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Feeding a market goat is often similar to feeding breeding
goats. They need the same minerals and vitamins as breeding
animals, but will differ in the amounts of protein and energy.
Market goat rations will provide high levels of both protein
and energy to keep them animal growing while adding body condition.
Ideal market goat weights will vary by the time of year.
They are often marketed during Christian, Muslim, or other
ethnic holidays. Goats can be finished out either in a feedlot
or on pasture. Keep in mind that pasture feeding will allow
for slower growth as compared to a feedlot.
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| Feeds for goats can be divided into several different categories:
forages, grains, protein supplements, minerals and water. Depending
on what levels of each category that you feed, you will find that
goats will gain about .25 to .5 a pound each day. You can adjust your
rations to have your goats reach a particular market weight in a specified
amount of time. |
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Forages
Goats will readily eat a variety of forages. These include pasture,
hay, haylage, and brush. Any species of forage is acceptable for
goats, although you will want to be careful of feeding a lot of
alfalfa to wethers and billies because the higher calcium levels
can lead to urinary calculi or kidney stones. Goats are very useful
in many operations for cleaning up unwanted brushy areas. Most brushy
areas will only be able to survive about 2 years with intensive
defoliation. Forages are an important part of a ruminant's ration
because the high fiber is necessary to keep the digestive system
healthy.
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Grains
Grains provide the energy portion of a ration for goats. A variety
of grains are available, with corn, oats, wheat and barley being
the most widely used. Limit the amount of wheat in the ration to
no more than 2% to prevent any digestive problems. When starting
goats on a feedlot ration, be sure to gradually introduce them to
grain. Feeding high levels of grain suddenly can cause bloating
and overeating disease. You can prevent overeating disease by vaccinating
with type C and D perfringens. This is often available in one vaccine,
along with tetanus. Any male goats that are castrated should receive
a dose of tetanus vaccine. Castration is a personal consideration
as many ethnic groups prefer to purchase intact males.
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Protein Supplements
Market goats should be fed a grain ration that runs between
14% and 18% protein. To reach these protein levels, you will
need to include some sort of protein supplement. Typical supplements
will include soybean meal, roasted soybeans, cottonseed, brewers
or distillers grains, or flour mill by-products. Beware of using
any dairy protein supplements because of the amount of copper
in the supplements. Many nutritionists still disagree over the
amount of copper required in a goat ration, but care should
still be given to overfeeding this nutrient. |
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Protein supplements such
as cottonseed (left) or roasted soybeans (right) can be used
to increase the protein level in a grain ration.
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Minerals
One of the best ways to provide minerals to a market goat is through
a commercially mixed salt and mineral mix. Be sure to purchase a
mix formulated specifically for goats. Allow goats free access to
a mineral feeder that contains the mineral mix at all times. Minerals
are especially important for helping to ensure that goats remain
healthy. These mineral mixes will often include some of the essential
vitamins for goats as well.
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Water
Water is often one of the most overlooked aspects of livestock
feeding operations. Clean, fresh water should be available at
all times for all species of livestock. Animals that have adequate
amounts of water are more likely to stay healthy as well as
have a faster growth rate. Goats will often be able to supply
all of their water needs through dew and lush pasture. However,
it is still in their best interest to have a supply of water
available to them at all times. |
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Other Feed Additives
At times you may want to include some other feed additives in a
ration to maintain the health of your goats. For herds that are
prone to urinary calculi, you can add ammonium chloride to prevent
the disease. Another common practice is to add a coccidiostat to
the ration to prevent as well as control coccidiosis. Common additives
used to prevent coccidiosis include Rumensin, Bovatec or Deccox
(decoquinate).
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Lastly, no matter what the ration, be sure to provide enough feeder
space for all the goats to eat. Plan for at least 1 foot of feeder
space for each goat. You will also want to either cover feeders
or make them high enough that the goats cannot jump into them. And,
don't forget to clean feeders and waterers on a regular basis..
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