As with feeding cattle for milk and meat, the ideal goat diet depends on your farm management style and what feedstuff is available to you. In this article, we'll provide the general guidelines you can follow for feeding dairy and meat goats.
DAIRY GOATS
Feeding dairy goats is very similar to feeding a dairy cow. Like a dairy cow, the dairy goat's diet changes as its stage of pregnancy and production changes.
About four weeks prior to kidding, the mother should be slowly transitioned to feeds that will be given after the birth. The body condition score should be about a 3 at this point.
The animal's diet should also start to contain a high-energy feed, such as grain, if none was being offered before. Slowly increasing the grain it consumes to about 1% of its body weight dry matter - will help prepare its body for the stress of lactation and minimize the possibility of mastitis and metabolic health problems. The exact amount your goat will need is going to depend upon age, health and number of kids it's expected to have.
This story is from the Goat-101-24 edition of Hobby Farms.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Goat-101-24 edition of Hobby Farms.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
