As a naturalist, I prefer to stay away from chemicals and pharmaceuticals if possible. Here I will list what I have found to be effective, as well as feed I and others I fallow and some of my associates prefer. It is best to use natural supplements as a prevention, but have the pharmaceutical available as your backup plan for emergencies.
Feed:
Hay, and good brush/pastures of course is #1. You will want a minimum of three goat yards for proper rotation, and rotate then approx every 14-21 days; this will also help to keep the parasites down.
My goats prefer the Wheet/Rye hybrid hay, but most any hay will do. Make sure it is a higher quality hey; not junk hey, or cow hey… You can do both; but ideally something of higher quality, like hourse quality hey. Alfalfa, Clover, Lespedeza, or Peanut hey are some examples.
Goat pellets. It is best to give them whole grain if possible, pellets are 2nd best. Textured grains or rolled grains are the least preferred.
I normally get my pellets from Diamond L Feed in Fair Play, Mo., Tractor Supply, MFA, or Orscheln. If you are milking goats; I suggest buying your feed in bulk, for you will need to supplement them more. I only use the goat feed as a treat; to control them, to direct them, to reward them, to program them, or if they are nursing… so my goats don’t get too much. My goats may get a maximum of 32-64oz a day for the whole herd. That being said, I double that in the winter; pending. This supplement is really primarily good for promoting healthy milk production, but it also helps to give them other nutrients they may not be getting from their forage. If I or someone decides to milk them, them I will up their intake at that time.
I typically buy one 40lbs bad of sweet feed, one 40lbs alfalfa pellets, and one 40lb bag of whole corn; and blend them together in a 30 gallon container. In that, I will also add in a couple/few scoops of my chicken feed blend per 40lb bag for additional nutrients. In addition, I will add a couple scoops of my herbal blend per 40lb bag as well. My herbal blend consists of mostly anti Parasite herbs; but also has some other herbs, minerals and vitamins for general health.
Sweet feed: I will buy either a 11% or a 16% palletized sweet feed, or both. Sometimes with extra mixed whole grains, sometimes without.
My Chicken feed blend typically consists of Crack Corn, Hen Scratch, Crumble, Wild bird seed, Sunflower Seeds, and a calcium supplement, as well as my herbal blend.
Goats love Rose of Sharon, so you could plant some in a protected area where they can only nibble on the overgrowth.
Various fruits and berries are also good for goats. Make sure you protect any fruit trees, for the goats will eat the bark and kill the trees; but you can feed them the clippings when you go to prune it. Protect any berries or other plants you don’t want them to eat, for they will eat most of them to the ground.
Apples, Carrots and Bananas are great for goats.
Dairy goats need more supplemental feed then meat goats, and any goat that is mothering kids. So extra mixed grains are/may be necessary. Like Corn, Oats, Wheet, Sunflower Seeds, Milo, Soybeans and more.
Try to keep their diet as consistent as possible; unless there are issues, where you may need to add or restrict certain types of food or supplements.
Food Additives:
Peanuts, Chaffee (fermented alfalfa), Black oil Sunflower Seeds, Beat Pulp, Grapes, Barley, Beer Hops
Supplements:
There are a couple/few things they need, the rest is optional.
They NEED a salt lick, they NEED a multi mineral supplement, and they NEED baking soda. I add the minerals and baking soda to my herbal blend, most people do it differently. Most put it in a pvc pipe, with an elbow at the bottom. That way, the goats can lick it when they need to, and it’s gravity fed. I’ll probably do that way myself in the future; right now, the other way works for my current setup.
Kelp, Copper, Dolomite, Sulfur, Boron, Chaparral, Milk Thistle, Dandelion, Yeast (prebiotic), Chicory, Apple Cider Vinegar, Banana peals
I also use to haul liquid cattle feed, and so I would bring home the heal off the trailer and ad that as a supplement. What I would do is take a 30 gallon lick tub, fill it with water, and then ad only a gallon or two of the liquid cattle feed to the water; giving them fortified water basically.
Natural Medicine: Activate Charcoal, Milk of Magnesia, Electrolytes, liquid vitamins, liquid feed, Dewarmer pellets, Tea Tree oil, Lavender oil
My Herbal Blend:
Now, my herbal blend is a secret. Not even David-Ray knows it, because he refused to help me come up with it; and I may sell it in the future. But I’ll give you a hint. I basically take a 40lb bag of Diatomaceous Earth, and use it as my carrier; then I’ll ad my herb, minerals and vitamins to that. Then, I’ll add about 32-64oz of this blend to each 40lb bag of feed.
Or you can try Molly’s Herbals, I just learned about them from an associate. I don’t know the ingredients, but she swears by it. So I might also ad it into my blend in the future, or, just use it for emergency backup; better to be safe than sorry… CYOA
Anti Parasite Herbs:
Herbs include things like all natural Tobacco, Wormwood, Black Walnut hulls, Pumpkin seeds, Lespedeza, Buckthorn, Sulfur, Neem, Oregano, Olive leaf, and more.
I would encourage growing these herbs if possible, but you will have to order what you can’t grow. You can order them as well as other herbs and essential oils through me at OilsOfTheEarth.com or you can get them through most any bulk herb store.
Plants to avoid:
Some species of Rhododendron, other ornamental plants (Azalea) and shrubs have been found to be toxic for goats. Silage, too much Moldy food, Burdock, Ponderosa Pine, Bracken ferns, Lantanas, Poison Hemlock, Laurels, Periwinkle, Nightshade, Perila Mint, Avocado, Lantana, Oleander, Japanese Yew, Boxwood, and Mountain Laurel are the worst. Keep these plants away from your goats.
Cabbage, Potatoes and Tomato leaves have also been reported to be toxic in some cases. Potatoes and Tomato are in the Nightshade family. Stone fruits; plum, and Peach’s are also not good for goats.
In small doses, they will be fine; but don’t let them eat large amounts of these plants: Milkweed, Poke Berry, Daffodil, Saint John’s Wart, Box Elder, Lupine, larxburg, Poppies, Lilly, (Peach, Cherry, Choke Cherry and Apricot (wilted leaves)), Wisteria, Foxglove, Horse Nettle, Holly berries, Red Meatball, Dog Fennel, Leyland Cypress.
Now; i have a lot of Hemlock on my land, but the goats don’t touch it. My goats also eat Poke Berries in the fall, and they have been fine; but that’s just my goats. Tobacco is in the Nightshade family, so it should only be used as a supplement for warms.
Avoid mineral or lick tubs/supplements that contain Phosphorus. They get plenty in their diet, too much phosphorus will give them urinary track problems.
Water:
Clean water is important. I typically do rain water collection. I use empty 30 gallon lick tubs or I’ll cut a 55 gallon barrel in have to make two. I will put goldfish or koi in the water, to keep the mosquitoes down. The only ones I don’t put fish in, are the ones I put the liquid cattle feed in for a fortified water; for that will kill the fish. I also keep 275-300 gallon totes available for reserves, since I am OffGrid. I also have ponds.
In a nutshell; you want to make sure your goats cannot soil their food or water. Keep food and water off the ground as much as possible.
Sources:
1st; I went out and bought a bunch of books, for natural health for animals. Google has helped and of course YouTube and other websites. Below, I will list my favorites. You can also check out my “Associate” and “Sources” page’s as well.
What to Feed Goats: Ultimate Guide to Goat Nutrition
