My goats get really excited around food. I step outside in the morning and they immediately start yelling for food. They jump up on the gate and almost knock me over just because they know I have charge of the feed bucket. They always lick their buckets long after they are finished, hoping to get another sweet morsel of food. They fight each other when I bring out the compost scraps. Yes, they like food.
Here is how I fill my goats' tummies:
Every morning, the goats get their individual grain rations. The goats also get free-choice hay made up of local natural grasses. Since this hay doesn't have as many nutrients as alfalfa, I supplement with beet pulp sheds and alfalfa pellets during their evening meal.
The goats get a big scoop of beet pulp. Beet pulp serves as "carbs" for the goats. It helps them maintain their body weight. The type I purchase is sweetened with molasses, so they think that is really neat!
The goats also get some alfalfa pellets for protein.
Every couple of days, I give them a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is good for so many things, including fighting worms and getting the goats ready for kidding! Thankfully, the goats don't mind it in their food despite it's strong flavor.
I pour water on all this in the morning and let it soak. The beet pulp especially likes to absorb liquid. If you put it dry into a goat tummy, it would absorb lots of the liquid out. Yikes!
In the evening, this is what the soaked mixture looks like.
We throw some more grain on top...and take it to the goat pen.
Yum! Edna likes to lick her lips after eating her yummy supper!
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