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Posted by Karen on April 18, 2002 at 17:04:42:
In Reply to: What right for a goat? posted by Lila on April 18, 2002 at 15:52:23:
I think a lot of it depends on the person and the type of goat. I have found that "scrub" goats are much more hardy than the purbred and show type animal. If one of our goats dies becomes unhealty it is almost always the pedigreed animal. As far as grain goes we found our animals did ok without it but the hay has got to good or the pasture has got to be good. Just keeping a sub-par hay in front of them 24 - 7 will not do them any good if it doesn't have the nutrients in it. If you are raising babies for meat then they will need the extra to grow and put the weight on for slaughter. If you are raising milk animals the same applies. A good milker will put everything she has into milk and goes down hill fast if she is not getting more and better food. However these high protien and fat diets do tend to push the bodies and ultimatley shorten the life span. I do not have specific referances to that involving goats but do with horses, dogs,cat and cattle. I have been told the same applies to goats from very reputable breeders. Personally we feed cracked corn and soybeans and have a freeflo mineral out for the goats, if one of the girls looks off I will purchase some high protien goat grain, but most do fine on the corn and soy. As far as meds. go we worm and not much else. I try to avoid giving medications and chemicals unless needed to save a life, even then I will try to avoid the big guns. It has at times been unavoidable but in the end the result was the same as if the drug had not been used. We try to raise as natural as possible, our animals are for meat and the one thing we are striving to maintan is that we do not push like the "big boys" do. We will not use growth implants or milk inhancers of anykind ever. Now remember this is just how we raise our animals it doesn't make somebody elses way wronge or ours just right. I am not a vet and try not to pretend to be one, rather I am a lowly tech. (no longer on the job)I don't mind trying to help but remeber horses are my area of the most knowledge. As far as goats go I am good at birthing problems and processing questions, the rest I have learned from the school of hard knocks and some very good goat herders. Dalice would be another good one to ask about the feed as she raised for milk and show. Her feed needs will be differant than mine. Good luck any other questions I will try to answer, you are even welcome to email me private if you like.
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