?'s about baking soda Posted by Mandy on June 28, 2001 at 10:11:55:

I am a newbie in the goat business and was wondering how to feed baking soda. Do I just toss a bit in the feeder and let them pick it at random? Oh and another thing.. the loose mineral feed that you all talk about.. What type/brand should i look for and how much should I feed? I love my guys and wanna make em healthy and happy!!! Thank you all!

Responses:

I am a newbie in the goat business and was wondering how to feed baking soda. Do I just toss a bit in the feeder and let them pick it at random?

Baking Soda should be fed as free choice. It aids in the digestive system. I was just at an Animal Science Day. They suggested when feeding loose Mineral--also, free choice, you should sweeten it up with some dry molasses. Your goats can not lick off enough mineral off a block to meet their needs. Free choice is a seperate feeding box that they can nibble at thier own desire.

For just a few goats, the baking soda at the grocery store is fine. Just buy the large box and pour a pile into the corner of their feeder, add more if they like it. My goats love it, but I do know other folks whose goats don't. I buy my loose cattle minerals from the Purina store in town. Each feed store has tons of different minerals. I prefer the loose, as I just don't see how they can lick enough minerals to do any good off the blocks. I keep the 50 pound bags in rubbermaid contaniers so they last a long time. I just pour a pile in the corner of feeders for kids, and into mineral feeders for adults, replacing or adding as needed. I try to find a mineral that has at least 700ppm of copper for my Nubians. Obviously if you have sheep you could not let them have access to this mineral.

I don't have a feeder for just baking soda. I just walk around and put scoop full in each trough. I usually do it every Sunday morning and more often when the seasons are changing, that seems to be when they want more. During kidding season I put it out more often also.

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