Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Proper nutrition is crucial to successful goat farming. Milk production and pregnancy put
heavy demands on a goat's body that must be met with good nutrition. There are various
schools of thought regarding the feeding of goats, from complete control of the diet to allow-
ing free pasture grazing. Goats naturally prefer foraging, but climate and the shortage of suffi-
cient pasture usually make it necessary to feed the goats at least some additional hay and
grain. Most small-scale goat farmers settle on a combination of the two. Because no two
farms and no two pastures are exactly alike, working out the best feeding program for your
goats takes trial and error, as well as practice.
The challenge for a goat farmer is providing the necessary nutrition for each goat with the
least expense. The availability of good natural forage changes with the seasons and the weath-
er. If natural forage or hay do not provide adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, miner-
als, and vitamins, purchase grain rations and supplements to compensate for the lack of nutri-
ents. Good quality hay means less expensive grain rations. Pregnant and lactating does have
greater nutritional needs than dry does or bucks. It is wasteful to provide more nutrition than a
goat needs, but inadequate nutrition results in lower milk production and poor health.
Goats are more like gazelles and antelopes: they eat less food but select the most nourishing
parts of a plant, such as young shoots, tender leaves, and small blossoms from among grasses,
shrubs, and trees. When goats are consuming large amounts of lush green grass, they are not
necessarily acquiring all the nutrients they need for optimum health and milk production.
Goats that graze freely in pastures may still require grain and nutritional supplements to keep
them in good health.
Calculating your goats' nutritional needs
Goats need energy — referred to as TDN (total digestible nutrients) or ENE (estimated net en-
ergy) — protein, minerals, vitamins, and water. Energy needs vary with a goat's size, age, and
maturity; whether it is pregnant or lactating; weather conditions; the amount of stress it is sub-
jected to; and the nutritional elements in the rest of the goat's diet. Milkers need a sufficient
quantity of energy to continue producing large quantities of milk and maintain their body
weight. A doe that receives insufficient nutritional energy may go into heat late, and her new-
born kids may be weak. Overfeeding nutritional energy causes the accumulation of body fat,
may inhibit fertility, and endangers the health of a doe during kidding.
