Okay, so I understand that goats have to have this 2:1 ratio. I know that Alfalfa has the calcium, but what constitutes the phosphorus? Is it the random browsing? I don't mean so appear dumb but most of the forums state facts like that but don't take in consideration that some of us don't know the specifics to make sure these goats get the right stuff :-) If giving them noble goat has the balance and you are giving them alfalfa, doesn't that throw the balance off?
Thanks
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Ahhhhhhhh gotcha... I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep giving them a little bit of the noble goat tho it won't hurt even tho I am going to be giving the alfalfa and hay and they get browse? The only grain is in the noble goat and purina goat chow.
Yes, the minerals in the Purina Goat Chow are really high because you feed much less. That is why the Noble Goat is supposed to be fed as a sole feed -- there isn't enough copper or other minerals in there to provide what a goat needs if you don't feed a lot of it and/or have a free choice mineral available to make up the difference.
And yes, Purina Goat Chow is what most people feed their milkers. As we said earlier, wethers and dry does don't need grain. If you are not giving your wether grain, then he doesn't need AC. Grain feeding is what causes urinary stones.
I have the noble goat which has the ammonium chloride for him. I looked at the ingred for the purina goat chow and wasn't impressed... the copper content was really high, some of the other ingredients were almost doubled compared to the noble goat. the purina goat mineral 25lb bag was $26.17. The feed store said the purina goat chow (after talking to purina rep) said purina goat chow is mostly for the females..
It varies from one goat feed to another, but Purina Goat Chow is one example of a goat feed that is mostly grain based.
Trish said:
so grain is something you actually have to buy that is "grain".
Alfalfa has the calcium, and grain has the phosphorus, but as I said in your other post, a wether and a dry doe don't need grain ... and as Margaret said, they don't need alfalfa either.
It is hard to know if your grass clumps are adequate. If they are completely brown, then they probably don't have a lot of nutrients in them. If they are green, they're perfect. If they are somewhere in between, then the nutrient level is probably somewhere in between. The good news, however, is that a wether and a dry doe have very little stress, so will do fine on lower quality feed, assuming you're not planning to breed the doe.
okay Margaret would grass hay be the same as the clumps of dry grass in browsing? I can't afford the cost of hay here and just found out noble goat is no longer being carried.
Don't worry Trish, you aren't the only one that feels this way! I don't know all of that myself either. I can tell you that you don't want to use only alfalfa as hay. That stuff is great but very rich. They really need some good grass hay also. In fact more regular grass hay than alfalfa. I don't know which things have what, but more grass hay than alfalfa is a better balance. Actually they should really have grass hay available free choice, meaning all they want, available at all times. DO NOT feed alfalfa that way!