scrap food question

[Betsy Burton]

We recently moved all of our chickens and now they are sharing a field with our goats for part of the day.  For years, I've been feeding my chickens scraps.   (Everything from greens, pasta, bread and squash...etc)

Should I keep my goats away from all this food?   I don't want to upset their tummies.  They're used to eating alfalfa and grass hay.

I'd appreciate any feedback.   Thanks!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

It usually lasts 24 hours or less. The poop will dry up and flake off, so you don't need to bathe them. One way you know the diarrhea has ended is that you can touch their back ends with a paper towel. If the paper towel is clean, it means the diarrhea is not fresh, so they're probably over the worst of it.

Christina said:

My Mama found the chicken scratch yesterday and had diarrhea today. How long is normal for this? Normally I don’t feed chicken scratch unless my hens stop laying, as they did, so my husband bought what I needed to jump started them laying again during the winter. Also, because of this the babies are “dirty” on their back. Is it okay to bring them into the house and bathe and dry them? Temps are to be in the 10-15 degrees in the area tonight. Should I wait until 34 degrees tomorrow?  

[Christina]

My Mama found the chicken scratch yesterday and had diarrhea today. How long is normal for this? Normally I don’t feed chicken scratch unless my hens stop laying, as they did, so my husband bought what I needed to jump started them laying again during the winter. Also, because of this the babies are “dirty” on their back. Is it okay to bring them into the house and bathe and dry them? Temps are to be in the 10-15 degrees in the area tonight. Should I wait until 34 degrees tomorrow?  

Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

If it was moldy, or if they got too much of it, that could cause diarrhea. Our biggest challenge is keeping the goats out of the chicken grain. We always think we have goat-proof storage and then somehow someone gets into it every couple months. If your goats got into your chicken grain, that would definitely cause diarrhea. We only give our chickens enough grain for them to eat in the morning, and then we open the chicken house door around noon, so they can run around. When it gets colder -- very soon -- we'll close the gate, so the goats can't get into the pasture where the chicken house is located, because the chickens will need more grain as all the earthworms and other bugs go deep into the ground and the grass dies.


Betsy Burton said:

Thanks Deborah ~ That's good news.
I may keep mine away a bit until they get used to it. (maybe break them into the scrap thing slowly) 2 goats had a bit of diarreah last night. Wasn't too bad or I would have called the vet, but I was wondering if it was from the scraps.

[Jan]

Oh my goats love smashed pumpkins and apples, apple peels and carrot peels.

[Betsy Burton]

Cool ~ Thanks.
We still have a lot of pumpkins out in the field. Looks like I just need to keep my little rascal goats out of the chicken feed and scratch!

[Betsy Burton]

Yep ~ I totally understand. A lot of my day lately is figuring out goat/chicken logistics!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

If it was moldy, or if they got too much of it, that could cause diarrhea. Our biggest challenge is keeping the goats out of the chicken grain. We always think we have goat-proof storage and then somehow someone gets into it every couple months. If your goats got into your chicken grain, that would definitely cause diarrhea. We only give our chickens enough grain for them to eat in the morning, and then we open the chicken house door around noon, so they can run around. When it gets colder -- very soon -- we'll close the gate, so the goats can't get into the pasture where the chicken house is located, because the chickens will need more grain as all the earthworms and other bugs go deep into the ground and the grass dies.


Betsy Burton said:

Thanks Deborah ~ That's good news.
I may keep mine away a bit until they get used to it. (maybe break them into the scrap thing slowly) 2 goats had a bit of diarreah last night. Wasn't too bad or I would have called the vet, but I was wondering if it was from the scraps.

[Betsy Burton]

Thanks Deborah ~ That's good news.
I may keep mine away a bit until they get used to it. (maybe break them into the scrap thing slowly) 2 goats had a bit of diarreah last night. Wasn't too bad or I would have called the vet, but I was wondering if it was from the scraps.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I have a similar set-up, and my goats ignore the scraps. That's not to say that some goat might want to try something, but nothing you mentioned would bother a goat, except maybe bread if they ate too much of it, since it's grain. Although I used to know someone who worked as a waitress, and she brought home all of the stale bread for her goats. My goats totally ignore squash, but I have a friend whose sheep LOVE pumpkins, and she grows them just for her sheep. The seeds are supposedly a natural dewormer.