Feeding Pellets

[dutch007]

Pellet feeding is "dangerous" on several levels. Nanno already mentioned how fast pellets are eaten and how much time of the day is left after that.

As ruminants, goats don't need as much browsing time than horses, so I don't agree 100% that they need to eat a lot during the day.

BUT, they need a lot fiber to ruminate on during the day and depending on the pellet and how they are made, the fiber structure can be too fine for proper rumination and will therefore reduce digestablility and other digestive processes, like chewing over and over, suffusing the cud with saliva, which aids in the digestion and protects the stomach lining.

A lot of pellets contain finely ground "meal" (flowerlike consistence) instead of still recogniseable fiber.

So, it you want to feed pellets you would have to make sure that your choice contains still enough fiber that the rumination process runs smoothly. As most pellets are made either for horses or cattle (which in general live much shorter lifes than our packgoats) the need for fiber that is large enough for rumination is not great. Large amounts of pellets that sit in the rumen without being brought up for chewing cud will cause in the longterm health problems (maldigestion, risk of stomach ulcers, insufficient wear on the teeth, unwanted behaviours from boredom).

You need to come up with ways to give pellets at least twice a day, more often would be better without them wasting the pellets or overeating. Remember, that the pellets, if fed dry will add volume in the rumen as soon as they get in contact with the stomach fluids. Barfing down pellets also increases the risk of gullet obstructions.

So you might want to let the pellets soak before feeding which puts you on a time schedule every day. You can't let soaked pellets sit for too long in freezing temperatures for obvious reasons and if it gets warmer they go bad much faster, too.

I have found so far only two brands of hay pellets that have fiber large enough that the goats in question still ruminate.

I also second that you need to look at the quality of your hay. When was it cut, is it coarse, fine, has it a high amount of grasses only, maybe even only one grass species. Are there herbs in it, weeds? Is it moldy, discoloured? Can you get hay from other sources?

And as already mentioned, it is a fact of life that goats are messy eaters. In nature they keep healthy that way.

The quality of the hay is quite good, but is a very fine timothy. I fed them 2nd cut alfalfa last fall\winter, but they seemed to waste just as much. Maybe I try a 3rd cutting. I don't give them much for pellets unless I'm trimming hooves. Then I give them some alfalfa pellets as a treat/distraction while trimming or before a long hike or trail run. After almost 2 years of raising the boys I still feel as if I don't have their nutrition needs dialed in perfectly. I guess they are healthy, growing and are full of piss and vinegar, so I must be doing it somewhat right, I think.