Feeding goats, step by step
Interactive lesson: how a goat eats, hay for winter, concentrates, minerals and water, condition scoring by hand, rotational grazing, browse and poisonous plants.
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The whole lesson as text
1. How a goat eats
A goat is not a cow and not a sheep: she browses and picks the best part of each plant.
- Chewing the cud — The goat brings food back up from the rumen and chews it for a long time. A healthy goat cuds for roughly 6–8 hours a day.
- How much she eats — Roughly 3–5 % of her body weight in dry matter a day. A 60 kg goat eats 2–3 kg of hay or the equivalent in grazing.
- A little more than she needs — A goat leaves coarse stems. Give her a little more than she eats: 10–15 % left over is normal.
- When she stops cudding — Not chewing the cud, not eating and a hard, swollen left flank: something is wrong. That calls for quick action.
Why: A goat is a ruminant. Bacteria in the rumen break down her food, and they are adapted to what she is used to eating. When the feed changes suddenly, the result is bloat, acidosis or enterotoxaemia.
- Every change of feed takes 7–10 days.
- Hay that has fallen on the floor and been trodden on, she won't eat. Give the leftovers to a wether or use them as bedding.
2. Hay for winter
Winter without grazing lasts roughly 120–180 days, and in that time the goat lives on hay. Plan for 180 days to be safe.
- 400 kg per goat — Store that much hay per goat before winter. For a long winter add a 10–15 % reserve.
- Bales on the scale — One small square bale weighs 15–20 kg. For 3 does and a buck that's roughly 85–110 small bales.
- What kind of hay — Early-cut meadow hay is for all goats. Lucerne and clover are for milkers, kids and the last weeks of pregnancy.
- Never mouldy — Good hay is greenish and dust-free. Mouldy hay goes into bedding or compost: it causes listeriosis and abortion. Wear a dust mask when handling dusty hay.
Why: An adult goat needs roughly 2–2.5 kg (4.5–5.5 lb) of hay a day in winter. 2.2 kg × 180 days is roughly 400 kg (880 lb) per goat. For 3 does and a buck that's roughly 1.65 tonnes.
- The best is a mix: meadow hay as the base, lucerne (alfalfa) or clover for milkers.
- Straw is only a supplement and bedding; it can't be the only feed.
3. Concentrates, minerals and water · Locked
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4. Condition by hand · Locked
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5. Grazing, rotation and browse · Locked
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6. Poisonous plants · Locked
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