Lactating goats, Calf manna alternatives for putting on condition?

[Our7Wonders]

Since the last several weeks of gestation I've been giving a little Calf Manna to my goaties. With me being so new to goats I was a little nervous about toxemia so I added it for extra calories. Since kidding they have dropped condition so quickly that I kept giving it. My doe that is 7 weeks post kidding is looking better - between 4 and 6 weeks she started to gain some ground. My other doe is just 4 weeks fresh so I'm hoping she'll turn the corner now too.

I read all the praises about calf manna so that was my go to choice for extra protein and calories. But today, as I was refilling my calf manna conatiner with the new bag I just bought I actually took the time to read the ingredients. I know, shame on me. I ALWAYS read the ingredients list and for whatever reason just hadn't with this. Anyway, first ingredient is soybean meal. Second ingredient is corn. Ugh. I try to avoid both of these. They don't get alot - less than a cup a day but I'd much rather find an alternative.

Crude protein on Calf Manna is 25% and the crude fat is only 3%. I was surprised at that - I really thought the fat would have been higher since many seem to use it to help their goats gain condition.

My girls currently get organic oats and organic barley (50/50) soaked overnight in ACV. About a pound at each milking. I add about 1/2 cup BOSS at each feeding too. I've been top dressing with about 1/3 cup (ish) calf manna. They have freechoice alfalfa/grass mix as well.

Any suggestions for alternatives?

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i was gonna suggest to add some BOSS.. but then i saw you did it! do you have full sized goaties? if yes they could probably take more BOSS than 1/2c.

our Debbie (full sized lamancha) went downhill pretty fast after kidding - she had trips and they just sucked the life out of her. i asked my breeder friend how to pack on the pounds and he actually suggested a handful of corn. i dont have a problem with giving it to her and its actually working. i also have been keeping her separate from the other ladies and giving more bagged food and all the hay she can stuff in... just to make sure that the bigger goats werent keeping her from the hay.

i also wormed her with a chemical wormer (first time since i've had her).

she's doing better now. just wish there was more green stuff out there and i would pick her a wheel barrel full of thistles and such.

good luck!

 

[freemotion]

If you bring that barley to the "just sprouted" stage, like a 1/16 or 1/4 inch of root showing on the grains, the protein skyrockets. Protein makes milk and muscle.....so make a rinsing bucket (drill small holes in a spare bucket so you can run water through the grains and let it drain thoroughly) and just get that barley sprouted. You can leave the oats in with it, too, and sprout those. This is how I got my critters off soy.

I can't get barley now and it shows in the condition of my all-dairy does this year. I hope to have one more trip to Maine and to be able to get one more big batch, to buy me one more year to find a more local source.

It should sprout in about 3 days this time of year. Rinse it at least once a day, twice a day if it is warm where you keep it.

 

[Our7Wonders]

Hey free, I don't have a place indoors that I can sprout conveniently - it'll have to be outdoors. I have put it off due to our weather extremes here. Now it's pretty mild, getting near 60 daily but come summer we'll be above 100 for days on end. Will I be able to sprout in that kind of heat? I can keep it in the shade, but it's gonna be hot no matter where I put it - do you think I can make sprouting work in that kinda heat?

Alternately, we get below zere at times during the winter - I knew I couldn't make sprouting work outdoors this winter. If (and that's a big IF) we can get the basement done this summer I might be able to have a workable spot come next winter.

And if you think it'll work outdoors, do I still put in a little ACV initially? Or do you just sprout 'em plain? I want the benefits of ACV for the goats so I could add it just before feeding them instead. But do I need something acidic prior to the sprouting, like when I'm soaking for phytic acid?

 

[Our7Wonders]

i was gonna suggest to add some BOSS.. but then i saw you did it! do you have full sized goaties? if yes they could probably take more BOSS than 1/2c.

The 1/2 cup is twice daily, so it's actually about 1 cup that their getting each. I don't mind going up on BOSS if it would benefit them, I thought I read somewhere not to give too much BOSS, but then, I don't know how much too much is. Anyone know?

 

[freemotion]

I was incapacitated for much of this winter/spring so I did my sprouting in my kitchen instead of in my cellar. Couldn't haul it up and down the stairs for a while. I just put the bucket in my sink or tub to rinse and drain it, then set it on a tray to catch the drips over by the back door. Two buckets going, usually, one soaking and one draining. I feed it to the goats and it is the poultry's breakfast.

This wouldn't work for a lot of animals, but a 2-3 gallons of grain is not a problem for me.

You would have to experiment on the outdoor sprouting. I would watch closely for mold and slime. Grasses prefer cooler temps for sprouting, but you'll have to see what happens in your neck of the woods.

You don't need to use the ACV, but it may speed the sprouting up a bit. Once a seed sprouts, that is evidence that the phytates are neutralized. The phytates are germination inhibitors.

I'm guessing you don't have a cellar or basement or the like?

 

[Our7Wonders]

I have a basement, but completely unfinished - no plumbing there yet. I might be able to put them on a tray in there and haul it outside to do the rinsing.

It has to be semi-convenient for me to be able to work it into my day - if my daily duties become too complicated I get overwhelmed and then something gives - usually me, in a big melt down. I've had to learn my limitations. I'm going to give it a try - if I can keep it simple I think I can make it work.

 

[freemotion]

Use buckets, not trays....you are not trying to get it to the green stage or almost there like you would with sprouts that you would eat. It is just a little sprouted, to increase protein.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I am feeding a 16% dairy feed with just over 3% fat, plus alfalfa hay, BOSS, and sometimes alfalfa pellets. I started adding a glug of corn oil to her feed to increase the fat a little. I asked on a dairy goat forum about switching to a higher fat feed, and they cautioned against giving too much fat (or too many carbs) which can lead to high amounts of abdominal fat in the goat. They recommended wheat bran (which I used last year), rice bran, or beet pulp. I think I'm going to try the beet pulp this year, since I think the wheat bran was a little slow to work last year. And I know you don't want to use corn, but it's really good at increasing body weight. There are the same dangers of using it as any other concentrated feed source (like oats or barley), so as long as you feed it properly you'll be fine. (Unless you're just against corn because it's corn). LOL