I have 3 questions and any help will be greatly appreciated. Do any of you keep your goats & ducks/geese together and if so how do you keep the geese/ducks from getting trampled.

Second question we have had our goats for about 2 weeks and the large dairy goat acts hungry all the time. I am feeding her DE for worms, grass and leaves for browsing and sweet feed for milking. Her previous owner said we would have no problem with her milking she liked her feed. Her previous owner also fed them hay (bermuda w/ oats - horse quality) which we do not.

Third question how much DE do you know to feed them? I tried to find the lady recommended to write about information but am missing it on the site. I can't remember her name but she sells it too.

If this has been previously posted just send me there and thank you, it is so nice to have friends to ask questions!

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), June 09, 2001

Answers

Just my opinion on the goat. She probably is hungry. Goats should have hay available to them at all times. Especially ones that are milking. I would also not house them with the ducks/geese. Geese & ducks will make the water very nasty. Goats need a good supply of clean water.

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), June 09, 2001.

From a brochure from a DE supplier: Suggested Fedding Rates per day: Mix in feed at 2% of dry ration or feed free choice. Dairy and Beef Cattle - 2-4 ozs, Heifers & Calves - 1-2 ozs, Horses, Sheep & Goats - 1/2 oz, Poultry - 1-2% of feed ration, Dogs - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon and Cats - 1/4 teaspoon. No recommended for rabbits.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 09, 2001.

Lynn: I agree with Wendy. Your goats need good quality grass hay or alfalfa free choice. They cannot get enough calories from browse alone while milking. They produce for you and you need to produce for them.

We got rid of all our waterfowl as soon as we learned that they can pass salmonella to the goats and make the milk unsafe to drink. If you have the space, I would strongly suggest that you keep them separate. While we still had them together, I built a feeder out of 2x6's with bars across the top with just enough space for the largest goose to get his head in. This kept the goats and steer out. Waterfowl feed is not good for ruminants.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), June 09, 2001.

Ken's info is different than what I have received from the testing that's been done. In the many reports I have seen, this is the amounts to feed. Food grade DE is recommended by the FDA, EPA, AMDA:

Suggested feeding of food grade DE:

Beef Cattle  1% of total weight of dry ration; 5% in grain

Dairy Cattle  1% of total weight of dry ration

Calves  4 grams in morning milk per calf

Chickens  5% in feed, use at full strength in dusting boxes

Hogs  2% of total feed ration, dust or spray on bedding and animals

Horses  5 ounces (1 cup) in daily feed ration

Sheep  1% in ground grains; 1 part Diatomaceous Earth to 2 parts T-M salt

Goats  1% in grain; 5% per bushel of feed: up to 50% in T-M salt

Dogs  1 Tablespoon per day in daily ration for dogs over 35 lbs.; 1 teaspoon per day in ration for small dogs and puppies, rub powder at full strength into the coat for fleas and sprinkle on bedding

Cats 1 tsp. per daily ration, rub at full strength into coat for fleas and sprinkle on bedding

Diatomaceous Earth can be used as a dust or spray for control of flies and other insects in buildings, on pastures, crops and trees. The DE will be effective once it dries.

Some folks feed DE daily by measurement, some free feed it. You can't overdose, but if enough isn't fed, it won't work.

My steer, Mammoth and hog eat it out of a bucket. Their fecals are clean. Flies can't reproduce in the manure.

I mix the DE into the chicken feed (once they're past the chick stage) and sprinkle the DE in the pens. No odor in the pens. No mites/scaly leg on the birds.

The dogs prefer the DE mixed with a bit of corn oil. No fleas on the dogs.   

Works for me!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), June 10, 2001.

== Food grade DE is recommended by the FDA, EPA, AMDA: ==

CORRECTION!

Food grade DE is APPROVED by the FDA, EPA, AMDA:

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), June 10, 2001.

Thanks for all the answers! Especially all the DE detail. Why is it not recommended for bunnies? We have been giving to them. Oh well guess I better stop.

We do not have them drinking the same water as the geese and ducks would never reach it. Guess now I will have to ask how people get them to quite wondering all over the place. Thank you for the info about the salmanella.

How do you keep hay for just the milking goats? Everyone is penned together.

-- Lynn (johnnypfc@yahoo.com), June 10, 2001.

Actually, all the goats should have hay available, especially if milking. Hay is necessary to keep their rumen funtioning properly.

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), June 10, 2001.

If DE is supposed to be not such a good thing to breathe, how do you keep the dogs & cats from breathing it in when they lick themselves & wrestle with each other?

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), June 11, 2001.