Morning Grain for our girls

 * This is what we feed our Does only. Not for babies. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THIS TO BUCKS because it does not have a properly balanced Calcium:Phosphorus ratio to help avoid Urinary Calculi, especially in wethered bucks.  There is a ton of info on the internet explaining Urinary Calculi in goats so we recommend you research this thoroughly to avoid a potential lethal and heartbreaking situation. 

INGREDIENTS:

-Kalmbach or Purina Goat Feed  (textured, not pellets, is the type that we feed) 

-Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (I get this from feed store in 25lb bags)

-Healthy Coat Goat Formula (I get this from feed store in 1Qt bottles)

In a 5 gallon bucket I mix one 50lb bag of textured Goat Feed plus 2 Quarts of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.  I put a lid on this bucket and keep it in my garage ready to use and away from the goat barn. (Our vet once told me of a bear breaking into a barn here in Naples because it smelled the stored sweet feed. It was a sad story that did not work out well for the goats that evening.)

When preparing to feed the goats their morning grain, I take about 2 quarts of the goat feed mix and dump it into a small bucket. Then I squirt in about 2TBS of "Healthy Coat Goat Formula" and stir it up good. I now divide the 2 quarts of grain mix equally to about 6-8 goats... That's about a cup of grain per goat. My chickens yell at me to throw them a handful or two on the way out. They love it and it’s great for them too. 

Each goat has their own feeder tray clipped to the fence. For feeder trays I use the 11" Little Giant brand Fence Feeders with clips. I drill a bunch of tiny drain holes in them so rain water drains right through.

The goats actually claim the same tray each day. It is funny to watch them impatiently pace and line up until I put the grain mix into their own personal tray. 

I do this first thing in the morning so it’s just a once per day event here.

Below are some images of what we use. We are not endorsing any particular products or brands, this is just what we typically use.