# Medicated Feed



## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

How long do you feed medicated feed? Do any of you feed during first time pregnancies?

Was trying to look it up here but couldn't get it to come up with the info.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I don't really know the answer to your question, Betty, but I can say that I do not feed medicated feed past about 9 months, sometimes earlier. But I live up here in Michigan where we get a very hard freeze in winter (usually) so I don't have to worry about it as much once it gets cold.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I have fed medicated feed through an entire pregnancy since my juniors are in a separate pen and even if bred they don't go to the milker pen until they kid. No ill effects from doing that. Kidding was fine, kids were healthy and grew out well. I am changing up a little this year with that group and have started non medicated since they are ALL yearlings in there right now. BUT I don't think there were any [problems with feeding the medicated feed.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

I feed the medicated goat pellets to my doelings until they are almost ready to kid and are moved to the adult pen. I also feed it to the bucks as it contains AC.


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

Once we weaned off milk and bred our does we didn't feed it and so was wondering if others do.


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

My two yearling first fresheners are still eating a feed mix that has medicated pellets in it (Goat Pellet DX from Producer's Co-op in Bryan). They get the unmedicated milker mix on the stand and then eat their medicated mix when they go back to the pen they share with two other dry yearlings. If we were drinking the milk I wouldn't have them on the medicated feed but since it's being fed to the kids right now, we haven't changed them over totally to the non-medicated feed. The bucks also get a mix with the medicated pellets in it, mostly because it also contains ammonium chloride in it. I don't think there's any set timeframe for changing the feed from medicated to non-medicated, just whatever works best in your situation.

This year for the first time we've been feeding the young kids a textured medicated calf starter ("Calf Choice 18" from Producers) in place of the Goat Pellet DX medicated feed. They seem to be more interested in this textured feed than the medicated pellet and have started eating the textured feed at a younger age and in greater quantity than they ever did the pellets. We've been quite pleased with the growth rates we've seen and the overall health of the animals has been excellent. Caroline


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Interesting about Calf Choice as we have some of that. We are feeding a dairy heifer Calf Choice and she was pretty sad when we started it. I bought her from an individual and she had been orphaned and raised on milk replacer. She has taken off and is not only growing but showing some life. So we are real fans of Calf Choice. Never thought about feeding it to kids.


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

You should try it! They really seem to like it and are growing extremely well. Caroline


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I stole some Calf Choice last night to mix with the DX pellets for the babies. I shall see if they ate it this morning. I did confess to DH that I was "borrowing" some of his Calf Choice so he would not panic that he was getting low quickly.


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## Ark Nubian Girl (Nov 5, 2012)

What is the purpose of the medicated feed? I give my goats a grain mix of oats, Calf Manna, and black sunflower seeds and they LOVE it.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

When they are off milk I don't want to individually dose them for coccidian so the medicated feed helps in that area.
My kids loved the Calf Choice mixed with their DX pellets. Now I will have to buy more for the dairy calf since the kids will be eating her supply up.


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