How to Feed Senior Goats

Goats are just like people -- only as old as they feel. At least that is what Peg Feltes Dordal says. She is a small farmer specializing in raising goats for their milk and wool. However, no matter how old a goat "feels," most farmers agree that a 12-year-old goat is considered a senior. When a goat begins to feel and act older, it needs some special care. Dordal's best advice is to feed the goat well and monitor its overall condition making sure that its hooves are healthy and that it is maintaining its weight. She also urges goat herders to keep up on the senior goat's worming regimen, adding to its care as needed.

Things You'll Need

  • Hay
  • Pasture land
  • Beet pulp
  • Calf starter
  • Calf manna
  • Protein block
  • Minerals
  • Vitamin supplements
  • Grains
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Instructions

  1. Feed Your Senior Goat Well

    • 1
      Provide your goat with a balanced diet.

      Provide your goat with a balanced diet. Goats are ruminants. This means they have four stomachs and chew their cud, so their feeding needs must be addressed with this fact in mind. The amount a goat should eat depends on several factors. A senior goat should eat enough food to equal at least five to six percent of his body weight each day. Dordal says that her preferred mix for her senior goats consists of several components.

    • 2
      Goats like to eat grasses, weeds and the leaves from bushes and trees.

      Include fiber in your senior goat's diet.The fiber helps the bacteria in the goat's four stomachs digest food properly. Dordal feeds her goats alfalfa hay. She also lets them forage freely in the pasture for anything that seems appetizing to them. Goats like to eat grasses, weeds and the leaves from bushes and trees when in the pasture. To meet their animal's need for fiber, other goat herders commonly provide beet pulp to their goats by mixing it in with their feed.

    • 3
      Monitor your goat's protein intake.

      Monitor your senior goat's protein intake. This can be done by feeding it something like a small amount of calf starter or calf manna mixed in with its grains. You can also fulfill this need by providing the goat with a "protein" block that is made for horses.

    • 4
      Seek out minerals and vitamin supplements for your senior goat.

      Seek out minerals. People can provide the minerals their senior goats need to stay healthy by using a livestock feed that has the proper balance of minerals and fats necessary for dietary health. Feed that has a 3:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio is recommended. Dordal's goats also have free access to a source of "free choice goat minerals." These come in salt block or loose form. A wide variety of supplements can also be mixed into the food based on the animal's needs. Dordal also makes sure to provide easy access to fresh water for the goats to drink when they need to.

    • 5
      Feed your goats grains.

      Feed senior goats grains. The grain mixture should be 14 to16 percent protein. Dordal provides her goats with sweet feed and mixes in a bit of cracked corn with oats.