By Theresa Gibilisco, owner, The Hungry Puppy
Goat people ask for "sweet feed" the way horse people ask for "grain." It usually means "the bag my goats come running for." On our pallets, that's one of two Nutrena Country Feeds goat feeds, and they're built for different jobs. One is a sweet feed. The other is a medicated pellet. Picking the wrong one for the wrong goat can matter, especially if you're milking.
Bag one: Nutrena Country Feeds 17% Textured Goat Feed
Nutrena Country Feeds 17% Textured Goat Feed is the true sweet feed. It's a fortified textured feed for dairy and meat goats, and it's not medicated. It has 17% protein, added vitamins and minerals, copper at goat levels, and ammonium chloride to support a healthy urinary tract.
The label covers starting, growing, breeding and lactating goats:
- Kids: start at about 1% of body weight a day (around a quarter pound) and work up to 3% (around three quarters of a pound) over two to three weeks, with free choice hay at first.
- Breeding and milking does: feed to hold body condition, about 1 lb of feed per 3 to 4 lb of milk produced.
- Grown goats: the label says not to let this feed go over 50% of the total diet on a dry matter basis. Hay and browse should be the rest.
The label also says, in capital letters, that it contains supplemental copper and should not be fed to sheep. If you keep sheep with your goats, feed them separately.
Bag two: Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Pelleted Goat Feed, Medicated
Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Pelleted Goat Feed Medicated is a palatable pellet made to get early weaned kids eating and growing. It's fortified, includes ammonium chloride, and contains Deccox (decoquinate) to help prevent coccidiosis in young goats.
The decoquinate label gives the dose as 22.7 mg per 100 lb of body weight per day, fed for at least 28 days during periods of exposure or when experience tells you coccidiosis is likely to be a problem. On this feed, that works out to about 1.67 lb of pellets per 100 lb of body weight a day, along with good hay or pasture.
The big caution: the decoquinate label says not to feed it to goats producing milk for human consumption. If you drink your does' milk, make cheese or sell milk, this is not the feed for your milkers.
The medicated pellet helps prevent coccidiosis. It isn't a treatment for kids who are already sick. Scours, a kid going off feed or one that looks dull and hunched needs your vet, and fast. Our post on sheep and goat parasite control covers the bigger picture.
Which goat gets which bag?
| Goat | Usually a fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Early weaned kids | 16% Medicated Pellet | Built for young kids, with coccidiosis prevention |
| Growing kids not on medicated feed | 17% Textured | Labeled as a sole ration for growing kids |
| Milking does (milk for your table) | 17% Textured | Not medicated, and labeled for lactating does |
| Pregnant does | 17% Textured, fed to condition | Labeled for breeding goats |
| Wethers and pet goats | Mostly hay, with a small amount of a goat feed that has ammonium chloride | Urinary stones are the bigger risk for them |
The urinary stone talk every wether owner should have
If you have male goats, especially wethers kept as pets, this section matters more than the sweet feed question.
Urinary stones (urinary calculi) can block a male goat's urethra. The University of Maryland Extension calls it primarily a nutritional disease, and males are at the highest risk, especially pet males and show wethers on high grain, low roughage diets. Wethers castrated before puberty are at even higher risk, because the urethra doesn't fully develop.
What Maryland's extension recommends:
- Forage first. Hay or grass should be most of the diet, with grain fed in moderation.
- Watch the balance. Aim for about 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus in the total diet. Grain heavy diets tend to run high in phosphorus.
- Ammonium chloride helps prevent stones. It lowers urine pH. Goats don't like the taste, so it works best mixed into feed, which is why both of our goat feeds include it.
- Water, water, water. Fresh, clean and ice free in winter. Free choice salt encourages drinking.
Know the signs. A male goat that strains or postures to pee with little or nothing coming out, cries, goes off feed, or seems "constipated" may be blocked. That's an emergency. A blocked goat can die if the bladder ruptures. Call your vet right away. Feed choices help lower the risk, but nothing in a bag treats a blockage.
Too much grain, too fast
Sweet feed smells great to a goat, and a goat who gets into an open bag can eat herself sick. Oklahoma State's extension explains that grain overload happens when the rumen turns too acidic from too much rich feed at once. It often follows a sudden jump in grain or a goat finding an open bag. Their advice is to introduce concentrates gradually, ideally over two to three weeks, and to split bigger amounts into several feedings. Signs include going off feed, bloating, no cud chewing, diarrhea and wobbliness. That's a call to the vet too. Keep feed in a closed bin your goats can't open (and they will try).
Before you reach for the scoop this fall and winter
When the pasture quits in November, a lot of goat owners reach for more sweet feed. Most of the time the answer is better hay, not more grain. Here's what I'd check first:
- The hay itself. Pull a flake apart. It should smell clean and feel dry, with no mold and no cloud of dust. Bad hay doesn't get better sitting in the feeder.
- The feeder. Goats pull hay down and walk on it, and a lot of the winter hay budget ends up as bedding. A rack set up off the ground cuts the waste. Make sure there's enough room that the shy goat isn't standing at the back getting nothing.
- Your hands, not your eyes. A winter coat hides weight loss. Run your hands over each goat's ribs and backbone every week or two and jot down what you feel.
- Water. Goats drink less when the water is icy or stale. Check buckets morning and evening, and if you use a heater, keep the cord where nobody can chew it.
- Minerals. Use a mineral made for goats and keep it dry. I like a loose mineral in a covered feeder better than a block alone, because intake from a hard block can be hit or miss.
If a goat is still losing condition on good hay and the right amount of feed, call your vet before you add more grain. Parasites, teeth and other health problems can look like a feeding problem, and extra grain only hides them for a while.
Goat feed questions
Is sweet feed bad for goats?
Not when it's a goat feed fed at the right amount. Problems come from too much grain, too little hay, and feeds that aren't balanced for goats. Keep hay as the base of the diet and follow the label.
Can I feed horse sweet feed to my goats?
I wouldn't make it the plan. Goat feeds are balanced for goats, including copper levels and ammonium chloride for urinary health. If your goats share a barn with horses, keep each on its own feed.
How long do kids stay on the medicated pellet?
The decoquinate label says at least 28 days during periods of exposure, or when experience shows coccidiosis is likely. Your vet can help you decide when your kids are past the risky stage.
Can sheep eat goat feed?
Not the 17% Textured. Its label says outright not to feed it to sheep because of the added copper. Keep sheep on a sheep feed, and ask us before mixing species on one bag.
Delivered to the barn
Both goat feeds are in our livestock feed collection, along with feeds for sheep, rabbits, llamas, alpacas and pigs. Our own trucks bring them to your barn Tuesday through Friday on your town's route day, free with a $20 minimum, and our drivers carry the 50 lb bags. See our farm feed delivery page or call 732-938-4470.