Feeding
Goats are browsers.
This means that they prefer to eat shrubby plants rather than pasture grasses. They are often found eating the leaves off of small shrubby plants. Goats will eat grasses, but when given the choice, most will browse on leaves before they will eat grasses.
Because they prefer leafy plants, you can put goats and other species of livestock into the same enclosure without overwhelming your pastures. In fact, co-grazing goats with other species is beneficial. This can help to reduce parasite loads of both species and can increase the amount of profit that you can make from the same stretch of pasture. Goats can be co-grazed with sheep, cattle, or horses.
If you don’t have access to ample pasture, you’ll need to provide your goats with plenty of roughage. The majority of your goat’s diet should consist of roughage in the form of hay. Don’t attempt to feed your goats grain only. Their bodies are designed to thrive on roughage and too much grain can make them sick.
You may have heard that goats will eat anything. This isn’t true. In fact, goats can be quite picky when it comes to what they will eat. Hay that contains too many stems will often be overlooked and used for bedding rather than being eaten. Be picky when you choose hay for your Nigerian goats.
Choose hay that contains more leaves, is green and mold-free. If your hay is dusty, you can soak it to remove the dust before feeding it to your goats.
Goats can be quite messy when they eat hay. They like to stand in/on it if they can. When they are standing in it, they will often pee and poop in it. Once they do this, they won’t eat it. This is a frustrating problem that can lead to a lot of wasted hay.
A good hay feeder can prevent wasted hay. Ideally, the hay should be off of the ground, held in an accessible feeder. You can purchase a feeder or craft one yourself with hog panels and wood. The top of the hay feeder should be covered to prevent rain from getting in it. Also, a shelf should be under the hay feeder.
As goats pull the hay out of the feeder, they will drop some. The shelf will catch any falling hay to keep it off of the ground. Hay that falls on the ground is almost always wasted by goats.
Nigerian dwarf goats should be provided a goat mineral blend. Goats get many of the minerals that their bodies need from the soil. Depending on where you live, your soil may be lacking in minerals like copper or selenium. A goat mineral blend will make sure that your goats don’t run out of necessary minerals.
Provide loose goat minerals at all times in a mineral feeder. Goats won’t overeat this. Refill the minerals as needed so that they are always available. Make sure that you purchase goat mineral blends, not minerals for general livestock use.
Mineral blends that are created for all livestock won’t meet the needs of goats and can lead to illness.
Treats That Goats Can Eat!
It's no secret that goats love a treat. With four stomachs, these funny guys are always up for the next snack -- it is in their nature to take little nibbles throughout the day. They require ample fiber to keep in optimal health. Instead of grass, goats prefer to eat brush and trees. They will even strip bark off trees for a snack.
Treats they love!
Ours love Animal crackers and will do anything for them. But as long as they eat a healthy and balanced diet, goats can enjoy raisins, corn chips, and even a few slices of bread. Feed only small portions during each snack time. Goats also enjoy munching on healthy fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, pears, peaches, bananas, grapes, carrots, lettuce, celery, pumpkin, squash, and spinach. Before feeding fruits and veggies, make sure that all pieces are small enough to prevent choking.
Treats to Avoid!
Dog and cat food should not be fed to goats. The reason is simple: dog and cat food contains the important animal proteins that dogs and cats need in their diets since they are meat-eaters. Goats, on the other hand, are herbivores who cannot process dog and cat food. Avocado is highly poisonous to goats; never feed it.