[Carl f k]

So when I do get my goats what to feed them is a question???

[colliewoman]

Lots of good quality ad lib hay is the first thing. After that it depends on the job they are doing IMO.
 
I feed mine on dairy nuts meant for cows 

[plumseverywhere]

^^ what the lovely lady said!!

[Hermit]

Mine get hay ad lib, with plenty of grazing. But mine get Shetland sheep blend as you cant get dairy nuts up here! Also red rockie to lick at.

[plumseverywhere]

and make sure you have a good list of what NOT to feed them too.  Will show you what we feed when you come over next week 

[Carl f k]

and make sure you have a good list of what NOT to feed them too.  Will show you what we feed when you come over next week 

Cheers plums

[Anke]

If you buy in an older goat you can have a hell of a job to try and change her habits.... my older GG does not like dairy nuts for example and prefer (expensive  ) goat mix.
But it is - in my personal opinion - best to feed the a variety of different feeds, which does give you some leeway if for example one runs out on Saturday afternoon, or merchant can't get hold of it for a few days. It also depends on how much you can store, for a few goats it is safer to have only one or two bags (20 or 25kgs) of feed stored, as it cannot be fed if it goes mouldy. A good METAL feed bin for storage is also essential - we have just today noticed that some rat droppings have appeared in the feed shed  ...

[ballingall]

Yes, the trouble with goats is that they are not neat and tidy animals. They might leave some crumbs, or spill some food into their bedding, and it just attracts rats.....


I am currently waging my own small war...


Beth

[jinglejoys]

I've got cats...no rats

[ballingall]

I've got cats... Even ones that catch rats! And we have a JR terrier who loves rat hunting. And still the rats keep appearing- I don't like poison because of the cats and dogs, but I do cave in occasionally.


Beth

[Lesley Silvester]

and make sure you have a good list of what NOT to feed them too.  Will show you what we feed when you come over next week 

So will I.

We haven't had rats this year unless they are getting more sneaky and I haven't seen them.  They live under the goat shed so they may have been washed out this year.

[jaykay]

I've got (lots of) cheeky rats around the goat byre again  Think it will have to be poison for a while, much as I hate putting it down.

My goats get sheep coarse mix and diary nuts, plus hay as their basic diet, plus ReadiGrass and flaked maize as treats, and hedgerow branches.

[Carl f k]

Thanks MGM..... As for rats I got my trusty air rifle and nite vision

[jaykay]

I need an air rifle I think - for the jackdaws too!

If the idiots round here didn't drive faster than their brains operate, thus killing my cats on the road, I could have outdoor cats too. As it is, they just keep the inside of the house vermin-free 

[plumseverywhere]

got something nibbling in our feed/hay barns too. have left doors open and stuck snowball the cat outside on an empty stomach today. so far we've had one dead mouse from her.
not sure I'd be too good with our air rifle, not with my dodgy eyesight - likely to stick a shot in OH's bum or something