Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats

All of our goats get:

Free choice alfalfa hay. Some Orchard Grass or forage hay for variety.
Free choice loose minerals (NOT blocks - goats can’t lick/chew them well) - we recently began using Crafts-MIN from Grass Farmer Supply and we are already seeing great results from it! It’s all organic, really high in Copper (5000 ppm) and Selenium (120 ppm), which are very deficient where we live, and also contains Icelandic Kelp and a lot of other great ingredients. (If you can’t get CraftsMin then Sweetlix Magnum Milk or Meat Maker is our second choice and available at most feed stores. We do NOT recommend the mineral from TS. Our goats wouldn’t even touch it!)
Sweetpro Protein blocks - Cattle Kandi (225 lb blocks!) for does & kids to balance protein along with vitamins, minerals and prebiotics (we still offer Crafts-Min loose minerals). This is a SOFT block based on compressed distillers grains (no molasses) and we feel it really helps our babies grow big and strong and gives our does the boost they need for pregnancy and lactation. We used the blocks for our bucks for a while but they powered through them at an alarming rate and they don’t really need them so now we only use them for does and kids. We get them from Premier Ag in Paso Robles.
Trimmings from our non-poisonous trees

Grain:
We don't feed much grain since goats are ruminants and get most of what they need from high our quality alfalfa hay and free choice loose Crafts-Min minerals and Sweetpro blocks. Roughage (hay, trees, etc), not grain, is what makes milk and keeps goats healthy, so that's the basis of their diet, while the minerals balance everything out. We do give some grain to does on the milk stand, as well as an occasional treat/bribe for the rest. 😉 Our bucks don’t generally get grain. Grain is not good for male goats as most grains are high in phosphorus and can cause urinary calculi! Please, don’t feed your male goats grain, especially pet wethers. It can lead to a very sad end. (Alfalfa is ok for bucks and wethers as it actually helps prevent UC. Just don’t overfeed it or they can get too fat!) We have not found a need to feed our bucks grain even during breeding season because they get everything they need from alfalfa hay and CraftsMin loose minerals.

We don't like to use commercial feeds because of all the GMO's, soy, etc. We also refuse to use any feed that doesn’t use a fixed formula. We used to feed a combination of whole oats, rolled barley, alfalfa pellets and a little BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) and we really liked it. However, we now feed "Sweet Date Feed" by Palm Silage, Inc and are very happy with it. It's made of only ground palm fronds, ground dates, canola oil, wheat mids and rice bran. It's all natural and GMO-free with a protein content of 16% and fiber of 25%! It’s also very economical at $12.50 a bag. We buy a 40 bag pallet at a time, so we always have it on hand. We have been feeding Sweet Date Feed exclusively on the milk stand and as a treat for several months now and we love it and so do our goats! We also give it to our horses occasionally and they love it, as well.

Electrolytes: when it’s really hot out we give electrolytes to keep the goats hydrated, especially does in milk and young kids. Our brand of choice is Sheep and Goat BlueLite, which we get at Premier 1.

Treats: We use DuMOR grass hay pellets or Manna Pro Saddle Snacks horse treats as a treat and the goats and horses love them. If you see the goats or horses mugging my pockets they are looking for these treats! ☺️