Goats are full of personality and make awesome pets. However, they are often treated the same as sheep which can cause a few issues. We are often called out to see sick goats who have eaten something that they shouldn’t have or have developed health issues because of what they are eating. Here is some food for thought around what to feed goats.
How have they evolved?
Goats are ruminants like sheep and cattle but are classified as browsers, which means that instead of mostly eating grass, they will choose to also snack on a variety of plants, bushes and trees. Due to this browsing habit, goats have not developed as effective an immune response against parasites found on pasture, which means that even adult goats can develop significant worm burdens, particularly if fed grass only. Faecal egg counts are a great tool to check whether your adult goat needs a drench, however we cannot rely on drenching as they only way of controlling worm burden in goats.
Fibre is their friend
As with all ruminants, fibre should be their main source of energy. Good quality hay is suitable to feed to goats all year round and is a great alternative to grass to help reduce the number of worms they are picking up. Feeding it in hay racks off the ground is preferred, as they are less likely to get tangled in a rack opposed to hay nets and goats also prefer their food to be off the ground where it can’t get trampled.
Supplementary feeds
Goats can be fed commercial pellets to supplement their diets and to provide them with vitamins and minerals. There are several different pellets, mineral blocks and supplements on the market for goats and there are also diets which are higher in protein and energy for dairy goats. If you are not feeding pellets, giving the goats access to a mineral mix/block is important for helping to prevent trace mineral deficiencies.
Make sure to introduce new feeds gradually as goats do not like sudden dietary changes and take care not to over-feed with concentrates.
Myth buster
Goats know what they can and can’t eat, right? This is a common misconception amongst goat owners. Goats will eat poisonous plants, especially if other options are not available or are unpalatable. Ensure that goats cannot access gardens or reach over the fence and if in doubt about whether something is poisonous, do not feed it. Some examples of plants that goats can eat include willow, tree lucerne, flax, some fruit trees/bushes (like feijoas).
