It goes like this:
Day 1 I would put the loose (important because goats don't have rough tongues) minerals free choice into a mineral feeder inside the goat's shed.
Day 2 Find goat berries in untouched minerals. Use a whisk broom to sweep out mineral feeder and place a smaller amount of minerals in it.
Day 3 Repeat day 2
Day 4 Repeat day 3
Day 5 Top dress the alfalfa pellets with a squirt of cooking spray to hold the minerals on.
Day 6 Use a whisk broom to sweep minerals out of pellet trough then repeat day 5
Day 7 Give up and feed minerals by hand. Which some goats loved...and fought over...and slobbered on...knocking me around and leaving a wet, sticky mess in my hand. But some goats turned up their noses.
So I broke down and bought a mineral paste. It's a little more inconvenient because it's not free choice. I have to measure and figure dosage. And I have to be sure each goat gets its share. At first I was top dressing their pellets with the paste but some goats like the taste and some goats don't. And Moose? He thought I was trying to poison him- POISON I tell ya! What to do? What to do? Why, sneak the little booger's minerals into him of course. We started out with marshmallows. I mean, who doesn't like marshmallows? Moose doesn't like marshmallows. Or animal crackers? Or saltines? Bread? Uh uh, nope. Finally a few weeks ago, I discovered Moose's treat of choice. Peanuts. So once a week I crack open a peanut, dump the nuts out, measure in the paste, and press the shell halves together to hide a mineral dose.
And now? Now I'm happy to report the goats are all looking great-the picture of health! Coats are shiny!
