Tag: goats

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Beet Pulp for Your Animals

I belong to a few goat and hobby farm groups on Facebook and really enjoy seeing all the new baby goats coming into the world. It’s also pretty cool to see new farmers and goat owners come on the horizon, whether it’s because people want to become more self-sufficient, teach the kids, fulfill a lifelong dream, or just because! Unfortunately, along with a lot of the learning comes some misinformation. As of late, I have seen some questions regarding the use of beet pulp in animals’ diets and some myths regarding its use.

Bag of shredded beet pulp
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Goat Treats!

The old myth that goats will eat just about everything, isn’t totally true; but if it were, it certainly doesn’t mean that they should! Animals are fairly smart creatures. Left to their own devices, they are pretty good about figuring out what’s good for them to eat and what’s not, and what their bodies need and what they don’t. Goats are ruminant herbivores. Their digestive systems are built for things like grasses, weeds, leaves, small branches and bark. As animal owners, it is our responsibility to take care of our animals and ensure that they are fed a healthy diet. We should feed our goats a good quality hay, not try to pawn off on them the sun-bleached or moldy horse hay. They should enjoy pasture time to browse if available. They should get a quality goat feed or grain mix, and limited treats are a bonus.

black and white goat eating hay
The majority of a goat’s diet should be a quality hay, or pasture forage.
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A Hobbyist’s Introduction to: Goats

Goats are a fun addition to any farm. Not only do they make great pets, but they can also be a productive, useful animal to have around. There are basically three types of goats: meat goats, dairy goats and goats that are used primarily for their wool. Before adding to your menagerie of farm animals, it’s a good idea to think about your purpose for raising goats. Knowing your purpose and goals for keeping goats will help you in determining what breed of goat is best for your farm. After all, there are in excess of 200 different goat breeds, and a goat can live upwards of 15 years or more, so it is a long term commitment.

(Left) Adult female goat, (Right) Young child with goat kid
Rose turned 14 years old in August.
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Keeping Your Goats Warm

My very first goats were sibling Pygmy goats, Bonnie and Clyde. We lived in Arizona at the time, so I never really worried about keeping them warm during the winter. I think they actually enjoyed the coolness of a season that wasn’t hot! When my boys were young we moved to a rural town in central Utah where the winters were a little colder and included snow! Our neighbors showed dairy goats in 4-H and my oldest son enjoyed helping them bottle feed the kids, and get the goats ready for shows. That’s when our goat herd expansion began. Daisy, a Saanen yearling was first, followed by Spring and Jasmine, Nubian sisters who were bottle babies. Rose was two days old when we got her and then we got a buck to try our hand at breeding. And so the adventure continued. Now, the boys are grown, the goats are old, and the winters are still cold.

Boy with young goat (kid)
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Cleaning Day

With the onset of fall and cooler weather, I know that it is time to give all my animal housing a good clean out and get my animals ready for winter. Last year we had a pretty mild winter, we didn’t get much snow or severe cold, so I’m thinking that Mother Nature might want to make up for it this year. We have experienced some pretty crazy weather across the U.S. just this month, so my animal housecleaning and winter preparation has begun! Sometimes with helpers!

Chicken in wheelbarrow
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Lunch on a Budget!

Feeding your farm animals doesn’t have to be expensive. You just need to be resourceful and creative.

Prepared feed products that you purchase at your local livestock or pet supply store are great to feed your animals.  They are formulated to provide specific farm animals with their optimum daily nutritional requirements. There is a lot to choose from though and picking the right feed can be a daunting task. They can also be expensive. I find that supplementing a prepared feed with other foods is not only cheaper, but I think it’s better for my animals. Understanding your animals’ nutritional requirements is important and I find that as my understanding increases, my animals’ diets change. 

Chickens eating feed
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