The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Carl f k on December 27, 2012, 09:01:24 pm
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Where do you buy yours from? Does anyone use bicarbonate of soda? I only ask because it seems the popular thing on YouTube thanx in advance :thumbsup:
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Bicarbonate of soda? And what minerals does you tube say it contains?
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It doesn't just says feed grade bicarbonate of soda and they give it there dairy goats ????
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Never heard of that.
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Mine get Yellow Rockies in their pens, if you know that you are in a copper deficient area you can use the Red Rockies.
You get them in the horsey section at ther merchants.
I also use other suppplements, like garlic, seaweed powder and caprivite, about once a week durning winter, more Caprivite when milking in mid-summer.
Never heard of bicarbonate of soda being used. Wouldn't that just make them burp, and no useful minerals in that one. If you look at US/australian websites they may mention Dolomite, this is a natural form of ((I think and it's too late the cross-check) and Magnesium and Calcium Carbonate. Also contained in Caprivite.
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It is a couple of US sites that use bi carb... Obvious not in use over here?? I don't know.. Just asking.. perhaps it is as good as red rocky but feed merchants don't want us to know because its cheap ??? I really have no idea ??
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Lots of goat keepers in the US free feed bicarb to help keep the rumen pH levels correct I believe ;)
I was curious so opened up a pot I nicked from the larder and held it out for my girls.....
Gill would have eaten it all if I had let her, the others weren't interested :D
I have a cattle mineral block tied up for mine, but they rarely use it.
The minerals from Dennis Brinicombe are fab, you add it daily to their food so's you know how much they are getting :thumbsup:
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have you looked at the goat nutrition site (GN Ltd) they are really popular with alot of goat breeders.
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I think the bicarb only has certain things in it, I use it in case of bloat but that's all.
Otherwise mine get Caprivite (which they will now eat neat) and a red Rockie in their byre. I can keep it away from the sheep, who don't need the copper in red ones, whereas goats do.
I've used the Brinicombes mineral too, which is also good, it's just that my goats prefer Caprivite.
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We found that caprivite didn't meet the needs of our land (ie we were cobalt deficient) but Adam Hensens did - only found out as the milk tasted bitter. Its trial and error I think with minerals, you have to find what suits you/your goats.
I also have red rockies permanently available for the goats, a yellow for the sheep - and never do they get in with each other.
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From what I found bicarbonate of soda is only really useful for regulating the stomach ph. It may be cheap, but other than salt, it doesn't contain any useful minerals.
Ours have access to red Rockies, and we also feed seaweed ( in granules) and we have a bag of copper cattle minerals we offer to them as well.
Beth
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Have a 25kg bag of Sodium bicarb here - its for making bath sherbet and I misread the order page, only wanted 2.5kg hey ho ::) Did come in useful for making up an antibloat combo for one of our bottle lambs, bit of ginger and BURP! other than that, I've just used it in bath sherbet...lots of bath sherbet...
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I use Rockies and get them from ARGO FEEDS, £3.60 each I think.
Richard