By Justin Miller
Most goat producers rely on pastures as a primary food resource for their herds. Because of ongoing drought conditions, forage has become limited. That means producers must find ways to overcome these challenges. Depending upon the available resources, every situation will vary.
Browse
Goats are best suited to eat browse (tree leaves, shrubs, vines and bramble). If goat producers have easy access to areas with browse, they should allow their animals to graze in these areas. Browse is better for goats because:
- They provide adequate nutrition
- They are high in tannins, which may be helpful in minimizing internal parasite infestation among goats
- When grazing browse rather than forages, goats are grazing in areas high enough where parasites are nonexistent.
These factors make feeding on browse a much better situation than forages, as far as nutrition and health. The only drawback to utilizing browse is the plants limited ability to regenerate new vegetation as quickly as forages.
Pasture Management
Practice forage management in pastures at all times, especially during drought. Producers can use paddocks to divide larger pastures and rotational grazing to manage forages. Before utilizing the paddock system, producers must determine what size they will need. This is based upon available land, pasture growth rates and herd size. Rotational grazing is another component of pasture management. It involves moving animals from an area of limited forages to another pasture where forages are abundant.
Robert Spencer, an Alabama Extension animal science specialist, says that there are things to consider when deciding if this option is appropriate.
“Producers should consider land availability, the ability to establish additional fencing and other available resources,” said Spencer. “A good rule of thumb is to retain goats on pastures where forages are a minimum of 6 inches tall.”
Supplemental Feeding (Hay and Grains)
When forages are low, goat farmers can utilize supplemental feeds such as hay and grain feed. Replacing missing forages with a high quality hay can be a good way to ensure that producers herds meet their nutritional requirements. Grain feeds also serve as an excellent source of supplemental nutrition. Producers should evaluate each and choose the one that best fits their herd’s needs.
Spencer said that goat producers should choose a well-balanced feed.
“A feed with a balanced ration of protein, fiber, minerals and other essential nutrients is best,” said Spencer. “They are specifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of goats.”
Other feeds producers could use include grains such as soybean hull pellets, corn and corn gluten. These grains and feeds are not formulated for goats and may be lacking in nutrients necessary for goats.
Herd Reduction
Producers might have to reduce the size of their herds during droughts. First, producers should cull goats that may be older than or not as healthy as the rest of the herd. This will limit risk of overgrazing and reduce the stress on pastures. Producers can replace goats fairly easy when normal rainfall returns, but pasture restoration might take several years. Direct sales from the farm are probably producers’ best option to sell but livestock sale barns can also be convenient.