Author Topic: suddenly off dairy nuts... (Read 5722 times)

Bumblebear · « **on:** September 07, 2012, 09:40:14 pm »

My two are suddenly off the dairy nuts (leaving them in their mangers) but finishing off all their calf feed. they were eating it fine until a week or so ago and I hav ebought SACKS of the stuff!!!! I have only one milker at the moment, so will her leaving them do any harm? Should I cut down on them/increase the cal mix then slowly aim for 50/50 again? If I leave them will they eat it if they get hungry? AND Simone managed to pull the string tab from her stand whilst I was milking her...opening a fresh sack...elastic lips

Anke · « **Reply #1 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:45:21 pm »

Different batch... sightly different taste... I get that sometimes... I then increase the other stuff for a day or so, then reduce again and increase dairy nuts back to normal level...
Fussy creatures thee goats!

sokel · « **Reply #2 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:55:24 pm »

What make of Dairy nuts are you using ? We have always used the iansons dairy 18% (Gold) they will not touch the 16% silver ones.
the last half ton we got of the gold they will not touch and throw the buckets onto the floor in temper.
we have stopped giving them it and feeding 18% coarse mix at the moment

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2012, 11:43:07 pm »

Quote from: sokel on September 07, 2012, 09:55:24 pm

the last half ton we got of the gold they will not touch and throw the buckets onto the floor in temper.

quite a picture comes to mind

(

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sokel · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2012, 07:28:11 am »

honestly you could see them searching through the buckets and get madder and madder then they get the edge of the buckets and chuck them off.
we where loosing loads of nuts every day

tizaala · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2012, 08:05:53 am »

You say you bought loads, just make sure that its not smelling a bit musty or starting to get mouldy, is it dry enough where you store it? check the use by date on the bags.

sokel · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2012, 07:16:45 pm »

In my case they are well in date kept dry and dont smell. half a ton is only 20 bags and 7 goats getting fed twice a day soon gets through 20 bags so we never have an O.O.D. problem
tried mixing a few in the bckets this morning and they did not eat them

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2012, 09:31:40 pm »

Just started my milker on them. So far she goes mad for them. Hope she doesn't change her mind but goats do that. I had one who loved bread for about a week, then wouldn't touch it again for a few days.

Anke · « **Reply #8 on:** September 08, 2012, 09:56:36 pm »

Quote from: sokel on September 08, 2012, 07:16:45 pm

tried mixing a few in the bckets this morning and they did not eat them

If they have eaten them before it is probably just a slight difference in taste, my goats are quite fussy like that... can't really advice you on what to do, sorry. But as mine always get a mix of about three to four different things it evens out and I find soaked warm sugar beet shreds and lots of garlic masks a lot of funny tastes...

colliewoman · « **Reply #9 on:** September 09, 2012, 01:53:42 pm »

mine go off their nuts for a few days just before they come into season! They have cycled twice now and ALL of them including Jill(ephant) have refused dairy nuts for 2 days prior.

When it comes to arranging the billy they will of course stop doing this, and make me worry that I have my timing wrong. I try to get them on their holidays 2 or 3 days prior to coming into season and this would be a really handy indicator

jaykay · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2012, 03:05:28 pm »

Mine off them, I feed more of something else for a bit, then they like them again. No idea why, not seasons with mine, though that's interesting CW.

I suspect they knew you'd bought bags of the stuff

Bumblebear · « **Reply #11 on:** September 10, 2012, 12:52:14 am »

I bought the Heygates ones, no problem with damp etc as they are still in sacks and nice and dry in the milk shed. Garlic is an interesting thought....I might just buy a load of that (our garlic hasnt come to much this year!) They still love the calf mix though...then one likes sweetcorn...but the other prefers carrots....blooming things

HOWEVER did goats get their "dustbin" reputation!!! It beggars belief!

jaykay · « **Reply #12 on:** September 10, 2012, 06:57:41 am »

I think their reputation is 'will eat anything they're not supposed to'

So I suppose if those dairy nuts were an expensive treat for a pet Jersey cow, they'd be burgling them and munching through them in no time

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #13 on:** September 10, 2012, 11:02:05 pm »

That's true, Jaykay. When I had hens, my girl would get her head in the layer's pellets at the drop of a hat.

Wish I had a pound though for every time someone says, "Oh goats eat anything."