10/31/2023 0 Comments My farm 2 goat feedWe were finally able to work with a wonderful local brewmaster who was willing to let us form a co-op of small producers. So they usually want on large producer to take it all. The problem is that even the smallest micro-brewery often has thousands of pounds each week. As it is a “waste product” it can often be obtained for little to no cost if you are able to pick it up from the brewery. It is a highly nutritious feed for ruminents. We were fortunate enough to finally develop a source for local web brewers grain (WBG). Wet Brewers Grain Spent or Wet Brewer’s Grain is high in protein and fiber We do not feed corn or soy and avoid pelleted and highly processed products. The grain mix we make consists of 50:50 rolled oats and barley along with about 5% black oil sunflower seeds. We feed a very limited amount of grain to the milking does (bucks, weathers, and kids receive none) An adult Nigerian doe may get up to 1 cup per day, if she shows signs of a greater need, though, such as weight loss, then she will get a bit more. Now when we go out on the walks they attack it. It took three times of this and then they all fell in love with the stuff. When their manger was empty (right before the evening hay feeding) I harvested armloads of it and put it in the mangers. I finally hit upon the very simple idea of actually feeding it to them. I couldn’t figure out how to do it without having them first kill all the trees in an area before they would try it. How to Get your Goats to Eat Poison Oak or other “new” foods: Since none of us ever let our goats get that hungry and most of them are pretty spoiled when it comes to quality feed, it can be difficult to get your goats to love poison oak. I must admit, that the goat walk is one of the highlights of my day being out on our little mountain and or land with the does bells tinkling and the sounds of them munching along with the wonderful smells of the forest. I believe that our milk will be a healthier product and our animals will live longer with fewer ailments. There you want the animal to spend it’s time eating and making milk. The extra exercise helps keep the does in shape, but the high browse and activity are not what is done in settings where volume of milk is the goal. Without a doubt, the more variety, the greater possible natural health. If provided with a variety of feeds, goats are known to instinctually eat what they need. Enjoying Oregon’s state plant – Oregon Grapeīrowse and a varied diet may slightly alter the flavor of milk, but this is something that can be desirable when marketing an artisan cheese the uniqueness of your goats environment helps create a unique product. (Adult wethers and bucks do not receive alfalfa due to the disproportionate amount of calcium to phosphorus – which will cause urinary stones that can kill them ). They also are fed locally grown high quality alfalfa and orchard grass hay. We also do some forest thinning and lop off branches for fire abatement and more food for the does. We keep them moving so that they don’t gird up smaller trees. They relish such wild delicacies as poison oak, madrone, manzanita, pine, oak, fir, lichens, blackberry, grape, star thistle, and an assortment of other seasonal plants. They also have free access, in good weather, to 2 acres of grasses, browse, and forbs. We take our does on a long browsing walk just about every day.
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