# goat feed mix



## travis91 (Jul 26, 2005)

I have two young boer cross does... Mainly pets.. they get fed hay but we normally feed them grain twice a day because we don't have a lot of fencing up yet. I bought a bag of purina noble goat and we have ran out of that. We have a milling company and a coop in town.. does anyone have a good mix ratio? There is no minimum at the coop.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

With just two, and they are Boer, and they are pets...... They only need a couple of cups of feed per day. Doesn't matter what it is. (Don't give them medicated chicken feed.)


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## parrotman (Jan 27, 2008)

When I get done typing, you'll be no further along with an answer from me.
I learned early on that feeding goats or any animal for that matter is a very personal thing. I don't think people anguish about what they feed themselves or their children but loose sleep over feeding goats! 
You'll hear words like "always" and "never" when it comes to ingredients in a mix. 
Depending upon where you live, your personal circumstances, time of year (season), finances, etc. will help you make your decision.
I'll be anxiously watching this post and the advice you get.
See? I told you none of this would help!


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## BigHenTinyBrain (Apr 4, 2013)

Im watching too...! So far my goat feed list includes black oil sunflower seeds... and that's it. Seriously, I may have the only animals who refuse to eat anything I offer for treats. I've tried almost everything anyone here has suggested or even just mentioned and they turn up their perfect noses at it.


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## trnubian (Mar 19, 2005)

Like Alice said they really don't need much at all so your pelleted feed is fine. Especially if you are happy with the way they look. 

If you are wanting to make your own here are some ingredients commonly used:
Oats, corn, BOSS, beet pulp, dairy pellets, alfalfa pellets, soy bean meal, a variety of oils and the list goes on... 

For you pet does I would recommend a 10 - 12% protein mix. Now for gestating and lactating goats depending on the quality and type for hay and or browse, I would recommend a 15-18% protein mix.


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## travis91 (Jul 26, 2005)

I posted this off my cell last night and i should have been more clear. I'm in the process of expanding my goats pens and adding more goats, It is alot cheaper to have my own feed mixed than to buy 50 pound bags for 12-14 dollars. So does anyone have a feed recipe?


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## sriston (Mar 30, 2013)

We, too, have our food mixed at a grain mill. We take our own grains, which could be a variety of things depending upon what we have harvested. Corn, wheat, oats, and sunflower seeds always go in, along with some molasses to keep the dust down. We have the grain mill add the goat pellets (and we also have our poultry food made, too, and have them add layer pellets). Our grain mill is experienced at the ratios, much more so than we are. The grain mill does a great job, and it saves us a fortune on food. Our bags of food wind up costing us about $5.00 for 50 lbs.

By the way, our goats won't eat anything that goats are supposed to love as treats. They have no interest at all in anything but their food. Sure makes it hard to work with them, as they can't be "tempted" to do anything by offering them goodies.


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## travis91 (Jul 26, 2005)

I bought about 50 pounds of soyhull pellet/corn gluten pellet mix(50/50 of each).. It was 300 a ton so .15 cents a pound. Is it okay to feed this if i mix it with something else like a basic goat pellet feed.


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## travis91 (Jul 26, 2005)

Im thinking of using the soyhull/corn glutten pellets, oats, cracked corn, beet pulp, and some goat mineral mix, but i am not sure of the mix ratios


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I *never ever* feed soy to goats. 

I only feed corn in the depth of winter as it is a 'heating' grain. 

Corn gluten will be from GMO corn, as is the soybeans. yuk.

Feed the basic goat pellet and oats.


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## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

I agree with Alice I personally wouldn't feed soy to anything if I can help it lol. 

I mix mine own but right now but I have dairy milkers. I mix in 1 whole bag of mare and pony horse feed which is a mix of corn (which I do not like but cant get around it) oats, and a 14 % protein pellet. It does have molasses in it which I am not crazy about but I cannot get it without it (this is cheaper per bag then mixing them 8.99 for 50 lb bag. ) I then mix in half a bag of beet pulp, and half of a bag of alfalfa pellets. Since some of my girls will not eat the alfalfa pellets I mix a little oil on top and sprinkle in calcium carbonate. 

Every feed mix is going to be different for each farm. It took me awhile to figure out the mix that fit my wallet and what our girls need. Since feeding this mix their milk went up by anywhere from 2 to 4 lbs a milking. So it works for us.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

Having come from a 7 generation family of millers, I am familiar with the makeup of most feeds. Still, since I wasn't positive, I looked up the composition of all the popular goat feeds I could think of.

Now, I am not any more inclined toward most GMO products than the rest of you, but there is something you should all know. The protein component of almost all feeds is primarily soybean meal. In alfalfa based feeds there is less used because of the high amount of protein in alfalfa, but it is still supplemented. Don't be thrown off if the feed lists "plant protein supplements" That is so they can use cottonseed meal instead of soybean meal if it happens to be less expensive at the time of manufacture. There are other high-protein meals, like canola meal and sunflower meal, but they are more expensive and seldom used except in Canada, where they are more common.

I guess what I am trying to say here, is that just because a pellet doesn't have corn in it, and just because it doesn't list soybean meal per say, doesn't mean one has escaped GMO.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Well, that's a fine howdy-do. 

The one I get from Kent is alfalfa based.  Unfortunately, alfalfa is now going to be GMO.


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## bigredfeather (Apr 22, 2011)

I give my dairy goats a ration that is 37% rolled barley, 37% oats, 9% BOSS, 9% Corn, and 7% beet pulp. If they need a little something more, I top dress with Calf Manna or full fat, roasted, organic soybeans. I am not a big fan of soy beans, but make an exception if they are organic. They carry great protein and some extra fat. My goats love this blend, and did the first time I gave it to them.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

Sorry Alice,
Kent provides a "guaranteed analysis" of their goat feeds on their website, but not a list of ingredients. So I wasn't able to get any specific information. 

Most large feed mills have a computer program which tell them the best combination of feedstuffs to use for the least expensive price. They have to meet their "guaranteed analysis" so if they use cotton seed meal instead of soybean meal, they may have to adjust percentages of other things to keep the fiber, TDN, ect. within limits.

Here is an example from Purina Goat Chow:

*Ingredients
*Grain products, Processed grain by-products, Plant protein products, Molasses products, Calcium carbonate, Roughage products, Salt, Forage products, Dicalcium phosphate, Soybean oil, Phosphoric acid (a preservative), Vitamin E supplement, Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, Calcium iodate, Sodium molybdate, Cobalt carbonate, Manganese sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Ferrous carbonate, Copper sulfate, Zinc oxide, Zinc sulfate, Magnesium oxide, Manganous oxide

"Grain products" this can be any grain or combination of grain.

"Plant protein products" this can be any plant protein from soybeans to palm kernel meal. (what it does tell you, though, is that there is no animal protein like meat and bone meal)

"Processed grain by-products" usually dried brewers grains and wheat shorts (middlings) Might also be dried corn brewers grains from ethanol plants.

"Forage products" usually alfalfa meal, but allows for other dried forage alternatives.

In the US (unlike Canada) the tag must give an accurate listing of the products. If the mill was to always use certain feedstuffs, the price of feed would be considerably higher. If they had to change feed tags with every batch, that would increase the price also.

A list like this may be prefixed by saying "corn free", etc which lets you know that the "grain products" listing contains no corn. Don't know about Goats, but you never want to feed rabbits any feed with "animal protein", "animal fat", "meat and bone meal" or "fish meal". You might get by with it for years, but if you ever get a rancid batch it will kill rabbits right and left. Hogs, on the other hand, would be fine with it.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

In other words, we've been scr**ed, but not kissed.


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## Clovers_Clan (Jul 17, 2012)

Don't overthink too much. Two, open, non-lactating pets. They would be fine on hay alone. Supplemental feeds will not make up for poor hay/forage, lack of minerals or parasite problems. Period. Good hay/forage and management is all you need.

But if you like how they are doing on the Noble Goat, it is just a variation of all-stock dry. Yes, it has soy and corn. Just be sure to request NO animal fat. Your mill will have standard recipes for this type feed. In fact, they may even give you a break on over-runs from another customer ordering a similar feed. Especially if you are just buying one bag at a time. Don't overbuy, feed looses its nutritional value fast and does go bad. 

Keep it simple and leave the agonizing to your choice of hay!

I feed "just enough" alfalfa pellets, oats, BOSS and beet pulp to my pregnant and lactating does to keep them healthy and productive. I don't like GMOs any more than the next person, its a little more expensive but works great. My bucks get hay, that's all.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> In other words, we've been scr**ed, but not kissed.


Like anything else feed producers have to make a living. They are just like farmers. Farmers will grow non-GMO crops if there is an equal or better financial return than GMO. Millers will produce a non GMO feed if the components are available and they can charge the customer more to cover the added costs. It ends up with enough consumers being willing to pay extra for such things. 

For instance, many rabbit raisers (for reasons that may not have been valid) decided they didn't want corn in their rabbit feed. That is not a difficult adjustment to make in the recipe, where using wheat (or barley) and slightly adjusting the other feedstuffs can be easily done. It may add a couple percent to the cost of the feed so the price won't be considerably more. Soon most of the major mills where making a "no corn" rabbit feed. Now, most of them not wanting to handle carrying two feeds are making only "no corn" rabbit feed.


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