Goat Minerals

Hassena
Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Goats & Sheep

Hey there ya'll,

how do you go about feeding goat's their minerals?

We offer them free choice, however the goats have made the container tossing into a sport...we are considering top dressing their food with minerals or reinforcing the containers.

what ya'll doing?

Thanks for your input. I searched the livestock forum and didn't see this discussion.

Comments

  • Megan Venturella
    Megan Venturella Posts: 678 ✭✭✭✭

    We drilled a plastic container into the wall of their barn. I'll be honest, occasionally they poop in it, but we clean it out and refill it. We also add kelp to their alfalfa pellets and they love it. I hope that helps.

  • FolksyFarmMama
    FolksyFarmMama Posts: 3 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020

    @Hassena We put the minerals in right before we feed, when they are hungry. We then wait a bit before adding the feed on top. We've found that if we mix it, they will just nose around to get the feed. If you want to offer minerals more than twice a day, you can add a little when you check afternoon water. We also found that when we left it out all day, it just ended up on the ground. Hope that helps!

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    @Hassena when I raised goats, I had a solid metal container or tyre cut in half bolted to a heavy piece of wood and kept it undercover to encourage free choice. Sure occasionally they would poo in it but mostly they had good manners. Or I use to buy a general all purpose lick block that weighed 20kg and that lasted a good while.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    Welcome to the forum @FolksyFarmMama.

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for all your suggestions. Goats sure do love to test everything. :)

  • moreyshadypines
    moreyshadypines Posts: 72 ✭✭✭

    @Hassena, goats are a four legged bag of curiosity and resourcefulness. They just never quit trying new things, so as goat herders we need to follow suit - sometimes what works for a while, will bite the dust. But like @jodienancarrow I've used the salt blocks before, that seemed to be the best approach to low maintenance for me (an all time goal of mine). But at the end of the day, goats provide more than enough entertainment and value to make up for them being a bunch of goof offs. :)

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    @moreyshadypines

    Indeed we love our goats! They don't like the mineral blocks...we'll keep trying differnt feeders. I'll post photos of our latest ones. Making new feeders on Thursday.

    I told my mom, Goats are two years with horns that we milk. Love them. They are such a joy.