How to Feed and Tend Goats on the Small Farm

如果你是开始山羊群, you will know that goats require some knowledge to feed them right. Whether raising goats for meat, establishing adairy herd, or just practicing sustainable living on your homestead, goats need attention to their nutrition to thrive.

一个好的经验法则：不要一次对山羊的饮食进行彻底的改变。Don't feed them large amounts of new food. Either of these practices can lead to a major digestive upset for your goats. Change their diets slowly, giving the bacteria in their rumen (their first stomach, made for the initial step in the digestion of the plants they eat) time to adjust.

范围：浏览和放牧山羊

Goats are well-known for their ability to pasture on anything from lovely green grass to scrubby woods, where they can eat young trees and hardy shrubs.它们是浏览器与放牧者（例如，牛，绵羊和马是放牧物种）。因此，他们非常擅长清理粗糙，长满的土地。

Let go of the myth, if you've heard it, that goats make good "lawnmowers." They would prefer to browse if given a choice.

山羊是反刍动物，食用植物并通过四室胃消化的动物。但是，它们更像是关于营养的鹿比绵羊或牛要吃很多草。实际上，山羊不应吃完全新鲜的草的饮食。

干草

干草是山羊的主要养分来源，除了它们的范围。It's what they mostly eat in the winter when they don't have access to the range. Hay can be grass or a legume, likeclover或苜蓿。

Each goat needs about two to four pounds of hay per day, minus what they might forage on pasture. Hay can be fed freely, or strictly twice a day.

如果没有良好的范围，则可以接受马质的干草干草。山羊需要额外的干草，这是粗糙的，才能使瘤胃正常运行。为此，长纤维是必需的。瘤胃是第一个胃室，富含活细菌，开始消化纤维。健康的山羊has a large rumen that feels spongy.

苜蓿干草（Alfalfa Hay）在喂食山羊方面也很受欢迎，并且比草海斯（Grass Hays）具有更多的蛋白质，维生素和矿物质。通常，它也是喂养挤奶器的好选择，因为它也具有更多的钙。

chaffhaye

Chaffhaye是通过切割早期苜蓿或草，将其切碎，将其与糖蜜和称为枯草芽孢杆菌的益生菌培养物混合并进行真空包装来制作。干草在容器中发酵，为山羊谣言增添了有益的细菌。Chaffhaye可以作为干草替代品，比干草更营养密度。一袋50磅的谷壳等于大约85至100磅的干草。

Grain Feed

谷物饲料或沉淀的谷物混合物可以在山羊的饮食中添加蛋白质，维生素和矿物质。大多数农民在必要时补充谷物饲料，就像谁是raising multiple kidsor in bad weather—but foraging and browsing is the foundation of good goat nutrition. Grain should not be overfed: it can make goats fat, cause illness and even death.

Some goat farmers like to have a livestock nutritionist formulate a goat pellet for use when supplements are needed. The local livestock nutritionist can tailor the feed to your area conditions, minimizing problems. You can also have your hay tested to add to the information that your livestock nutritionist will use for formulating this feed.

矿物质

为山羊配制的松散矿物质应提供免费选择。单独进食矿物质，而不是包含它们组合的块。

厨房和花园废料

山羊会很好吃你的堆肥，大多数情况下。蛋壳可能是有问题的，但是大多数其他基本厨房和花园堆肥对山羊来说都是可以的，只要它们习惯了。

Raisins and corn chips, just a few, or a slice of bread, make nice "treats" for goats but don't overdo them.

Feeding Equipment

You will also need some equipment for feeding your goats. Nothing fancy, but storing hay in a manger will help goats access it and waste less. And food containers or buckets will also help reduce waste. Metal or plastic feed storage containers with tight-fitting lids will keep pests out of your feed.

对于您的山羊，您可能需要：

• Feed storage containers
• Food buckets
• 水桶
• 干草经理
• 矿物喂食器

水

Of course, your goats need access to fresh, clean water at all times. You may want to raise your water bucket off the ground onto a platform or in an old tire, so it's less likely to get kicked over or pooped in. In winter, you will need to use a water heater so that your goats' water isn't freezing cold and doesn't turn to ice.