The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Jaymac76 on July 29, 2017, 07:21:47 pm
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I am looking for goat mix as the £12 a bag is a bit expensive anyone get it a bit cheaper in central Scotland willing to travel and buy more to bring the costs down.
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I feed some goat mix, but adults get mainly dairy nuts, sheep mix, beef nuts and/or a GPS cattle mix, varying quantities to give them variety.
I also keep meaning to get more Caprivite, especially for when I'm feeding sheep mix.
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Go with sheep or cattle mix cheaper( £6 - £8 a bag just now but vary between farm stores whilst the goat stuff more like £14. If using sheep mix add cattle minerals. Much cheaper and better quality for the goats. For goats in lactation go with dairy cow nuts/ mix or ewe nut/mix. Or even calf / lamb creep which is more suitable for kids/ maintenance. Add word "goat "to the bag ,they up the price. You can order a ton pallet - 40 x 25kg bags which is a lot cheaper still depending how may goats and if folk round about want to share the ton. I get a ton bag ewe nuts lasts the summer (14 dairy goats) plus get some of lamb creep for the boys which I can share with the farm stock. I add caprivite goat minerals or cattle minerals plus rockies available
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Hmmm I feed a mix of goat mix and goat nuts. The goat nuts are about £6 a sack and the mix almost double that.
i assumed, maybe wrongly, that the goat nuts were then in some way inferior on the nutrition front so its mainly for my wether and his sister. She has a mix if the two as I plan tonbreed her in the autumn and so will be feeding her the mix like I do my milker?
Anyone shed any light on the mix versus nuts thing?
*shuffles off to go and see if they have labels *
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Flump 74 I used to keep a good size herd of dairy goats and also sheep. I tried mix when I first had goats and they notoriously picked out their favourite bits and left the bit with minerals in or anything else they didn't fancy on the day ???????? I then went over to Doddson and Horrell sheep nuts after a chat with a nutritionist. Only extras they had were Alfa A and sugar beet soaked. I fed these for 20years without any problems and fed a sheep creep to the kids. It's your money you make a choice. Lots feed cow cake or calf starter according to age. Mix looks nice on the plate but I found it too expensive and wasteful.
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OK, something Ive often thought about.
How about people listing whats in their goats feed?
Have a discussion on whats needed?
What can be fed to milkers/kids/males.
the ewe mix i feed (to goats as well) does not say do not feed to rams/tups (or Billies) etc. Someone said theirs did.
For starters any thoughts on this GP mix (says also for sheep but its got copper in it, I'm sure a previous label said general purpose mix for cattle). the young stock seems to like it.
The sheep nuts I feed half/half with cattle dairy nuts.
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I tried mix when I first had goats and they notoriously picked out their favourite bits and left the bit with minerals in or anything else they didn't fancy on the day ????????
My milker eats it all without any pickiness but then she's also equally happy to eat the goat nuts!
but you're right, the mix is definitely for my benefit as it looks more interesting and I call it muesli! :innocent:
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I think we will need to look more into this, one things for sure put goat on the front of a feed sack and the price rockets.
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I think we will need to look more into this, one things for sure put goat on the front of a feed sack and the price rockets.
I clicked like because I agree, not because the price rockets at the word goat. ::)