Getting Your Goat
(Page 2 of 3)
June/July 1992
by Grail Damerow
Provide a manger to keep hay off the ground, where it would get trampled and fouled. A floor of packed earth is easy to clean and allows urine to drain away. Bedding gives the animals something dry to lie on. Goats inevitably waste lots of hay, and wasted hay makes economical bedding. For Angora goats, however, a floor covering of wood slats is preferable, since bits of bedding would otherwise stick in their hair.
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It isn't entirely true that a fence that won't hold water won't hold a goat, but it isn't far off the mark. Goats are agile and curious. If they can't get over or under a fence, they will look for a way to get through it. Failing that, they will lean on the fence and crush it down. An electric tension fence (see "A Fence That Lasts a Lifetime," issue #130) is the least expensive and most effective goat-proof option. Not only will it resist your goats' chal lenges, but it will also deter coyotes, dogs, and other predators.
Feeding
Goats are neither exclusively grazers nor exclusively browsers, but instead are opportunistic feeders. They enjoy fresh, well-managed pasture as much as they relish brushy undergrowth. If a prized rosebush or a freshly planted sapling comes their way, they'll eagerly devour that, too. Although goats enjoy harvesting their own food, they get along perfectly well when all their hay and grain is brought to them. Hay, in fact, should always be available—even to goats that spend the better part of their days foraging. Early cut grass-legume mix makes a fine, all-purpose hay. Each animal will eat about 4 pounds a day, or close to 1,500 pounds per year (a miniature goat eats half that).
Grain, on the other hand, is a dietary supplement. Grain or a commercially prepared ration (called "concentrate" because it is a concentrated source of nutrients) is needed by dairy goats for good milk production. It is also needed by pregnant does as their time nears. by nursing does, and by any goat at times when browse or good hay is limited.
Since dietary needs vary from goat to goat and from season to season, when it comes to concentrate, the eye of the master fattens the goat. One to two pounds of concentrate is usually sufficient in most cases. For a dairy doe, the rule of thumb is to feed one pound of concentrate for every two pounds (quart) of milk produced. Additional supplements include sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and trace mineral salt in loose form. Sodium bicarbonate is a goat's form of Rolaids. Trace mineral salt serves as a source of sodium chloride and other important minerals. Offer soda and saltfree choice—let your goats decide how much they need.
Clean water is the cheapest yet most important nutrient in a goat's diet and should be available at all times. Goats, being ruminants, need a generous amount of water to keep stomach fermentation going. Lactating does need lots of water to make milk. All goats drink more water in warm weather.
