Feeding goats

Good feed and plenty of clean water are important to keep your goats healthy.

Feeding goats
- Advertisement -

A goat obtains most of the nutrients it needs from grazing. Ideally, it needs to spend six to eight hours a day grazing and browsing.
Clean water should be available at all times. This is especially important when the goat is suckling kids. Offer water at least four times a day if it is not freely available.

In the dry season, the quality of available food decreases. It is therefore important to provide supplementary food to your flock, especially if they are in late pregnancy or early lactation. Animals require both energy and protein to keep healthy. Hay can be provided to supplement grazing in the dry season; legumes are best as they are high in protein as well as energy. Ideally, the supplementary feed should contain at least four types of forage to ensure a balanced diet.

Concentrate feeds can be given as a supplement (about 400g per day for an adult, non-pregnant goat). Feed a mixture of two to three different types of concentrate to provide a balance of energy and protein. Add a spoon of salt and mineral and vitamin mix to the supplementary feed to ensure that the goat’s vitamin and mineral requirements are met.

- Advertisement -

Concentrate feeds that are high in energy are maize, barley, brewers’ grain and cotton seed oil cake meal. Feeds that are high in protein include fishmeal, soya bean meal, cotton seed oil cake meal and brewers’ grains. A urea-molasses lick provides a good source of nitrogen and energy, which helps the goats digest forage better, especially in the dry season. Place the lick in a container so that all goats can have ad lib acess to it.

Golden rules of feeding

  • Buy the best quality feed you can afford;
  • Store the feed carefully, protecting it from sun and rain;
  • Collect hay for times of food shortage;
  • Place the feed in a trough, not on the ground, to reduce spoilage and wastage;
  • Keep feed and water troughs clean and remove leftovers;
  • Make any changes to a ration gradually over a week;
  • Crush or crack the grain to improve digestion and intake. If crushing is not possible, soak the grain for three to four hours before feeding;
  • Chop maize crop residues and grass forage into short lengths before placing in a trough;
  • Mix feed carefully and provide enough for only one day’s feeding at a time.

Source: Goatkeepers’ Animal Healthcare Manual, edited by AF Vatta, MA Abbott, JF de Villiers, SA Gumede, LJS Harrison, RC Krecek, BA Letty, N Mapeyi and RA Pearson (ARC).