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        • Electra
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      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
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      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
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      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
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      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Vaccine and Parasite Protocol for Our Maremma Puppies
      • Keeping Your Maremma Sheepdog Cool in Summer
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Dairy Goat Client Portal
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    • Goat Care Info
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Goat Care Articles & Links
      • Favorite Goat products
      • Supplies for Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Milking Nigerian Dwarfs versus Mini Nubians
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies, Juveniles & Adults
    • Companion Maremmas
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Maremma Questionnaire
    • Shipping Maremma Puppies
    • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Goat Store
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • 2023 Mini Nubians
    • 2023 Nigerians
    • Goat Questionnaire
    • Shipping Goats
    • Clicker Training Goats
    • Dairy Goat FAQ's
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies
  • Membership Home
    • Free Membership Sign-up
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  • Maremma Client Portal
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Vaccine and Parasite Protocol for Our Maremma Puppies
      • Keeping Your Maremma Sheepdog Cool in Summer
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Dairy Goat Client Portal
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Dairy Goats
    • Goat Care Info
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Goat Care Articles & Links
      • Favorite Goat products
      • Supplies for Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Milking Nigerian Dwarfs versus Mini Nubians
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
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Feeding our Miniature Dairy Goat Herd

8/2/2022

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We prefer to feed all of our animals as healthfully and naturally as possible. We avoid most commercial feeds because they are usually full of soy, GMO's, by-products, chemicals and other questionable ingredients. We drink the milk from our goats and eat the eggs from our chickens so we don't want this stuff passed on to us. Furthermore we want our animals to live a long and healthy life and we feel that avoiding certain feed stuffs will help them do so.All of our goats get:
  • ​Free choice dairy test alfalfa hay. We buy all of our hay once or twice a year from Marty Martinez Hay Co. We go through about 30-40 tons a year. Marty has the best quality hay in the area and buying in bulk ensures we get the best quality hay at the best prices. We never buy less than a squeeze (4-5 tons) at a time!
  • We also feed a little Orchard Grass or forage hay for variety. Forage hay is a mixture of oats, barley and beardless wheat. It’s economical to buy, the goats like it and it’s good for them but they waste a lot. Orchard Grass is great hay but very expensive in our area, so we mostly feed it to our fat ponies and feed the goats alfalfa, which they much prefer, anyway! 
  • Free choice loose minerals (NOT blocks - goats can’t lick/chew them well). We use and recommend Crafts-MIN from Grass Farmer Supply. It’s all organic, really high in Copper and Selenium, 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 Manna Pro mineral from TS. It's not well balanced and our goats wouldn’t even touch it!
  • Trimmings from our non-poisonous trees and pasture forage whenever available
Filling the hay barn once or twice a year is a big, multi-day job!The mainstays of a healthy goat diet: high quality, green, leafy hay, high quality loose minerals and forage.
Good hay should be leafy & green

Goats love trees!Additional food:Grain: 
​We don't feed much grain since goats are ruminants and get most of what they need from high our quality alfalfa (and grass or forage) hay and free choice loose Crafts-Min minerals. Roughage (hay, trees, etc), not grain, is what makes milk and keeps goats healthy, so that's the foundation of their diet, while the minerals balance everything out. We do give some grain to does on the milk stand. Our bucks don’t get any 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 commercial feed that doesn’t use a fixed formula. Therefore we feed either whole oats or rolled barley (or both) to does on the milk stand, nursing does and kids and as an occasional treat to dry does. Sometimes we add a little BOSS (Black oil sunflower seed) for variety.

​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 Supply.

​Treats:
​We use large alfalfa/grass hay pellets or Manna Pro Saddle Snacks horse treats from Tractor Supply 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! 😆 Some of our goats also enjoy things like animal crackers, raisins, apples, mandarin oranges and such. And a few will knock you down for a banana. We feed all our overripe bananas to them, peels and all. ☺️

Hay pellets

Horse treats
That’s the basis of a healthy goat diet: sweet and simple, and relatively inexpensive, when you’re only feeding a few goats, at least! 😆 And in exchange for these food we get plenty of sweet, delicious milk, adorable babies and goat kisses! 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐


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    Author

    Hi I'm Kim. I have been an avid animal lover all my life but goats and dogs are my favorites so I built a business around them, breeding registered Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats and MSCA registered Maremma Sheepdogs. I love sharing my passion and knowledge of these amazing creatures with others.

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​We are located in Lemoore, California.
Goat Info
Maremma Info
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies, Juveniles & Adults
    • Companion Maremmas
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Maremma Questionnaire
    • Shipping Maremma Puppies
    • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Goat Store
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • 2023 Mini Nubians
    • 2023 Nigerians
    • Goat Questionnaire
    • Shipping Goats
    • Clicker Training Goats
    • Dairy Goat FAQ's
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies
  • Membership Home
    • Free Membership Sign-up
    • Products & Links We Recommend
  • Maremma Client Portal
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Vaccine and Parasite Protocol for Our Maremma Puppies
      • Keeping Your Maremma Sheepdog Cool in Summer
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Dairy Goat Client Portal
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Dairy Goats
    • Goat Care Info
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Goat Care Articles & Links
      • Favorite Goat products
      • Supplies for Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Milking Nigerian Dwarfs versus Mini Nubians
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears