Thursday, February 27, 2014

Eastern NY Goat Club and NYS Goat Breeders Association Meeting

Sunday March 9, 2013 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

ENYGC is hosting the New York State Dairy Goat Breeders Association meeting which will be held at the Saratoga County Extension Service building which is located at 50 West High Street in Ballston Spa.

Members are asked to bring a covered dish for a potluck meal and items for the White Elephant Auction to benefit NYSDGBA. For more information and to join the ENYGC, please see: http://enygc.webs.com/

Thursday, February 20, 2014

February Topic: How much grain for a dairy goat?

While good quality forages are usually adequate, goats may sometimes need supplemental feeding, especially if they are producing high volumes of milk or during the winter. Goats need a proper balance of energy in the form of roughage or grain, as well as protein, vitamins, minerals, and clean water. Protein and energy requirements vary, depending on the type of goat and its stage of production. Dairy goats need both high-quality forage and supplemental grain to reach their full potential, especially during peak lactation or growth.

Goats can be picky eaters, and they may not immediately accept new feeds. Any feed changes should be made gradually to avoid upsetting the rumen microbes. Feeding very high levels of grain can also upset the rumen. Grain should never be more than 50% of the total diet, except for heavily-producing dairy goats. Table 2 gives guidelines for balancing protein requirements when utilizing pasture, hay and grain supplementation. Here are some general “rules of thumb” for supplementing lactating does:
  1. Start the doe on grain a month before kidding and have her consuming about 1.5 pounds of grain by the time she kids. This allows the rumen organisms to slowly adapt.
  2. After kidding, increase grain slowly to about 3 pounds per day by 4 weeks post-kidding.
  3. After peak lactation, feed according to milk production. Feed 0.5 pound of grain for every pound of milk over 3 pounds milk per day, along with good quality forage. For example, a goat producing 8 pounds a day would get all the good forage she could eat plus 2.5 pounds (8 – 3 = 5 lb. x 0.5 lb feed/lb milk) of grain, split into two feedings.
  4. Try not to feed a doe more than 4 pounds of grain per day (Smith, 1994).
For the complete article, please see:  http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/feed-and-nutrition/feeding-dairy-goats/?source=newslettergoat&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February-20-Goat

Monday, February 10, 2014

ADK Goat Club WINS 1st Place in Parade!!!


The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Gala parade was a huge success for the Adirondack Goat Club. We won 1st place for an "Animal Group". There were 20 people and 12 goats marching down Main St. on Saturday. All the goats were dressed up in style with green hats, bandanas, and coats. The crowd loved seeing the goats and at one point both sides of the street were chanting "GOATS! GOATS! GOATS!".

A special thanks to all who brought their goats and to all who marched with us! Thanks to Janet and Mark for bringing their pony cart decorated with a rainbow and pot of gold!