Raising goats on a homestead can be a fulfilling endeavor, but it does require proper care and attention to ensure your animals stay healthy and thrive.
While this may sound obvious, one crucial aspect of goat husbandry that is actually often overlooked is proper goat nutrition. Providing the right supplements to your goats can make a significant difference in their overall well-being, ensuring they lead robust and productive lives.
In this post, we will explore the necessity of nutritional supplements, the best minerals and vitamins, the importance of salt and mineral blocks, recommended diets, seasonal dietary supplementation, and other strategies and practices we have used with our own trip of goats!
Are Nutritional Supplements Necessary For Goats
This is a great question, as many new hobby farmers tend to think their animals do not need any supplemental nutrients as long as they are out on pasture.
But nutritional supplements are indeed necessary for goats, especially if their diet lacks essential minerals and vitamins due to seasonality.
While goats primarily browse, natural forage may not always provide all the nutrients they need. Supplementing their diet with minerals and vitamins can ensure they receive a balanced nutrition, promoting healthy growth, reproduction, and disease resistance.
The Best Minerals And Vitamins For Goats
Calcium, phosphorus, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, D, and E are essential nutrients for goats.
Calcium and phosphorus aid in bone development, while copper and selenium are crucial for immune function and preventing deficiencies. Vitamins A, D, and E are vital for vision, calcium absorption, and overall health.
Note that a goat’s rumen (specifically, the bacteria within their rumen) can produce all B and C vitamins necessary, so no supplementation of these are usually needed.
Furthermore, just because goats need these minerals and vitamins doesn’t mean just any supplement contains balanced amounts of them! We suggest chatting with your vet to find a reliable and well-made supplement mix available in your area.
Do Goats Need Salt Or Mineral Blocks
Yes, goats can greatly benefit from access to salt and mineral blocks, especially in winter seasons.
Salt is essential for maintaining electrolyte balance and encouraging water consumption; goats are very easily dehydrated!
Mineral blocks, enriched with necessary minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals, can be a great boost to growing kids and lactating nannies.
We always provide our goats with a salt block and mineral block, they seem to do well with self regulation of these and we have yet to have any issues arise from free access to them!
Mineral blocks we suggest are:
- Kalmbach
- Champion
- DuMor
Proper Diet For Goats: Our Recommendations
A balanced diet is fundamental to goat health.
We believe in offering goats a variety of forage, such as grass, legumes, and woody shrubs to fulfill their natural browsing habits. We rotate their pasture on a bi-monthly basis to allow for optimal regrowth and diversity; this system has worked out well over the years.
In our experience, with access to fresh and diverse forage, our goats have met just about all their health requirements during warm weather months, it has been during cold winter months that we’ve had to hone in on supplementing their diet.
We also offer unlimited amounts of high quality hay to our goats and measured amounts of fresh veggie and fruit treats. Our goats eat more than forage some days, which we never worry about: hay offers the exact fibrous and coarse plant material that goats require to thrive!
Browse our post archive to learn about great garden fresh treats for goats!
Naturally, we are regularly assessing our goats’ behavior and body condition and adjusting their diet accordingly, adding supplements to their daily feed after chatting with our vet to ensure they neither gain nor lose weight excessively.
Seasonal Dietary Supplementation
As stated, seasonal changes impact forage quality.
During dry seasons or winter, forage is not as abundant and can lack nutrients. To compensate, we increase our supplementation with minerals and vitamins through goat-safe grains, sweet feeds, and a mineral and salt block.
Supplements For Goats To Gain Weight
If your goats need to gain weight, focus on providing energy-dense feed, rich in carbohydrates and proteins. While too many proteins can result in weight loss, a slight increase can really boost your goats weight!
Adding supplements like molasses or grain mixes to their diet is usually very helpful, but recommended and safe amounts are very specific to breed, type and age of your goat, so we suggest chatting with your local vet or animal nutritionist before altering their feed in any way!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Best Goat Supplements
What Are Injectable Vitamins For Goats?
You can fortify your goats digestive system with a water soluble, injectable B vitamin if they are experiencing slight digestive issues. However, we have never done this so I can’t speak to it. Read more about it here.
Are Herbal Supplements For Goats Safe?
In general, it is a good idea to chat with your vet before incorporating any herbal or artificial supplements in your goats diet.
As herbs are plant material, they are generally safe for goats, but it really depends on the dosage, quality, and formulation of the supplement.
Final Thoughts On Supplements For Goats
Providing the right supplements is a fundamental aspect of raising healthy and happy goats.
By understanding their nutritional needs, offering balanced diets, and adjusting supplements based on seasonal variations, you can ensure your goats lead thriving lives on your homestead.
Remember, consulting local experts and veterinarians can provide invaluable insights tailored to your specific region, ensuring your goats receive the best care possible.