I have a trace mineral salt block and I was wondering should I get loose mineral for my two goats.
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I have a trace mineral salt block and I was wondering should I get loose mineral for my two goats.
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yes
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Are you planning to breed them?
Sophia A Heimberg said:
They are two does
If you picked up one of the trace mineral salt blocks for all livestock at the feed store, it doesn't have enough minerals in it for goats. They usually only have 7-8 things. If your goats are just wethers, it should be fine because their nutritional needs are very minimal. If these are breeding animals, however, you should try to find a goat mineral for them. And as others have said, the loose mineral is best.
Loose minerals should be your first choice, IMO. The salt in the mineral blocks make them wrong for a lot of reasons. My goats use "less" minerals on loose mineral free choice, but the content of what they are getting us much better quality, and they don't have to eat a ton of salt to get the levels they need. (like they do with the blocks)
I've heard of a number of people who've gotten the blocks, and then because they didn't seem to be getting the minerals off of it as they should, have done just that. I'm not sure how well it works, but it might help until you can get some loose minerals.
I just got a new goat specific block. I'm wondering now if perhaps I should break off smaller chunks for them, for easier consumption.
Yes, that would be a very good idea. Goats don't have the rough tongues that help them get the minerals off of a block. They often use their teeth to break off chunks of mineral from a block if they're desperate, and can damage their teeth. They never really manage to get enough minerals off of a block.