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Feeding goats when there's no grass

Posted by Katharine Norton on November 4, 2016 at 1:01pm in Goats 101

Hi there,

we're into dry season here in Nigeria so I'm giving my goats fresh leaves during the day, and dry food at night which is a mixture of bean pods and ground maize.  I find that the goats are very restless these days, always calling and impatient - early in the morning and particularly towards the evening when they know that feed is coming.  This evening they had water and some leaves still but they were screaming for their feed, which I found bizarre - surely if they had just been hungry they would have eaten the leaves?  I wonder is the feed making them feel full but not filling them, as it were?  I'd like to have more settled and less screamy goats!  (they're not in heat, it's the food they're screaming for.)

Any thoughts?  Should I perhaps ferment the feed for them?  Or take them off it for a bit?  

Thanks for any advice

Katharine

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Replies

  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle November 30, 2016 at 4:53pm

    I am so glad to hear that! :)

    FWIW, almost everyone calls me Deborah, although a few shorten it to Deb. I would say that it's not a big deal, except that when I see or hear Debbie, I honestly do not think that you're talking to me. I scrolled up through the conversation to see if someone named Debbie had commented. :)

  • Katharine Norton November 30, 2016 at 9:47am

    Hi Debbie, I wanted to give some feed back on your feeding advice (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!).  THANK YOU!!  This simple tip has honestly transformed our days.  Instead of being stressed out about screaming goats, we just put food out for them all day along with leaves and they are much happier, we are much happier, the neighbours are much happier too, no doubt!!

    Thanks

    Katharine

  • Katharine Norton November 9, 2016 at 1:33am

    Good thought, thanks

  • Deborah Niemann-Boehle November 8, 2016 at 8:11pm

    Ruminants like to nibble all day long, so if that's impossible right now, it makes sense that they'd be impatient for you to feed them. Could you break up their feed into three or four smaller feedings a day? In the winter here, we have hay available most of the day. We usually give it to them in three feedings.

  • Naomi D'Andrea November 4, 2016 at 8:04pm

    Following. My daughter's goats are the same. I don't think they're hungry, they just like the evening treat. Maybe someone else will have advice for you; I have only sympathy and commiseration. :)

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