# Do any of you feed rice bran?



## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Hi everyone, I've been off of here for a while so if anyone has asked this I'm sorry to repeat it. 

With the hard summer Texas had last year and now the lack of hay and price of feed, I'm wondering if anyone here has used rice bran as a supplement for their doe's? It's $25 at Tractor Supply for a 50lb bag but from what I've been told the amount fed is very little & a bag will keep for a year. So, anyone here feed it and what have you seen from using it? Does it up the milk supply also? I'd like my doe's to gain a little weight. 

Suzy in Texas


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

It is used for a fat source for energy and making their coats shiny. I use it right now in their grain ration, and I calculated it out to make it up to a 5% fat. I can't get mine that cheap, so I am going to move over to using flax, which I can buy much cheaper here. Many people use it to put weight on their skinny goats. Any energy source you add to the diet is probably going to up their milk supply to a point.


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## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

I use to feed it to my horses in the winter, but I quit when I found out it had a lot if bone mill in it. I've never fed it to the goats. But 25 a bag seems kinda high.. It normally stays around the price of corn. We put it out for deer during hunting season.


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## J-Basqo (Oct 26, 2007)

Bone meal?? Really? I would loveto read recourses/brands/info on this if.its true as I like to feed bran, but dont want to be feeding animal parts to a rumanant


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## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

My friend owns a purnia feed store, her husband goes to all the nutrinal classes purnia puts on.. That's what they told him at one of the seminars. She was feeding it to her horses an quit after learning that... But it will put weight on an animal... I will see if I can find something online about it.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I feed the rice bran pellets to my goats. I top dress one meal with it, usually the alfalfa pellets. They love it.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Maybe Purina has bone meal but most mills that mix feed use a supply comes from a bulk shipper and is not altered or stabilized.
Just don't buy Purina.
Lee


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## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

I've tried to incorporate into my feed program a couple of times, but it was a no go here. The does don't like anything that's loose like the rice bran is and I can't get it in pellets around here, I've tried. Another thing it doesn't keep well here in the hot humid weather. Gets full of millers and webs real quick, even in a bag in a barrel.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

I feed it, my girls eat it fine. It's not something that keeps well, however. It will oxidise, would never keep it a year. Would keep it in a cool place in the summer. Can't believe your prices, it's like 8 something here for 50 lbs. It does go a long way. A bag probably lasts 2 months for me or so?


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I use Manna Pro brand. It says it has been stabilized for a long shelf life. (Whatever that means.) It never lasts that long though. It is high $20 being the cheapest I've seen it.

http://www.mannapro.com/products/equine/max-e-glo-rice-bran/


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

I too use the Manna Pro pellets.... I used to use BOSS, but the price was jumped & became too much. Mine hated the mill..... Too powdery, but they gobble up the pellets. For my thin, heavy milker I used rice bran pellets & beet pulp shreds added to her regular ration & was pleased with the results...

I got mine for $17 for 40lb while on sale, & used $2 coupons to get it at $15... I don't have a problem keeping it a year, but I keep open bags in the kitchen


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## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

Only found something on a pig nutrition site that said it had bone meal so idk.. I might start back top dressing my horse feed in it.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

I feed rice bran occassionally to add weight during the winter and to help with dry coats. I mix about 8-10 ounces into their minerals twice a day. It's cheap around here--maybe $10.00 per 50 lbs.


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Good to see people using it and happy to hear what is will do for my girls. 
Cyrstal, where do you get your's for $17? I tried Tractor Supply and Taylor Feed here in Stephenville and both are $24.99.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

I got mine at TSC in Sweetwater..... They ran a big promotion on it about 3 weeks ago & had $2 coupons on the shelf, so they came out to $15..... I bought 3 bags which should last me a while & I just keep them in the house. They also ran their Standlee Alfalfa pellets for $9, so I stocked up on those as well


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## cariboujaguar (Feb 9, 2009)

buckrun said:


> Just don't buy Purina.
> Lee


I think Lee's on her way to picking up a spokeperson job for Purina lol!

I've mixed ricebran pellets in with grain rations for milkers, I didn't see a change in weight or milk so I stopped.

I have fed beet pulp to put weight on, it's messy, it's slow to get them started on but once they have a taste of it they chow it down hungrily. I feed it for a month or two coming into breeding season as the milkers are coming off of grain. It fattens everyone up, it's easy to mix minerals and vitamins into and it's cheap. It also keeps the milkers from throwing fits wanting in to be milked and waking me up early when I'm finally not supposed to get up and milk.

I've tried all sorts of feeds and supplements, mixing lots of generic grains etc for my goats but I've found that finding a good local mill who has a feed for kids and a feed for milkers tailored for goats gets you the farthest with the best results. Feeding less of a high quality, more expensive grain VS more of a generic cheap livestock mix or my own custom concoction made more sense for us, but every herd is different.

I think the key is to keep tweaking things and never stop trying new things as long as they're backed up by experience/reccomendation from reliable sources and/or scientific study. This is where DGI and the internet become handy resources.

And above all else remember what our wise friend once said "Just don't feed Purina!" haha!


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Examining better mixes, I've always felt the money was in the vitamin and mineral pack.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

How is beet pulp messy?

I mix the dry shreds (Standlee brand) into my grain mix. The girls LOVE it, it really does help put weight on them, but I don't find it messy.

Are you soaking it?


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## NPgoats (Mar 18, 2010)

I've never used rice bran but will look into it for more info now.
Yeah Lee, explain what you mean by a stabilizer? Some of us are still learning.
Linda


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I just started using Stabilized Rice Bran (TSC) for my skinnier fresh does. Can't say for sure yet how well it works, but they seem to like it (I just topdress it in the parlor).


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I went to get a bag of the pellets this evening and the price had jumped form 24.99 to 39.99! For 40 pounds??????? Uh, sorry goats but I can't swing that. Back to canola oil from the grocery store.


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## SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda (Nov 13, 2007)

I'm heading to TS tomorrow to check for baby chicks. I will check on rice bran. Flax is easier to get here because rice isn't grown much in OK or KS. I have ordered a product from Caprine Supply which has Kelp Meal and Rice Bran in it. It is a smaller quantity, and shipping for it is sort o crazy (but I live fairly close to CS so shipping isn't as bad for me and I get meds I order next day, even if I don't specify next day delivery. A bucket of this preparation for goats lasts me about 6 months with a herd of 6 goats. I will be giving a little beet pulp tis year. I have found that it does increase milk production for me, if I am diligent to keep the baking soda out there too. Hmmm, I wonder what soaking the pulp in baking soda water would do for it? Or dampeing it and dusting it with soda? But they take the soda when they need it and their mineral is a great one, a tan colored mineral for dairy goats on grass pasture. I can get that here at my local feed store.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

http://www.ker.com/library/equinews/v2n1/v2n115.pdf

Stabilizing is a process not an additive.


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Well, I did find some beat pulp yesterday also and started feeding it last night. On the bag is says to soak it in plenty of water for 15 minutes. I can see where this will help any doe's that have bad teeth and you don't know it yet. My girls didn't like it not soaked. They went after it in a flash, I mixed it with their grain ration and the rice bran mixed. The 6 in the stand nose dived into the feeder while I milked for the puppies and their dam. I am very impressed with this so far but it's only been a day. And yes, soaking it is messy but so what if it keeps my girls happy and looking good. I have an older standard Alpine doe that just had twin bucks and I sure want her to be getting what is needed to keep going and live a few more years being up on weight and happy. 

When at the feed store yesterday I asked the owner about the price of the rice bran being so different in price. He said there are different rice brans on the market. If it's stabilized it will be up in price but that's the one that has a very long shelf life. I'd rather pay the price for it lasting longer as the amount used is small.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Suzy, during the drought, I took to buying the Standlee beet pulp in pelleted form. It is easier to scoop. I'd put a coffee can full in a bucket and fill it 1/2 full of water in the morning, in the evening I'd feed it. My goats loved it, and it did boost milk production. And helped put weight on them.


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks Angie, I'll have to look and see if anyone carries the pelleted form. I was very surprised how they went for it wet this morning. The 20lb was $8 but it looks like it will last some time. I can see them being full and satisfied on it mixed with their grain ration. When I put the water in it, I sort of liked the smell. Decided to give the bucks some also. 

Do any of you feed your bucks the beat pulp too?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Sure, I have beet pulp shreds in my mix of grain, and my bucks get a bit of the mix right now.


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

LOL, Nancy, I didn't know you are on here. Good to see you.


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## SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda (Nov 13, 2007)

I usually feed the product called Cool Bloom, which has rice bran and kelp meal in it. It is 44.00 a bucket right now though. :faint


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## milkmaidranch (Jun 21, 2010)

Arn't the prices going nuts? I can't see how people can keep going and if gas prices do go to $5 this summer, how many on here will continue to show? I was planning on starting this June in the Doe show in Weatherford, TX. I just don't know now. Will have to play that by ear.


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