Dang picky goats! Won't eat their Purina

[savingdogs]

Well I sent Hubby to the feed store without me and he decides to stock up on animal food. So he buys goat grain, which we needed, but a different brand.

I must say, we have been feeding a "general livestock" grain because we had a hard time finding anything labeled for goats. Well Hubby found Purina Goat Chow at our favorite feed store and picked up two bags. Two of our girls are preggy so we would like to feed them something designed for goats!

So I introduce a little with their old grain to phase them over. They have been getting a grain mixed with alfalfa pellets and usually gobble every bit down.

They really don't like it with the new stuff mixed in, even a little. They drop it from their mouths. They try to pick out the alfalfa pellets if they can and get disinterested and walk away, or ask me for something to eat.

The stuff smells sweet and good, the bag is fresh. It is just different than they are used to. This looks much sweeter, for one. They did have a couple of different brands already, but none were more pelleted.
I don't know what to do....keep trying to sneak a little in? The other grain bag is getting low and I don't want to buy more of that one! It isn't even for goats in particular, it has a picture of goats, cows and sheep on the side!

 

[justusnak]

I recently had the same issues, with my pygmy goats. Who ever said goats will eat anything, didnt raise goats! LOL It took several days to get mine to finally conform to the new feed. Just keep it out there for them, they will eat it, eventually.

 

[FarmerChick]

yea don't even mix it
if you are going to get them to eat this, just give them a tiny bit in the feed bowl...let them get used to it. Takes about 3-4 days for them to kick in and realize it is good food haha

my baby goats are funny cause they get only pellet feed in fall etc....but come winter I throw in a little sweet feed. of course the does jump on it cause they love the taste, the babies who never tried it, they go crazy flipping it out of their mouths...lol

but they grow to love it!

edited to say---yes goats are a pain in the butt for real!

 

[Javamama]

I was so prepared for this picky goat thing - but it turns out I got a pair of Hoovers who readily suck down anything they get near. I caught them eating cardboard this week. I have no idea where it came from but I think it blew into their pen from the storm.

Anyway, this is what I do and I don't know if it would help you - I started feeding them "treats" from a special bowl once a day. Actually it's a Chinese takeout soup container They each have their own, and I hand feed them. They will inhale anything that comes to them in these bowls. They are so into the competitive eating thing right now that I could probably put dirt in the bowl and they wouldn't notice. So they take their herbs and supplements without noticing. This works well for 2 goats. I don't know what I'll do when I have more

 

[lwheelr]

My goats were undernourished when I got them, so they gobble anything. But I still introduce new things slowly, so they don't end up having gas problems.

We started out using the general livestock feed - probably the same one you are using. They did ok on that, but we now mix our own from whole grain mixes, and they are doing even better with that.

Our neighbor who also raises goats says that his goats are picky, and he just keeps offering the new thing mixed with their current feed in small amounts until they take it, then he increases the amount.

 

[savingdogs]

Mine normally inhale anything I put into their grain buckets, just like you said, Java, so that is why I was so surprised.

The only one who will eat it is my wether....who is the one who doesn't need it.......grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

These same goats will eat the paint peeling off of the side of their shed if I let them, so I was really surprised. Maybe I'll just keep offering it. I do think the difference is that this is sweet feed and before it wasn't.

I'm surprised however because they usually like sweet flavors. Berries are one of their favorites. I guess they are just trying to keep our life interesting, but they are GONNA eat this food!

 

[Wifezilla]

Maybe the goats aren't stubborn. If it is a sweet feed that means it is higher in carbohydrates, right? Maybe they need more protein and giving them this sweet feed is displacing needed protein and making them not feel very well. Just a thought.

 

[Javamama]

Hmmm, very odd indeed. Maybe they detect something off about it? Maybe you should check it for mold?

 

[savingdogs]

I was thinking the same thing, but it smells very good, looks fresh, and my chickens have gobbled up everything that spilled and thought it was ambrosia. When I sniff the bag the smell is actually quite appealing to me. This stuff came from the big town where things fly off the shelf whereas the pellets came from the local place where things move slow. And the wether likes it.

Just not the two that it was intended for. I will say, the wether has always been the least picky eater and likes apple slices and animal crackers and raisins whereas the other two have never liked sweet treats. I think that is what is throwing them off. I think they are just being picky. I should think everyone likes sweet!

Wifezilla the pelleted grain they were eating was only 12 percent protein whereas the Purina is 16. I was proud of Hubby picking what I asked for, designed for goat and it happened to be higher protein. I usually do the research and he does the shopping! Only I guess we should have had the goats along to taste test.

 

[Blackbird]

Yup, goats do this often when it comes to new feed. They'll get hungry enough, eventually.
Our normal feed had an obvious ingredient change and the girls went off grain for a couple days their their production plummeted - nothing we could do about it.