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
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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
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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
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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
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Many mineral elements are
unpalatable, depending on their
source and processing method and
temperature used. 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
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