We love learning new things about goat husbandry, and no matter how long we have been goating, I do believe there is always something we can learn! One thing I have been looking into most recently has been a method of offering minerals that utilizes free choice of minerals individually rather than offering them a pre-mixed formula.
I notice that my goats often become deficient in copper, selenium, zinc, and sulfur, and need supplemented to get them back to the appropriate levels. Copper I bolus, selenium I can give with Selenium/Vit E paste or BOSE. Zinc and Sulfur I can mix into individual feed portions to increase as needed. I have also often utilized Replamin Gel Plus to realign mineral needs.
One thing that has always bothered me about this constant battle is that my goats are getting deficient before I can address their need. Deficiencies open the door for a host of other issues, including parasites, injuries, and general un-thriftiness. I want to prevent the deficiency from reaching the level where it becomes symptomatic.
One thing that popped up as I tried to figure out how to balance nutrient sources better was a mineral buffet. This system provides access to each mineral individually, so that the goat can consume exactly what it needs, of only what it needs. I was immediately intrigued, and the more I read from other people's experiences, the more I wanted to do the same for my herd.
So,.. it is officially done. We have officially ditched the pre-mixed minerals and now my herd has free choice access to 20 different minerals which they can consume. I was at a place where some were deficient in Selenium again, and needed their supportive measures taken, but I had held off knowing that I was starting the buffet. Sure enough, they showed improvement within several days. Interestingly enough, the entire herd hit several minerals excessively hard for the first week before backing down and spreading out to others, even though they had barely been touching their pre-mixed mineral in the weeks leading up to the switch despite constant refreshing.
I am always looking for ways to improve the health of my herd, and am excited to see the long term effects of this switch!