lighter colour, then they may sometime lighten when copper deficient. For our herd, the main factor is fur texture, as some goats can change colours with seasons. I have one gold goat who is a lighter golden shade in the winter when she has her cashmere coat, while in the summer she is a darker reddish gold shade once she sheds out her winter fur. However, a black goat that turns reddish is normally copper related. You want your goats to have a soft silky coat. Keep in mind that excessive copper can be dangerous, you do not want to give to much or unnecessarily.
Seaweed Meal
We also give the goats seaweed meal from Bio-Ag. It is a blend of different seaweeds to reproduce the nutrient profile of kelp. Unfortunately, kelp is difficult to find (at least in Canada) due to the warmer ocean that caused a reduction in the kelp population. We used to give it free choice, but now we blend it into their alfalfa meal and feed this way.
Zinc
Zinc is a very important mineral for goats. It affects fertility, fur quality, skin issues, etc. High calcium and iron (for example in well water) can prevent the proper absorption of zinc. The hay can also be lacking in zinc, which accentuates the issue. People often confuse zinc deficiency with mites, as the symptoms look similar. If you suspect mites, do a skin scraping microscope test, and if it is negative, try zinc supplementation. Ideally, prevent any issues from happening! In most cases, zinc issues tend to show up in the winter and go away or reduce on their own in the summer, which further confuses the mite vs zinc diagnostic. However, when the issue is zinc, proper supplementation will resolve the issue. For our herd, our well water is incredibly high in calcium, and each winter, our goats were losing some fur on their noses and ears. Since testing has shown that mites were not the issue, we started giving zinc citrate tablets (sold for humans), which helped, but didn’t completely remove the issue. We then started giving zinc in the fall, before their noses lost fur, and this made a huge improvement. This year, only a couple goats lost a little fur on their noses. The others have perfect furry noses. Just recently, we learned about a zinc supplement made for horses that many other goat breeders have started using for their herds with great results. It is easier to give more zinc that way, so we hope that this will allow us to reach the perfect level of supplementation. We just purchased some from MadBarn.ca.