30/06/2026
Feed Requirements for Healthy Goats
Keeping goats healthy comes down to mimicking how they eat in the wild. Despite the old myth that they eat anything (including tin cans!), goats are actually highly selective browsers rather than grazers. They prefer woody plants, shrubs, vines, and weeds over standard lawn grass.
A healthy goat’s daily diet is built on a simple foundation, where roughage does almost all of the heavy lifting.
1. The Core Diet: Forage & Roughage (80–90%)
Forage is the single most important part of a goat's diet. It keeps their rumen (their specialized four-compartment stomach) digesting properly.
Pasture & Browse: If you have land, letting goats browse on brush, weeds, and tree leaves is ideal.
Hay: When fresh browse isn't available, high-quality hay is mandatory.
Grass Hay (Timothy, Orchard, or Bermuda): Perfect everyday maintenance feed for adult goats, wethers (castrated males), and bucks.
Legume Hay (Alfalfa): Very high in protein and calcium. This is excellent for growing kids and milking does, but should be strictly limited for adult males because too much calcium and protein can cause urinary stones.
2. Water & Minerals (Non-Negotiable)
Clean Water: A single adult goat drinks 1 to 3 gallons of water daily (more if they are lactating or if the weather is hot). If water is dirty, they will refuse to drink it.
Loose Goat Minerals: Goats lose minerals easily and need constant access to a free-choice, loose mineral mix specifically formulated for goats. Critical Note: Never give goats sheep minerals. Goats must have copper in their diet to prevent neurological issues and coat problems, but copper is highly toxic to sheep.
Critical Note: Never give goats sheep minerals. Goats must have copper in their diet to prevent neurological issues and coat problems, but copper is highly toxic to sheep.
3. Concentrates & Grains (Use Sparingly)
Grain should be treated like a supplement, not a main meal. Too much grain disrupts the rumen's pH, which can lead to bloating or a fatal condition called enterotoxemia (overeating disease).
For Dry Adults / Wethers:
0% — They generally do not need any grain if they have good forage.
For Milking Does:
~1 lb of grain per 3 lbs of milk produced.
For Pregnant Does (Late Term):
0.5 to 1 lb daily to support the growing kids.
For Growing Kids:
Small amounts of a "creep feed" starter to assist development.
Quick Checklist for a Healthy Herd
[ ] Feed makes up about 3-4% of the goat's total body weight in dry matter daily.
[ ] Feed is kept off the ground in feeders (goats will not eat soiled feed, which helps prevent parasite cycles).
[ ] Any feed changes are made slowly over 1 to 2 weeks to give the rumen bacteria time to adjust.
