Goats need a carefully balanced diet of high-quality hay, grass, browsings, and additional supplements. They are natural grazers and their systems are meant to digest shrubs, weeds, small tree branches, bark, leaves, and some grasses. Here are some things to remember about feeding goats:
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Hay: Goats need long, fibrous food, which they need for their rumen to work efficiently at digesting. Hay can be grass or a legume, like clover or alfalfa.
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Supplementary foods: Goats need a mineral salt lick to supplement their diet. Concentrates can be given to growing or milking goats, or when additional forage is in short supply. The diet of bulk foods can be supplemented with a ration of concentrates.
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Cleanliness: Clean their food dispensers regularly.
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Water: Goats need a constant supply of clean, fresh drinking water. Remember to clean their drinkers or bowls regularly, and remove ice during the winter (never use chemicals to do this) .
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Treats: Some fruits and vegetables are not a good choice for goats. Consult your veterinarian for a list of safe treat choices. Treats should be given in small amounts. Any time you introduce a new food, do so gradually so that it doesn’t upset their tummies.
Its important to note that goats dont cope well with sudden changes to their diet, so its best to avoid changing their food suddenly. Additionally, goats are browsing, not grazing, animals, so they prefer not to eat anything thats been on the floor. You can use hayracks with a lid, positioned at a height where the hay cant be fouled, but never use hay nets, as goats can become dangerously entangled in them.
