# Any one here mix their own grain?



## Red Mare (Apr 23, 2011)

If so would you share your recipe ?
I am looking for one to feed the farm in general, we don't milk currently, but do dam raise. 

I am looking to replace the commercial feeds I am feeding now which are Noble goat for the medicated feed for the babies. 
And Purina goat chow to the adults. 

I've used COB before for the horses, and liked it, but it just depends on what has worked for others.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Do a search for "grain mix" or "grain" using Sondra as the poster.

It's a mix of corn, oats, barley, BOSS, and beet pulp. Has about 12% protein. To increase protein for milkers, they are other things you can add, ie. soy, calf manna (which is basically soy) and not sure what else.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's eaiser to go to feed stores in your area, perhap see if you can find a mill that sells raw grain and by products. See if you can find a custom horse feed that is already milled for someone in your area. Then list the products to us for us to help you customise something. You need to find carbs (oats, wheat middlings) fat (here it's rice bran but you can find others) energy (usually corn or molassas) and protein, alfalfa meal or pellets, soy, cottonseed meal/hulls/seed, peanut meal/hulls, fish and feather meal etc....


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## Red Mare (Apr 23, 2011)

We have no mills here locally, that is my big problem. I live in a very wealthy area where honestly, a place like a feed mill couldn't afford to set up shop!
It's one of my biggest lamments to be honest- The closest place to me that I know that mills is 3+ hours away, and I just couldn't buy enough grain to make that worth it really. 
I'll do a search and see what pops up!


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

I have switched feeds around so much!

I really liked this dry horse mix...it was barely, oats & a little cracked corn... I added BOSS to it.....But I can no longer find it & BOSS is too expensive now. My minis did good on this, my heavy milking girl didn't though....

Then I was mixing oats & Purina Dairy Parlor, but I had to special order the Dairy Parlor & they "forgot" it several times...

Now I'm feeding 3 parts whole oats, 1 part Purina Strategy Healthy Edge (horse feed 12% protein, yellow bag, not the white bag). I'm loving it!! The Healthy Edge has more fat & calcium than the dairy parlor, higher roughage & less protein. The girls look amazing...... (They also get alfalfa pellets & grass hay)

I'm not a feed guru or anything but one of my Alpines in particular does much better on lower protein.... I tried one pellet that was 18% and she acted like her feet were sore even though there was nothing wrong with them. When I switched to the lower protein food, she improved quickly.....I was told I would see a drop in production if I lowered her protein, but she's actually gone up in production & looks much better too..

I have heard great things about Sondras mix......wanted to try it but if I order a custom mix I have to buy by the ton, and with the price hike many of the ingredients I can't afford


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## lorit (May 10, 2010)

I have a local mill making the "sondra mix" for me - love it.  I don't add any other stuff to boost the protein but my goats get alfalfa 24/7 and I am not trying to set any milk records so don't feel the need to artificially boost their production. He mixes 1000#s at a time and I am feeding alpines (3 milkers, a bit to a buck and a bit to some youngsters) and that lasts me about 5 months or so. So, if you can find someone who will do it for you and don't mind the drive every few months, it may be worth it? My total is ~$340 so comes out to a bit over $17 per bag which is the same or less than the store processed feeds around here.


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

lorit said:


> I have a local mill making the "sondra mix" for me - love it.  I don't add any other stuff to boost the protein but my goats get alfalfa 24/7 and I am not trying to set any milk records so don't feel the need to artificially boost their production. He mixes 1000#s at a time and I am feeding alpines (3 milkers, a bit to a buck and a bit to some youngsters) and that lasts me about 5 months or so. So, if you can find someone who will do it for you and don't mind the drive every few months, it may be worth it? My total is ~$340 so comes out to a bit over $17 per bag which is the same or less than the store processed feeds around here.


Your exactly me


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

> I tried one pellet that was 18% and she acted like her feet were sore even though there was nothing wrong with them. When I switched to the lower protein food, she improved quickly.....I was told I would see a drop in production if I lowered her protein, but she's actually gone up in production & looks much better too..


YAY! Thanks for 'witnessing' Crystal :biggrin
You are describing laminitis. 
I ruined some feet on some othewise great does before I got over what the 'big girls' told me about protein. And finding out they were dumping 6 year old does in the boneyard sealed the deal!

Lee


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Whitney I would investigate horse mixes. Most companies making horse feed actually use more whole grain as opposed to by-products in feeds designed for ruminants. You can often find something very simple that has barley and oats and corn with a protein pellet from soy or alfalfa and some distillers grains. Just check the ingredient list and make sure it lists recognizable items instead of groups like 'grain by products' 'plant by products' 'milling by products'. Look for a lower protein formula and you should get good results. There will be a vitamin and mineral pack added to the mix so note the nutrient list as well. Several small dairy herds in our area have used horse mixes very successfully.
Lee


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I feed 1 part oats, 2 parts alfalfa pellets as my concentrate ration. Then soaked beet pulp and grass hay for forage. I wanted to add rice bran but couldn't find it. A handful of BOSS might be a good idea. I like this arrangement cause I can get it anywhere. I do have a favorite store where the alfalfa is 17% protein.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

buckrun said:


> > I tried one pellet that was 18% and she acted like her feet were sore even though there was nothing wrong with them. When I switched to the lower protein food, she improved quickly.....I was told I would see a drop in production if I lowered her protein, but she's actually gone up in production & looks much better too..
> 
> 
> YAY! Thanks for 'witnessing' Crystal :biggrin
> ...


I was quite amazed in the difference.....She is not an old doe, almost 3 & after two weeks on the 18% feed (in addition to the alfalfa pellets which are 17%) she hobbled around, wasn't very active & started loosing interest in her feed. My vet said I needed minimum 16%, but 18% was ideal for a goat milking so much (she peaked at just a hair shy of 14lbs a day).

Within the first week of switching her to my current feed I noticed her playing "queen of the mountain" again and by week 2 she was her normal self....In exchange for her comfort I was more than happy to take less milk, but was suprised when her production increased.

The vet tech said I'd have to feed double, perhaps even triple my lower protein ration to keep production. I feed about 1- 1 1/2 of a sour cream tub of grain on the stand at each milking (sometimes she doesn't even finish all of it), she eats about 2 1/2lbs of alfalfa pellets per day, grass hay & I've been averaging 7lbs of milk per day (she is still nursing her 6 month old doeling 24/7 too)....If I separate her doeling for the day I get about 9.5lbs 

So I'm quite pleased with the lower protein......No way would I want to continue down the path I was going, I think I would have ruined her in a year or two...


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Preach it! Happy does eating wholesome food give more and better milk. :soap


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2011)

This fits in a large trash can with locking lid..
50 lbs whole oats
50 lbs barley
15 lbs sunflower seeds
15 lbs calf manna
15 to 20 beet pulp (shreds)
I mix this 50/50 with 100 lbs alfalfa pellets
It fills two large trash cans that get locked in my milkroom where the goats cannot get to it at all..
Takes me a whole half hour to mix up and last me two weeks only with 9 milking does...


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Barbara, how much do you pay for the Barley and the sunflower seeds?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I was able to "buy" some barley from a farmer that grows for beer companies. It was $10/cwt, which is about half the cost of grains around here and you cannot find barley by itself anywhere here. I put buy in quotes because we are actually trading for milk and cheese, so really awesome deal for us!


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2011)

I pay 12.00 for a 50 lb bag of barley.. my small town feed guy orders it for me.. Blk oil sunflower seeds are awful and I am going to switch to corn oil or something soon..it was 26.00 for 50 lb bag of those and its hurting my budget for feeding the goatees.. 
Barb


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

During the winter I can get BOSS in 50 lb bags for around $12 at TSC, but they are much higher during the summer. I usually only feed them in the winter.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

No more Angie, in trying to get prices in bulk about the only thing in the price range is $13 for whole oats...even by the pallet the prices for BOSS are going to be $16 to $18...we are able to get Standee Alfalfa pellets for less in bulk but it also means a drive to nearly Tyler for me! Vicki


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

If you drive to Tyler, go to Steele's in Troup. I got whole oats this week for $12.20. I get 17% alfalfa pellets for $12.50/50lbs. This past week though the shipment was late, so the prices might be rising. I got alfalfa pellets for $13/50 lb in Whitehouse. They look good but the min protein on the bag is lower. I wondered if the BOSS might be out of reach this year. Don't they grow that here in Texas? I have always seen huge variation in BOSS though. TSC was the only place I ever found them that made any sense to buy. Steele's price was always about double.


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