Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Hard feed  (Read 12417 times)

Talana

  • Joined Mar 2014
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #30 on: December 08, 2015, 02:58:44 pm »
polyana I think what you are doing is fine, should't need extra but just carry on monitoring them. They are still growing. Hope you are enjoying them, goats are great characters

Melmarsh

  • Joined May 2014
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #31 on: December 08, 2015, 06:57:59 pm »
When I had a small milking herd, 60 Max, they were fed D&H sheep nuts with warm soaked sugar beet , ad lid meadow hay and grazed outside in the summer. They were milked by machine and the highest yeald I had was 1900 . When available they had extras such as carrots, peahulm and fruit and veg.
I bred kids and they always grew well and milked as expected according to parentage , breed etc.
I have also always bred ewe lambs in their first winter having experienced them getting rather large by their second winter. They need close monitoring but also do well. :innocent:

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #32 on: December 08, 2015, 08:31:07 pm »
Polyanya - your quantities sound fine to me, other things that they usually like are rolled oats and (soaked) sugar beet shreds. When milking you may find that 18% protein dairy cattle rations are good and available locally to you too (here dairy nuts are cheaper than ewe&lamb mix, but not the calf mixes).

The reason I keep mine of a variety of things is that if I run out and cannot get supplies in quickly they still have another option they like.

I would keep them on a good ration (but not increase it by age/month) until next summer, then much less when they are in kid.

Polyanya

  • Joined Mar 2015
  • Shetland
    • The Creative Croft
    • Facebook
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #33 on: December 08, 2015, 10:25:16 pm »
Thank you Anke and Talana - good to know that. They all seem very happy and look v. healthy. I'll remember about cow feed when they've kidded - seems such a long time away mind.
In the depths of winter, I found there was in me an invincible summer - Camus

www.thecreativecroft.co.uk

student

  • Joined Nov 2015
  • uk
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #34 on: December 09, 2015, 01:08:30 pm »
Thank you all for your time still trying to sort out a goat feed ration for end of term paper I phoned BOCM Pauls as Goat Society said But even more confusion now They said not to feed Dairy or cattle feed to goats as goats and copper don't go together advised feed ewe or lamb nut only or goat mix Only 2 of the 4 students doing goats now one has gone to quickly do fish farming the other poultry will we make it to next wends handing

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #35 on: December 09, 2015, 01:43:14 pm »
Thank you all for your time still trying to sort out a goat feed ration for end of term paper I phoned BOCM Pauls as Goat Society said But even more confusion now They said not to feed Dairy or cattle feed to goats as goats and copper don't go together advised feed ewe or lamb nut only or goat mix Only 2 of the 4 students doing goats now one has gone to quickly do fish farming the other poultry will we make it to next wends handing

Cattle feed is cheaper, so of course they want to sell you goat mix...

Talana

  • Joined Mar 2014
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #36 on: December 09, 2015, 01:58:37 pm »
student speak to bruce dolby at goat nutrition. some commercial herds get him to design ration(dairy and meat and fibre).
 At the local shows I always ask the reps of the various feed company's while we receive our free refreshments they all look blank and come away with all sorts of answers. Speak to companys that supply commercial dairy farms may help.  Try different companys perhalps Davidsons, or commercial farm such as st helens direct
Nick canning at East coast viners has been reading up on goats and is quite enthusiastic although i wouldn't agree completely with his ration suggested for my goats but others do. Good luck with your studies.

student

  • Joined Nov 2015
  • uk
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #37 on: December 09, 2015, 02:00:08 pm »
They knew i didn't want to buy any it was a student question  The problem is cattle feed against ewe sheep feed
and this copper thing which my father saw years ago in cattle it looked like they had grey glasses he said

Talana

  • Joined Mar 2014
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #38 on: December 09, 2015, 03:39:52 pm »
student your father's right enough about that.

Goatherd

  • Joined Dec 2014
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #39 on: December 10, 2015, 04:18:50 am »
 student contact me via message i think i can help

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Hard feed
« Reply #40 on: December 10, 2015, 01:17:07 pm »
Thank you all for your time still trying to sort out a goat feed ration for end of term paper I phoned BOCM Pauls as Goat Society said But even more confusion now They said not iry or cattle feed to goats as goats and copper don't go together advised feed ewe or lamb nut only or goat mix
There are posts on here going back years of goats v cows re copper, too many suppliers still think of that goats are sheep minus wool plus milk. In many respects they could be classed as mini cows.
Heard or read somewhere that they are more akin to deer, which I've often thought myself.
Good luck with the course

 

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