# I Made A Switch



## Terry (Oct 27, 2007)

and boy I'm glad I did.

I fed my goats a grain mix last year of oats, barley, boss, and calf manna. I didn't feel that they looked as good as they could have or they milked as well as they should have.

This year I changed them over to a 16% pelleted feed, wow at the difference. They look great and are milking fools. dance:

Terry


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2009)

:yeahthat

ME TOO!!!!

Finally my goats are getting balanced diet that provides the energy and protein they need :biggrin I have heavy milking lines and they just could not consume enough of the old mix to do well.

Christy


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2009)

What kind are you using?

We are going to give Wendlends (sp) a try to see if it works better for us.


----------



## Terry (Oct 27, 2007)

ADM 16% Dairy Goat Pellet


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2009)

16% custom milled dairy ration top dressed with SBM.

Christy


----------



## Guest (May 14, 2009)

Wonderful Terry! It certainly makes a difference doesn't it?

I also feed a 16% protein ration top dressed with SBM as necessary (I track MUN on my DHIR records).

Sara


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

I switched to a 16% as well & mine are milking more then ever.


----------



## Terry (Oct 27, 2007)

It sure does Sara. I'm amazed at the difference.
Terry


----------



## dvm-mommy (Feb 5, 2009)

We use ADM 16% pelleted too  (about 2 pounds per head per day for the milkers along with their alfalfa pellets)
No complaints here on our milk production  ...and we weigh milk from each twice a day. Now if I could just get Sasha to come fully around... :sigh 

Never used any different so can't say "oh wow..what a difference"...but so glad it has helped you!

We like the ADM line of feed. 
We also feed their 18% pelleted to our growing kids..they do well on it also.


----------



## Tricia (Oct 26, 2007)

SBM is?


----------



## shawhee (Jun 28, 2008)

Soybean Meal


----------



## Terry (Oct 27, 2007)

SBM= Soy Bean Meal

I also use the 18% on my bucks and my growing kids. Love it.


----------



## Tricia (Oct 26, 2007)

Terry, Shawna -- Thank you!


----------



## Belle (Oct 26, 2007)

I wish my regular feed store carried ADM products but they don't, isn't that the same thing Autumn uses?


----------



## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep that is the same thing I use. GREAT STUFF!!!!


----------



## Terry (Oct 27, 2007)

Yep same thing she uses. Thank you Autumn my goats look great.


----------



## Sheryls Brat (Mar 28, 2009)

They times when we've had our girls on a 16% Mare & Foal Ration that is pelleted they've looked great but when it went up to almost 10.50 a bag we had to switch to something else.. But now that we've cut down to 6 does, 1 buck and 2doelings we might switch back... Of course around here you gotta pick n choose lol 6 different feed stores and they all have a different price on the same bag of feed :rofl now if I could just get the yearling does to stop playing in the water trough!


----------



## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

I've been hearing a lot of good things about the ADM pellets lately...might be time to give them a try. Right now I have a custom mix using ADM 36% dairy goat pellets and they are doing great...but with only 3 milkers it's hardly worth mixing up the big batch.


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

I don't feed a pelleted grain still use my grain mix but I have upped my protien with SBM to 17 to 18 % and the goats are milking fools here now. in fact almost double the production they have had in past years. I still like to know exactly what is in my mix is why I stick with mixing my own grains.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I fed my goats a grain mix last year of oats, barley, boss, and calf manna. I didn't feel that they looked as good as they could have or they milked as well as they should have.

This year I changed them over to a 16% pelleted feed, wow at the difference.
...................................

What I don't get is, the 16% pelleted ration I am moving to is the exact same 16% protein, corn, oats, barley, soy, minerals, alfalfa meal that was used as the dry mix I have used forever, just pelleted. So how can moving from grains that you mixed to 16% and now use a pelleted grain that is 16% (which hopefully you know the ingredients of how it's mixed and it's not byproducts) be such a secret bullet.

But 16% is 16% I would hope your pelleted ration contains the same superior grains in it that you were feeding before??

I am switching because of cost, I can get this pelleted ration for less than I can mix my allgrain diet anymore, and it's less than the drymix the horse farm near me used with me adding more protein from soy. Alfalfa pellets just went down under $10 also. Diesel is now cheaper than gasoline, so my life is good.

Vicki


----------



## dvm-mommy (Feb 5, 2009)

Welll...not the original poster, BUT perhaps because if anything like *my* snotty girls, they picked out what they wanted (the stuff not so high in protein) and wasted the rest (despite things I would do to make them not waste it)...and the net mean protein they got was soemthing a lot less than the 16%. 

So yes, while 16% is 16%...if they don't ingest it, does no good!

JMO.

And oh what I wouldn't do for 10 dollars a bag for alfalfa pellets...the cheapest I can get it here is 12.99. 
:sigh


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Well for me last year useing basically the same mix Terry was the calf mana wasn't doing it but the SBM has really upped the %


----------



## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

Vicki~ the corn, oats, barley..whatever...just does not add up to 16% protein unless you add SBM in whatever amount it might be needed. As long as you are feeding a guaranteed 16% feed then yeah it is the same no matter if it is pelleted or mixed grains.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Calf manna is a soybean meal pellet. Vicki


----------



## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

I know Calf manna is a soybean meal pellet but if not adding enough of it, it will still not add up to 16% in the end..


----------



## D Bar J Acres (Nov 5, 2007)

I don't think Calf Manna is all it's cracked up to be. I went to straight oats with calf manna mixed to be at 15% protein last fall and now my girls look like crap and these are nigerians - easy keepers! I've gone to a 16% goat pellet made locally with "locked" ingredients last week and they are licking the bowl clean. It's costing me more (I can get oats from my parents for $4/50 lbs) but hopefully worth it.


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Wow, I switched to the ADM 16% Dairy Goat pellet too! My goats really like it, and yes, I noticed a slight increase in their milk. OTOH, my chickens do NOT like the ADM layer feed. At all. Which is kind of a bummer because I have to shop at different feed stores for different things and I'd prefer one stop shopping.


----------



## Guest (May 15, 2009)

Calf Manna is just 26% protien, where SBM is 48%.

Also, SBM is the only from of protien that has all equal levels of the amino acid family.

Ken


----------



## Tim Pruitt (Oct 26, 2007)

I use a 16% pelleted feed. Not all feeds are created equal however. My goats have done well on what I am feeding.


----------



## Jennie (May 7, 2008)

Same here, switched to a dairy 16%.


----------



## judyvansmith (Apr 2, 2008)

I use the ADM 16% Dairy goat for the does & buck and the ADM 18% for the kids. It is giving me nice healthy goats & kids. I have good pasture, alfalfa and grass hay. I am very happy with the ADM.


----------



## Sheryl (Oct 27, 2007)

Okay I don't guess I've ever heard of ADM. Is it a feed here in Texas?

Sheryl


----------



## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

ADM is getting out more and more. They were a company that never really pushed their feeds. But with more and more success they are getting out so if you contacted them they would probably come to Texas to set up dealers. 
I have personally talked with their nutritionist, he is forever learning and is absolutely open to opinions and such. Go to www.admani.com it is absolutely AWESOME feed!!!!

I use 16% dairy goat power for does, 18% medicated alfalfa based meat goat power for kids, 14% medicated/ammonium chloride feed for the boys.


----------



## KingsCoGoatGuy (Dec 20, 2008)

I would love to find a bag of alfalfa pellets for under $18.99...


----------



## megan (Nov 10, 2008)

I also feed a 16% dairy goat pellet and love it.
but.... mine comes from Land O Lakes / Purina
I work for them. 
and I use the medicated kid pellets when it is time and a show feed for my bucks around breeding season. The joys of working at a feed mill.
but my alfalfa pellets are over $12 a bag and that is a wholesale price.


----------



## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

Quick question, how do you know your protein sorce if you mix whole grains?


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

test and add up the percentages


----------



## shawhee (Jun 28, 2008)

Yes you can get ADM here in Texas! I used to feed my horses Patriot by ADM (when daughter and I were rodeoing - they are not working so dont get it now :sigh) Mitch at Master Made in Grapevine will order it in. But it is just over $16.00 a bag!! I guess that has to do with the shipping, as I know some people on the board and just a few states away are paying $11.00 a bag. So oh well there goes that idea. I a m on a 16% as well.


----------



## Sheryl (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks Shawana, but don't think I can afford that right now. But at least I know I CAN get it here if I want. :biggrin

Sheryl


----------



## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

Sondra said:


> test and add up the percentages


Sondra have you added up your custom mix what is your percent protein? Also, if they are fc alfalfa pellets how does that impact their total consumption of protein...Don't like soy, won't do it.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Linda if you look at horse feeds in your feed dealers books, they have 16% protein sweet feeds, dry mixes (same menued feed minus the molassas) and 16% extruded pellets (same menued feed usually has some dried molassas and it's fat is usually higer due to the oil they use for the extruding process. You will have a hunt on trying to find anything that is higher in protein than the 11% barley, 12% oats and 8% corn and alfalfa meal, that doesn't have it's protein raised via soy. I would rather see soy than cottonseed meal.

I have used the same feed dealer for years, he is just 8 miles from my house and living at the dead end of a dirt road in nowhere East Texas having a feed dealer 8 miles away is a feat ontoitself. So I use what I can. Last several years it' been dry mixes which I mix in soy (some of my does won't eat the pelleted soy calfmanna knock offs, and others won't touch soybeanmeal) others won't eat the alfalfa pellets in the feed because they get alfalfa free chocie in the barns...I could get this mix for under $9 per 50 because it was being fed at a horse farm near me. Now the mix is pelletized because of sorting at the horse farm. So I am moving to it pelletized and it's fresh (something we worry about here with anything with molassas because of our heat).

Here our choices of proteins are soy, cottonseed meal and fish and feather meal. I choose the soy. With a goats metabolisim there is simply no way soy is in the milk for anyone allergic to have a problem.

If you can get the protein of your alfalfa higher than the 17% minimums we can here in pellets, upping the protein in your grain is a moot point. Vicki


----------



## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I switched to a pellet this year too, and I don't know if that's what made the difference or not, but my two heaviest milkers are up from 8 and 12 pounds per day last year to 13/15 and 14/16 pounds per day this year. They really started increasing even before the switch, so I can't say it's the pellet for sure. I'm wondering if, all other things being equal, if the pellet is more highly digestable than whole grains? I did not switch to get more milk, I switched to try and get more weight on some of my does that I want to show and appraise. I know they are dairy animals, but I really don't like to see so many bones. I also copper bolused...after the grain switch. Of course, we increased in milk last year too this time of year when the grass came in so good, which is also happening at our place right now, but it was not so drastic. My FF doe that just surprisingly kidded this week looks so much better than the other does after they kidded, weight-wise. She had been getting as much grain as she wanted twice a day while I was milking. Her baby was small, about 5 pounds, but she's a smaller stature doe, and she's got lots of milk...and there were absolutely no problems with this birth at all. She didn't even look like she'd just kidded. She just really bounced right back. I was so happy. I just wish the stores that carry my pellets didn't close at 5pm or 12pm on Sat. It makes it tricky to get feed if I have to work late, or work on Sat.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

I would like to know if those of you that use the ADM 16% and other high protein pelleted feeds are talking about just in the milk stand or for night ration too? 
I was feeding Dairy Goat Power 16% on the milkstand and alfalfa at night and my girls stopped going out to graze until about 10:30 or 11am and then wanted back in by mid afternoon. Part of their job around here is to keep the jungle back a bit and they were so satisfied with that high protein feed they did not work very hard at the roughage part of their diet.

They did milk like crazy but were very 'dairy' looking - actually skinny-mini is a better word for it so I pulled them off of that and got a custom mix of grain only. They are picking up and getting this 12% all grain both feedings. We have mixed grass with vetch and clover- fertilized rye- and browse and I expect them to get after it!
Not pushing for milk totals and want some flesh on them.

I too liked the idea of a pelleted product but not the results and the nutritionist was very helpful.
They have a 12% formula as well but have to special order a bulk amt and no one to share it with. The nutritionist also told me the mix is almost 10% molasses (3 years ago) and that put me off a bit.
The nutrition in the pelleted ration is so available so readily it shut their appetites off. It was my opinion that the fiber ratio in the pellet was too low.
Lee


----------



## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

I look at this way...I just shaved all my goats and I am so impressed with how they look  I can't judge lactations either, because as a rule they usually give more milk with each freshening...their 4th freshening being their "best and biggest." So I can't say otherwise. I can't look back and say well they milked this last year, it isn't the same...less kids...less milk...their bodies I think produce realtive to the number of kids they have. I followed Sondra's "recipe" to a "T." I love the way my goats are doing. They look wonderful following the rules in GK 101 for feeding when they are preggers, etc. They may not milk like some, but I'm satisfied and I know exactly what they are getting.


----------



## Ravens Haven (Oct 26, 2007)

My girls get 16% ADM pellet twice a day and alfalfa hay twice a day freechoice grass hay and all the browse they choose to eat.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Lee mine get grain on the milkstand twice a day, in the barns is their alfalfa pellets, minerals, grass hay and water. Mine are out in the pasture and woods alot.

When you do have good pastures, and good understory plants for your goats, their grain on the milkstand does become of little consequence. I am very pleased with how my goats look, all my kids are well grown easily bred the first year to freshen as young yearlings, be it on a dry mix or not. I do think the roughage they get from browse is a huge consideration, I never really took it into account until helping others start in my area who do not have browse. Vicki


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2007)

"Here our choices of proteins are soy, cottonseed meal and fish and feather meal. I choose the soy. With a goats metabolisim there is simply no way soy is in the milk for anyone allergic to have a problem."

We have a nephew who is extremely allergic (autisic like behavior as well as health problems) to soy and he reacted to our milk when we had the girls on a sweetfeed that had soy in it. That was about 4 years ago.


----------



## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> "Here our choices of proteins are soy, cottonseed meal and fish and feather meal. I choose the soy. With a goats metabolisim there is simply no way soy is in the milk for anyone allergic to have a problem."
> 
> We have a nephew who is extremely allergic (autisic like behavior as well as health problems) to soy and he reacted to our milk when we had the girls on a sweetfeed that had soy in it. That was about 4 years ago.


I would love to have the money to some how test this.... but with weeds, sweet feeds, drugs and such traceable in milk and affecting the flavor how can you be sure soy is not passed through the milk. For sure it does in human breast milk and in cow's milk.
If you don't have soy allergies than that is awesome. It certainly is easier to feed your animals and eat in general. I just hate to see little kids deprived of the benefits of milk and dairy all their lives and families struggle to know what to eat when it is really a modern day soy or corn reaction and not dairy, eggs, and meat at all. I know it is just anecdotal evidence, but I've first-hand seen it work in several families.


----------



## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

Thanks to all who have commented on ADM feeds. I've used it for my bucks in the past and probably will again as soon as the freezer kid leaves the buckling. 
Can anyone consult with the nutritionist? Feels like taking advantage of them since I know I won't be a large customer. I would love to know who I could chat with, even hire for an hour or so to run some figures for me. I'd love to have the $$ to buy the program out right, but...not that many coins in my pocket right now. LOL


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Well thanks you two, I never really thought it could cause a problem. The only problem I much think about anymore though is milk is soap  Vicki


----------

