Nutrition is a big part of raising goats. Make sure you have all of the proper nutritional supplements for goats on hand to keep your goats happy and healthy.
The last thing any goat owner wants is a sick goat. And one of the best ways to keep your goats healthy is to always be prepared.
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A fully stocked supply and medical cabinet is a must for all goat owners.
In addition to the 10 Must Have Goat Medications, there are also a few supplements and nutritional support items you should always keep on hand in your goat barn and supply cabinet.
These are vitamins and other nutritional supplements for goats that either need to be made available at all times or used when you see signs of deficiency in your animals.
8 Nutritional Supplements for Goats to Keep Them In Top Shape
Loose minerals
Just like humans, your goats need to take their vitamins, and loose minerals are the best way to get those vitamins into their bodies.
These loose minerals should be offered free choice and available to your goats at all times. Goats are notorious for stepping in or otherwise soiling their food or hay, so be sure to offer the minerals in a way that prevents soiling from happening.
You can make your own feeder out of PVC or buy small mineral feeders. Be sure to look for a complete formula that contains all the essential nutrients- and also make sure your minerals are labeled for use in goats and not sheep. Copper is essential in goats and sheep cannot have copper.
Read a more thorough look at what and how to feed minerals to your goats here: Everything You Need to Know About Goat Minerals
Sodium Bicarbonate
Baking Soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, is another nutritional supplement that should be available to your goats free choice at all times.
We buy a big bag at our local feed store to keep on hand in a large can in the barn. It can be used for all sorts of things- on the farm and in the house- and we keep it next to the loose minerals in our double compartment mineral feeders.
Baking Soda aids in your goats digestion and helps to prevent bloat. They will only take as much as they need, when they need it. If it starts to look old, just sprinkle the old stuff on the barn floor and replace it with new.
You can read more indepth on how and why to feed goats baking soda here: Why Goats Need Baking Soda
Related Reading: Diagnosing and Treating Scours in Goats
Probios
Probios is a probiotic supplement for goats that is good to use to keep your goat’s rumen running smoothly.
It is full of beneficial bacteria to help start or recover good rumen function. We give every kid born on our farm Probios at about 3 days of age to jump start their rumen.
We also dose our adult goats when they are sick, after antibiotic use, or when they are transported for any reason.
Selenium/Vitamin E
Selenium is a trace mineral that is present in the soil. If you live in an area that is deficient, chances are your goats will not get a sufficient amount of this mineral and become deficient. Soil is considered deficient when there is less than 0.5mg of selenium per kg of soil. (If you would like to know about your area, here is a map of the selenium levels in the US).
Selenium is an important mineral for reproductive health and proper muscle function. Read more about Selenium Deficiency.
One year we had one of our new does give birth to triplets, one of which couldn’t stand due his ankles bending backwards. This white muscle disease is the most common signs of selenium deficiency in kids.
Adults can show signs of deficiency by abortions, stillbirth, or inability to conceive. We give our adult does an injection BoSe, which is available by prescription only, about a month before kidding. We also give BoSe to any kids presenting with White Muscle Disease.
We also keep a Selenium/Vitamin E gel on hand which we give everyone at the beginning of breeding season. The margin for toxicity is small, so make sure you dose correctly for your goat and check that you are in a deficient area first.
You can also try the new Bite Me! Goat Treats. The Mineral Mojo Bites are specifically for mineral deficiencies like these- an the goats LOVE them.
If you are new to goats, I recommend reading up as much as you can before you purchase. You can find a lot of articles here on The Free Range Life that will teach you about goat care and be sure to check out The Busy Homesteader’s Goat Management Binder– it’s full of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will get your new goat herd off to a great start!
Nutri-Drench
I’ve spoken about Nutri-Drench before and it is probably one of my most used goat supplements. It is simply concentrated vitamins and minerals that are readily absorbed for quick energy.
I give it to any goat that just seems off, recovering from sickness, and young kids and newborns (like my little one with white muscle disease) to help them have the energy to eat and grow like they are supposed to.
Sometimes it can be the very thing to help a sick goat make it through the night and get on the way to recovery.
Copper
Copper is another mineral that is essential for your goats. Copper is usually added to their feed as well as in their loose minerals but even with this fortification most goats will need supplementation in the form of a copper bolus.
Copper deficiency can cause poor growth in kids, poor coat quality and less resistance to parasites.
One of the telltale signs of copper deficiency is the “fish tail”- when the hair at the end of the goat’s tail has split into what looks like a fish tail.
To prevent this deficiency you need to give a copper supplement for goats 1-3 times a year. We’ve used a product called Copasure. It is for cows, so split open the capsules and dose the goats for their weight- putting the copper rods in their herbal worming balls.
Another good product is UltraCruz Copper Bolus for goats. It is measured for adult goats so be sure to make changes if you are dosing younger or miniature goats.
Related Reading: How to Copper Bolus Your Goat
Vitamin B Complex/Thiamine
The B Vitamins are made inside a healthy goat’s rumen everyday. When they are sick or rumen function is compromised because they are off feed you will need to supplement their vitamins with an injection of the B Vitamins.
Vitamin B12 is very helpful in goats suffering from anemia or recovering from other illnesses.
Vitamin B1, or Thiamine, is necessary for metabolism and neurological activity. And is one of the only things that will save your goat if they come down with Goat Polio.
Thiamine deficiency can cause many life threatening conditions, so it’s good to keep a Fortified Vitamin B Complex on hand at all times. We use an injectable formula from Southern States but there is also a paste that can be used for less severe conditions.
You can read more about B Vitamins, and why you need this goat supplement here: B Vitamins and Your Goat’s Health
Red Cell/Iron Supplement
An iron supplement is a must have when you own goats. Whenever you are dealing with a goat with anemia you will want to help keep them going by giving them an iron supplement as they build up their red blood cell count.
We keep Red Cell on hand and our goats take it pretty easily. You can also purchase iron pellets or injectable iron supplement. Again, please make sure you use the correct dose for your goat’s weight.
Add these things, along with all the necessary medications and supplies to your livestock medical cabinet and you will be ready for anything that comes your way!
I am new to having goats and I just noticed that one of my goats has what looks like pink eye, can you recommend some sort of treatment? Could this be from a vitamin deficiency? and is it ok for goats that are housed with cows and horses to have minerlized salt blocks?
Tetrymycin is great pink eye 2 a day 4 days, or u can use la200 in a syringe wout the needle and put a couple of drops in your goats eye.should see improvement with in two days
New To owning goats,I have boer,N little, Nigerian?Lol
I can’t remember there names little ones are quite bouncy,big ones are super tame.
Have had hoof but got that under control
Interesting about reading n learning more
I’m not sure when you wrote this, only shows a time, no day… anyway. I always use Camomile tea bag soak for pinkeye, with kids or animals. You will be amazed how quickly it heals. Just make yourself a cup of tea, and apply the bag to the eye. You can tape it there for an hour, or as little as 15 min. Do this 3 times a day at 15 minutes, or once for an hour. In two days it should be gone. I think it goes without saying, but allow the bag to cool to warm before applying to eye.
Goat Milk
Colloidal silver! I cannot say enough about this. It’s like a natural antibiotic. You can add it to a spray bottle/mister and mist it into the eye. For use in the eye though, only apply for 2 days in a row. No more.
You can even apply this into livestocks drinking water.
My toggenburg goat and thoroughbred horse are best friend. They eat together, sleep together and go around the paddock together. If my goat is concerned when my dog goes for a walk with me around the paddock, she goes over to the horse, sometimes under the horse’s stomach and feels safe. They are inseparable. They share a mineral block with the cows. Sometimes a lowline gentle cow sleeps in the large shed with them. The floor of the shed is fine wood chips. They love it. I have a spray ‘Terramycin’ for pink eye for pigs. I use it on any injury on chooks, ducks, cows, dogs, horse. Great antibiotic stuff for injuries. I would think it is used on any pink eye. Other than that, Orbinon eye ointment is used by my friend for his Angus beef cattle. I have also used it on my other animals. A vet okayed it for me. I do not use these things haphazardly, I ask a vet and if they are not solely on selling their own products, they will advise me.
Can u help me day to day my goats become thick he is eating too much but then also they are thick
I want to be my goat healthy
One of my bottle babies has refused to eat last two feedings,we feed every 6 hrs! She walks looks around and lays down, gets up stretches her hind legs and walks or immediately lays back down, she’s made a couple noises not so loud and her body feels soft all over. She did join her sisters in play for a bit and is wagging her tail, could this be just an upset stomach or something more serious? I gave her a dose of goat probiotics around 11, they will be four weeks old on Thursday
Could be tapeworms. Milk tapes. We have found that whenever a bottle fed kid stops drinking, it has always been tapes.
my goat twinkles around its neck all the time,the neck goes right ,left,up and down.The strange thing the feed intake is normal.
what could be the problem?
How do you give red cell
My young lamb goat is vomiting a white thing. What could be the cause?
Can you describe it more? Is it like froth?
I have a very old pasture goat with a fantastic appetite. However, she is sooo thin. I give her goat copper bullus every 5 months , goat block, 12% feed stock daily, hay and she has free range pasture. I just read your article and have ordered Red Cell Pellets and will put baking soda out tomorrow. Selenium levels in my area are good. Can you suggest any other supplement for an oooollddd thin goat? Thanks and Happy New Year
Goat blocks do not have sufficient copper levels for goats,loose minerals are best.black oil sunflower seeds will help put weight on your goat and also improve there shiny coat.
I have a sweet newbian girl I have just aquiered this last week. Her owners were less then upfront with us. We aquired 6goats in total. Before we got home we could tell there was an issue. By the next day we new we had a bloated goat and I was certain a respetory infection as well. It was labor day weekend and so we had a vet do an emergency run to our place. Come to find out I had two goats with respetory infections and only one showed the signs. We had all checked and sadly the one we had no idea was I’ll we lost that night. The one we knew had issue is still with us and was also choaked possibly from the infection. She is now near over this how ever if she eats anything outside the small pellet oat for goats mix I give her in rations she gets choked by night and we have to flush her. We have just started this new homestead she is sweet and relitively normal other wise. Sorry for the long story this has been a very laborious and expensive endevor for us. My question is what can I do for her to keep her wall fed and happy. When she can not do as goats do at least not yet. I hope this is a temporary thing while she recovers however I know it may not be and the isea of putting her down for this seems barbaric. I know they need a oats but limited she can’t eat pasture grass hey or anything of the sort. Please suggestions would help. I am starting them on some fermented grains as I do my chickens but she needs more. I have tried alpalfa pellets in small ration and she hasn’t seemed to choak, but is it enough it doesn’t seem so. Though she isn’t week and acting malnurished.
My goat is eating normally but after eating watery is coming out regularly and its very weak and cant withstand to sun(heat) what will be da reason
i want to know how to wean them I take them away from the mother for a month or more when put back together to run they still go to sucking and she let them.
Some take longer than others. We have had does that are like that- who will take back their babies after months. And others who wean their babies themselves. You may just have to separate them until the mom is dried up.
I am new to Goats. Is there a feed with all or nearly all the vitamins and minerals needed? All this mixing and adding seems overwhelming. I have been feeding a goat sweet feed that says it has all it needs. And added pellets for goats They have pasture. But don’t seem to like grass, just the weeds. Should I still do the baking soda and mineral salts? I live in west Tn. Will do what I need to keep all 5 healthy and happy. Can recommend a video or information on hoof care. They look ok, but want to keep on top things. Thank you P.S. I do have a goat farmer that will give me information too.
You need to keep loose minerals out for the goats at all times.
Is there any food or supplement that can help mother goat stop being mean?
This behavior has started the third week of being here she butted my little Westin and is now marking up her sons sides with scrapes
Can table salt be used in place of salt block for goats?
Goats don’t really need a salt block. They need loose minerals.
My goat is Not groth progresing
I have baby goat that was born 2 days ago and was very healthy and today it can’t
get up laying on its side with a stiff neck. Can anyone help me on this ?
CALL A VET!!
How much Red Cell would you give to a goat and how often? I have one that is looking a little rough, she is nursing triplets, and has a very rough coat.
Thank You!
I would like to order all 10 of you’re health supplements and birthing kit so is there a buddle package offered
Very good information how can l learn more and can you send me pamphlets on same
I have learn more about farming and i’m expecting to gain alot from you guys.
Thanks
Do goats need salt?
Hi! I’m basith from Sri Lanka, I’m also new to goats. 4 females goats gave birth and the little ones were active and drank milk on the first ans the second day they became very weak and they died. It’s very heartbreaking for me to watch them die. I have 5 more goats which are about to give delivery in a month. Can you kindly help me with this. The variety of goat I have is jamunapari.
Jeffers has a pill dispenser for dogs. It’s basically the same thing as
a bolus gun only smaller sized. It’s only a few dollars and SO much easier than the one for cows. Hope it helps.