Dl4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 12,1982 Plan for proper minerals in dairy goat rations POMONA, Calif. An adequate mineral ration figures heavily in the care and feeding of a productive dairy goat, says Tony Cunha, Dean Emeritus at California State Polytechnic University A goat definitely needs calcium and phosphorus and the University of Florida recommends a level of 0 7 percent calcium and 0 4 percent phosphorus in the total ration of high producing dairy goats, Cunha says. Goats fed a ration low in salt developed deficiency symptoms in four to six weeks The symptoms included persistent licking, restlessness, dull shaggy hair, poor growth and low intake of feed and marked emaciation during lactation After 224 days, the salt deficient goats weighed 80 percent as much as those fed salt. They ate six percent .less feed daily and required 18.5 percent more feed per pound of gam. It is usually recommended that sheep be fed 0.5 percent salt in their total ration or one percent salt in the concentrate mixture. Growing lambs require 0.4 percent salt m the total ration dry matter Cunha recommends using those Table 1. Suggested Mineral Levels for Goats Lev*) racotnmaodM Ttaca minen) element In total ration, ppm lodine Zinc Manganese Cobalt Iron Copper Selenium * on UtXi ppm of i on being tone k* dairy caw ann ppm of ivmaanesf* being tone * -• Uv „ These ultra-light bodies are designed for strength through engineering, not strength with bulk. For example a 16’ gram body with tailgate and 48” sides weighs only 1490 lbs. com length or any side height up to 60" ★ Double swinging hay hauling tailgate ★ Barn door type tail gate ★ Slide out cattle chutes levels for the goat until research information is obtained on their needs Salt needs can vary con siderably, depending on many factors Because of this, it is recom mended that goats also be self-fed salt so they can consume more than is in the raton if needed When possible, it is best to supply the salt in the form of loose salt Salt blocks also can be used, but the degree of hardness needs to be controlled. An extremely hard block can cause sore tongues and too much time spent licking it A block that is too soft can leach excessively when it rains So, salt or mineral blocks need to meet the rainfall, humidity and en vironment conditions that exist in the area where they are used Goats also need the trace minerals iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, iodine and selenium Unfortunately, says Cunha, very little reseach has been, conducted on trace mineral needs of the goat. Therefore, it is recommended that the trace mineral levels recommended for sheep by the US. National Research Council be used for goats until more accurate goat data becomes available The trace 01 08 36 60 20 40 01 30 50 717-867-5222 Jete. We’ll Also available ★ Diamond Flooring ★ p ullout panel tailgates ★ Any size grain chute Laval that is toxic, ppm 1000 500* 100 200 1000* 8 25 over 2 &k* v' 3 •>* you any mineral levels suggested are shown in Table 1 It is estimated that goats con sume from 4 5 to 18 pounds of salt yearly Since all goats need salt, it can serve as a natural earner for the trace minerals. Moreover, most of their feed supply comes from forages Therefore, the practical method of providing the trace minerals for goats is through the use of trace mineralized salt Cunha estimates that all the trace minerals can be added to salt at a cost of one to two cents per pound of salt, depending on the levels of trace minerals used If goats consume 4 5 to 18 pounds of salt per year, the cost of providing all the trace minerals per goat for a year would be from 4.5 to 36 cents, depending on the stage of their life cycle. This is very low cost insurance against a lack of trace minerals for a whole year. Mineral mixtures should be developed for the areas m which they are used. Calcium and phosphorus can be supplied in the Come in or call today for complete list of products with “Cash In centives” and let us explain how we can put cash in your pocket and show you how you can use the cash to help reduce High Interest Costs by buying now! Don't Wait - Limited Offer Good Now Through June 30th SERVICE WHEN ■ Trained Installation and Service Personnel ■ Hundreds of Satisfied Users YOU NEED IT * plannin s Service ■ Competitive Price ■ Route Truck to Supply Your Needs J.B. ZIMMERMAN & SONS West of Blue Ball, PA on Rt. 23 PH: 717-354-4955 Ask For Ralph Stoltzfus RADIO DISPATCHED TRUCKS ration or by self-feeding. Many times the calcium and/or phosphorus source is mixed with salt or trace mineralized salt to give it more palatability. Animals will do a fairly good job of balancing their own mineral needs This is their only alternative under extensive grazing conditions where no other feeds are used. But, very important for those making mineral mixtures is to have them palatable to the extent the animal will consume about what it needs If the mineral mixture is too palatable the animal will over consume minerals If it’s too un palatable, the animal will not consume enough '"Cash Incentives rr For June Dairy Month ’re offering Cash Incentives on over 30 DeLavaf Products for your Dairy eration. 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Therefore, making complete mineral mix tures which the animal will con sume at the proper level is a very challenging area that needs more attention in the future. The minerals should be self-fed in mineral boxes covered with a roof to keep out the ram and prevent leaching Also, it is very important to locate them in areas where they can be filled periodically Goats need minerals daily, so the mineral boxes should not be allowed to stay empty for any period of time, Cunha con cludes READ A.R.M.™ Automatic Removal v *7s°° Cash Incentive