feeding the Goat Force Goats - Safely

IF the 'Newbury 4' have CAE you could help spread the incurable disease if you do not follow simply acquired 'Common Sense' and best hygiene practices:

CAE leads to early culling and death in goats and kids (goat kids)

Testing and research is essential for this condition; please consider donating, but regardless, please observe 'excessive hygiene practice'

NO VIRUS PLAYS BY THE RULES; ESPECIALLY NOT THE RULES WE WOULD LIKE IT TO PLAY BY - VIRSUS CAN BE INVISIBLE KILLERS! - CAE is just that

CAE is a goat ONLY condition

CAE spreads via bodily fluids (saliva, exhaled air, blood, colostrum, semen, faces)

Transferring CAE from one goat to another is a DEATH SENTENCE for the goat

Never step inside the goat enclosure

Always use the hand sanitiser; remember salvia may get onto your clothes, so never go near the private herd of goats (or any other goats until you have changed and washed your clothes)

CAE virus lives for a month or more outside the goats body; we clean areas with ammonia and leave for at least a month before considering the area safe and free of any virus that may be present

The 'Newbury' goats put their feet on the fencing, this means if you have touched the fence you run a risk of cross-contamination

CAE has a recommended 'social-distancing of 3m - CAE is more contagious than COVID-19 !!!

A comprehensive 'menu' for goats is being compiled

This is a great list, more comprehensive than most.

Please read this and apply your acquired 'Common Sense' to feeding with these wise words (short blog) firmly in your mind.

Please remember; 'the goats trust you to know what you are doing; you were not born 'goat savvy', it is an acquired skill, the goats rely on you acquiring your 'goat savvy' skills

Goats  are ruminants, this means they have 4 stomachs, they take in food then chew the cud.  

Goats are designed, by nature, to eat 'up' not 'down' they browse rather than graze.  They are the toughest of survivors when it comes to available food sources and have developed to live on scrub and hedgerow.

Their rumen is remarkably delicate, goats do not and cannot eat 'anything', they do like to taste to see if things are edible though.  

Goats are strict Herbivores; please never offer meat products, this could really harm them if they consumed meat.

Fibrous/roughage, safe, foods help to keep a goat warm in winter, that is also how Mother Nature designed them, to keep warm by eating their available foods.

We have our own comprehensive list of ideal foods for our goats but have as yet to discover how to load the list onto the web page.

The very best of the list, of otherwise discarded food) includes:

Please, please offer them to the goats in baton or strips that they can easily fit into the front of their mouths (please try not to drop food into the enclosure).

Banana skins (perfect source of fibre, any amount can be feed)

Brussel Sprouts - All parts - please button the stalks (1/4's, 10 cm long 'ish)

Mango skins - any amount

Melon skins (the likelihood of overdoing this with their current visitor footfall is minimal)

Plantain skins - any amount

Celery (especially the leaves

Parsnips - peelings and leaves

Carrots - peelings and leaves

Cabbage leaves and centres (the parts you usually discard

Christmas trees that are chemical free are a great treat for goats.

The 'Newbury 4' are so accustomed to visitor's treats they are unlikely to enjoy what is good for them, Christmas Trees (without chemicals) are an ideal fibre source and, therefore, natural source of heat for goats.

Please leave your Christmas Tree, without having touched or been near to the 'Newbury 4', then it can be safely distributed between the two herds THINK CROSS-CONTAMINATION, No Virus plays by the rules, not COVID19 nor CAE

Please at least read the first three paragraphs of this link

Halloween means lots of discarded pumpkins, all parts of a pumpkin is edible to goats and the seeds act as a natural wormer.  Seeds should be left (as difficult to feed through the enclosure fencing, for us to add to their feed, as can other parts of the pumpkin or you may cut it into strip and feed it directly yourselves.

Natural Pumpkin, Garlic & Nasturtium Chicken Wormer.

As far as we know all of the ingredients in wormer sized portions are equally safe for goats, our goats have eaten most if not all of these in some quantities at some point.

If anyone wishes to have a go at the natural wormer recipe, we would be delighted to share your efforts around the various, very separately kept herds (so please do not touch the food once you have stroked the goats) and with the chickens.

Many web pages state that garlic is poisonous to goats, as I am sure you are aware, it is to humans as well but to cause harm it would need to be eaten in large quantities, this may be why it works well as a natural wormer.

Goats are by nature browers, not grazers, but a domestic goats do well on many dried grasses (hay) and chaff (chopped hay and/or straw varieties)

If you are looking to bring a special 'winter keep warm' feed for goats, but it is difficult to feed through the enclosure fencing, Alfalfa hay or chaff is perfect for them, the most local supplier of this is Jolley's.