# Corn - Good or Bad?



## BobDFL (Jul 7, 2006)

I just got from a local breeder around here that I shouldn't be giving my bucks and wethers corn because it'll cause urinary tract problems.

I don't give any of my goats much grain (right now they're lucky to get grain twice a week) and have them on pasture, browse and hay mostly. I mix the goat grain with corn as a filler (Goat and Sheep grain is going for $13-$15 per 50# around here, Corn is only $9-$10 per 50#) in a 2 parts grain to 1 part corn (sometimes whole, sometimes cracked, depends on which is cheaper at the time I buy it, the goats and sheep don't seem to care).

I only have one little wether left out of 4 boys (3 of which I have already sold) and was feeding them this all along and had no problems.

So what are all your thoughts on this? :shrug:

Thanks,


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If they are healthy on browse and hay, there is no reason to feed them any grain at all.
I only feed my sheep grain when they NEED it, and the males dont get any at all


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## CookingPam777 (Oct 16, 2007)

I heard whole corn is not good for their teeth but other than that corn is decent for them to eat. Cracked would be okay.


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## DQ (Aug 4, 2006)

corn is the lowest in phosporous of all the commonly fed grains (if I remembr correctly) and excess phosphorous in relation to calcium is where the urinary calculi problems are supposed to come from. so I would say if you are feeding grain to wethers I suppose corn would be the way to go. in case you don't know and for your own and your goats benefit you should know that they need to eat the same thing every day so feeding them grain every few days is not a good idea. the bacteria in their rumen is what helps them digest the grain and they need to be able to maintain the correct bacteria for digesting what they eat. starve the "grain eating bacteria" for two days and they die off then when you give them grain there is the risk that the goat will not have the ability to properly digest it and end up with bloat/acidosis/grain overload. I hear lots of talk of "fillers" being used. this is really a non term. everything falls somewhere on the scale of nutrition and if anything can be labeled a "filler" it would be things that fall very very low on the scale, like straw. corn is high in energy. It is not just something to put in thier tummys as a "filler". why would you want to feed them a "filler" with no nutritional value anyway? it would be a complete waste of time and money. the price of grain is killing alot of us but fortunalty for most goats there are better options anyway. your goats digestive system is made to make optimum use of high fiber feeds. if a sacked feed is the way you want to go and your goats are not high producing dairy or show goats then they would be far better off on a forage only diet and this has the added benefit of creating a diet with the proper cah of 1:2. Alfalfa or beet pulp are excellent choices. beet pulp is unique in that it has close to the energy value of corn but the energy comes from digestable fiber. also FYI if the grain is labeled for sheep and goats than it will not have adequate copper levels for goats. it is a long held myth that goats can't have copper like sheep. when in fact many goats are copper deficient. the general consensus seems to be you should have a good loose mineral available and feed plain whole grains (not spiked with salt and minerals) and forage and forage products to insure your goats get the minerals they need. those are my thoughts on it


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## BobDFL (Jul 7, 2006)

Bearfootfarm said:


> If they are healthy on browse and hay, there is no reason to feed them any grain at all.
> I only feed my sheep grain when they NEED it, and the males dont get any at all


Right now they only get it when we have an all day rain and they (the goats) stay in the shetler all day and don't browse, and as a treat. The sheep get it because they all share the same pasture (they'll eat rain or shine).

But come winter they do get feed more grain because even though we have grass, we get very little rain so it gets really depleted with intensive grazing / browsing.


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## oceanmist (Mar 21, 2006)

corn is carbs... no nutritional value whatsoever... used for packing on FAT for a higher reading on the scales at sales... a waste of time and money if you ask me...

urinary problems in bucks/ wethers usually caused by alfalfa...

Misty


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

oceanmist said:


> corn is carbs... no nutritional value whatsoever... used for packing on FAT for a higher reading on the scales at sales... a waste of time and money if you ask me...
> 
> urinary problems in bucks/ wethers usually caused by alfalfa...
> 
> Misty


Really?

I thought corn was good feed being that 99% of feeds have it in it. But of course what do feed nutritionists know.


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## BobDFL (Jul 7, 2006)

DQ said:


> I hear lots of talk of "fillers" being used. this is really a non term. everything falls somewhere on the scale of nutrition and if anything can be labeled a "filler" it would be things that fall very very low on the scale, like straw. corn is high in energy. It is not just something to put in thier tummys as a "filler". why would you want to feed them a "filler" with no nutritional value anyway?


By *Filler* I meant that it is cheaper than the regular grain. I could just use Sweet Feed, which most people around here use, but I try real hard to stay away from molasses laced feeds and use the corn instead.



DQ said:


> Alfalfa or beet pulp are excellent choices. beet pulp is unique in that it has close to the energy value of corn but the energy comes from digestable fiber.


As treats they get Alfalfa cudes and a mix of grass and alfalfa hay is also available.



DQ said:


> also FYI if the grain is labeled for sheep and goats than it will not have adequate copper levels for goats. it is a long held myth that goats can't have copper like sheep. when in fact many goats are copper deficient. the general consensus seems to be you should have a good loose mineral available and feed plain whole grains (not spiked with salt and minerals) and forage and forage products to insure your goats get the minerals they need. those are my thoughts on it


That's the hardest part of keeping them together is making sure that sheep get their minerals and the goats get theirs, but I've managed it.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

stanb999 said:


> Really?
> 
> I thought corn was good feed being that 99% of feeds have it in it. But of course what do feed nutritionists know.


Feed nutritionists know how to sell feed, the same as most fishing lures are made to catch fishermen, not fish.

Corn is high in carbs and builds fat. It's also cheap as sign since it's government subsidized. THAT'S why you find it in 99% of feeds.


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

Misty alfalfa is calcium, it would not lead to urinary calculi unless fed with heavy soy proteins. Calculi can be caused from excess protein.

Forage, grass hay and grain is all about phosphrous why feeding grain to bucks is dangerous if you don't feed calcium.

I only feed grain to growing boys, my boys who are used heavily in rut, and to get them back into shape after rut, when I feed any grain they get ammonium chloride over the grain. If I lived with the extreme weather some of you have in the winter I would also grain in the winter so they have energy and carbs from the grain.

Bob, just to show you how differently we feed, I put out grass hay when the girls are stuck in the barn during rainy periods or hurricanes. Also I never change my goats feed, no snacks, no this or that, remembering the change in the bacteria of the rumen needed to eat grain (acidity) than to eat browse, forage and hay (alot more PH neutral).

But to say that corn is used to pack on fat, that certainly is simplistic and grain can have a place on the farm if it is understood. I couldn't do what I do without grain in some form, if and when this economy crashes it will be very interesting to see how the girls milk without grain  And I certainly feed alot less grain than most. Vicki


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## EasyDay (Aug 28, 2004)

oceanmist said:


> corn is carbs... no nutritional value whatsoever... used for packing on FAT for a higher reading on the scales at sales... a waste of time and money if you ask me...
> 
> urinary problems in bucks/ wethers usually caused by alfalfa...
> 
> Misty


I disagree with your last statement. Grains are usually the culprit in urinary calculi. Been there, done that.

Wethers don't need grain at all... and bucks can benefit when in/after rut.


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## jBlaze (Dec 26, 2007)

Read Carolyn Eddy's book "A Diet for Wethers" She is a Pack Goat guru. I got the book and learned a lot. small book, good read, cheap.

http://www.goattracksmagazine.com/bookstore.html

hth.


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