Author Topic: chickens eating goat feed (Read 8484 times)

DavidandCollette · « **on:** January 10, 2016, 12:35:34 pm »

My two goats waste a lot of feed. Can I give it to the chickens? I know not to give it to the sheep

mojocafa · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2016, 01:32:32 pm »

My chickens have accessed goat food and no harm came to them

chrismahon · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2016, 01:57:39 pm »

Don't know what's in your goat feed but there is always a risk that the taste of the eggs is affected D&C. Don't know if you are selling your eggs, or indeed if you have any to sell at the moment? Also a risk that their calcium intake or any other factor is compromised because they filled up on the wrong feed.

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #3 on:** January 11, 2016, 09:16:06 am »

Good thought Thanks for that. Just trying to think of ways of using the unwanted feed up. I hate throwing stuff away. Must be my Yorkshire heritage

Jukes Mum · « **Reply #4 on:** January 11, 2016, 09:53:07 am »

Do you know why the goats are wasting feed? Are you giving them more than they need? Or maybe a different shape feed bucket could help?

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #5 on:** January 12, 2016, 10:34:33 am »

They are fussy little bu@@ers and will only eat certain parts of the feed either when milking or when I feed them in the evening. I did get a wider but more shallow trug to feed them as the have horns so need a fair bit of space.

landroverroy · « **Reply #6 on:** January 12, 2016, 11:01:46 am »

I wouldn't worry in the least about your poultry eating the waste goat feed.
You can always leave them with some limestone/oystershell grit to ensure adequate calcium uptake.
Goat feed will be carefully formulated to ensure no taint that could affect the milk, so the chances of it affecting egg taste is less than remote.
Have you actually seen what free range poultry eat?

Allsorts of animal faeces from dogs to ruminants is pecked at with relish, and free range eggs are renowned for their flavour.

If your hens eat a lot of goat feed it won't do them any harm but may affect egg production as it may be higher in fibre and lower in quality protein than proprietry poultry feed. But bearing in mind your cost saving over throwing the goat feed away, then it probably won't be a problem.

I would however, maybe think about changing the goat feed (as well as the feeder) as there seems little point in buying something that ends up on the floor.

(Just a thought - surely a wider, more shallow trug makes it easier for them to throw the food out? I would use a deeper container.)

clydesdaleclopper · « **Reply #7 on:** January 12, 2016, 12:51:05 pm »

Quote from: landroverroy on January 12, 2016, 11:01:46 am

If your hens eat a lot of goat feed it won't do them any harm but may affect egg production as it may be higher in fibre and lower in quality protein than proprietry poultry feed. But bearing in mind your cost saving over throwing the goat feed away, then it probably won't be a problem.

Most goat feed is between 16 & 18 % protein so that shouldn't be an issue.

My concern would be that the goats are missing out on particular nutrients if they are being selective with which bits of the feed they eat. Is it pellets or a coarse mix?

Anke · « **Reply #8 on:** January 12, 2016, 02:48:34 pm »

For a while some of my hens had clocked on that the sheep in the next field got fed (it was near lambing time) and they would fly over the fence in readiness for feeding time. They went in between the sheep's legs no problem...

Re your fussy goats - is it any particular ingredient that your goats leave? One of my GG's will leave the beans in her bowl, but as she refuses flatly to eat any kind of dairy nuts or pelleted feed I just have to recycle the beans with the less discerning member of my goatherd... the goatlings - they will eat anything (that has not been on the floor/trodden on). It is difficult to keep goats keen on pelleted feed, although I find I'Ansons diary nuts (18% protein) works reasonably well. I feed calf mix, cheaper than goat mix and good copper levels.

landroverroy · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2016, 06:01:15 pm »

Quote from: clydesdaleclopper on January 12, 2016, 12:51:05 pm

Quote from: landroverroy on January 12, 2016, 11:01:46 am

If your hens eat a lot of goat feed it won't do them any harm but may affect egg production as it may be higher in fibre and lower in quality protein than proprietry poultry feed. But bearing in mind your cost saving over throwing the goat feed away, then it probably won't be a problem.

Most goat feed is between 16 & 18 % protein so that shouldn't be an issue. quote]

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Ruminant feeds, ie those for sheep, goats, cattle etc, are made up of poorer quality protein than are those for single stomach animals such as poultry, dogs, humans etc. Ruminants can synthesize these poor quality proteins into higher quality ones, but poultry etc cannot. Therefore, the latter, if fed exclusively on goat food, are likely to be short of essential amino acids, such as methionine, which you will find added to better quality poultry rations.