Forage Diversity

and GoatsJodie Pennington,

penningtonj@lincoln.edu,

Region Small Ruminant Educator,

Lincoln University,

Newton County Extension Center,

Neosho, MO—417-455-9500

Goats Eat Lots of Things• Select good parts

of plant

• Can tend to

balance diet

• Adapt to co-

species grazing

• Like diversity of

vegetation

• Keep it simple

• Browse with

conventional OK

Can be a problem

Flowers, garden

Weeds

Poisonous plants

Used to clear land

Kikos adapt well to diversity

Need fiber

No One System Fits All

• Need TDN, CP,

Fiber, Minerals

• Greatest concern

is consistency of

forages and

availability of

enough to eat

• Watch bad plants

• Want at least 4

inches tall if

possible

• Browse essential

• Need good

variety (buffet)

Plan for Year-Round Conventional Forages-

as much as possible-January??++Browse

Nutrient Requirements

CP TDN

• Buck 10 % 60 %

• Dry doe 9 55

• Late gestation 11 60

• Lactating doe 11 60

• Weaned kid 14 68

• Yearling 12 65

• Higher demand—greater requirements

Browse may or may not meet needs

Browse plants: % CP % TDN % Ca % P

Acorns, fresh fruit 4.8 47 n/a n/a

Honeysuckle buds

& leaves 16.0 72 n/a n/a

Honeysuckle

leaves, late 10.0 69 n/a n/a

Hackberry, mature 14.0 41 4.00 .13

Oak, shin, early 17.4 72 n/a .31

Oak, shin, late 7.5 n/a n/a n/a

Sagebrush, sand,

early12.2 66 n/a n/a

Sagebrush, sand,

mature 7.2 60 .48 .12

Sumac, early veg. 13.7 77 n/a .20

Browse

Forb

Grass

Feeding Preferences

Forbs

Grass

GoatsSheep

Cattle

Goats &

sheep can

decrease

weeds

Yearly Forage Production++Browse

Spring Summer Fall Winter

100 days 100 days 100 days 65 days

Hay

Hay

Browse and Forbs as Pasture

• Goats are browsers

• Best to have some

access to browse

and/or forbs to

supplement high

quality, conventional

forages

• Increase

performance

Browse and forbs—need more

mineral supplementation varies??

• Oak

• Greenbrier

• Honeysuckle

• Persimmon

• Mimosa

• Others

• Pigweed,other

weeds

• Kudzu

• Sericea lespedeza

• Peas, soybeans

• Alfalfa, clover

• Others

Feed Prices

Grain

Commodities

Hay??

Save money with forages!!!!

PLANT TYPE TDN % CRUDE PROTEIN %

Fescue hay 48-53 7-9

Bermuda hay 47-50 7-9

Alfalfa hay 50-63 13-20

Honeysuckle, leaves and

buds

70+ 16+

Honeysuckle, mature 68+ 10+

Sumac, early vegetative 77 14

Oak, buds and young

leaves

64 18

Persimmon leaves 54 12

Hackberry, mature 40 14

Kudzu, early hay 55 14

Juniper, leaves 64 6

Acorns, fresh 47 5

Curled dock 74 13

Mimosa, leaves 72 21

Mulberry, leaves 72 17

Grazing Systems for Sheep/Goats

• Continuous—most popular

---Individual species, i.e. sheep or goats

---Multi-species grazing, i.e. goats with

cattle, etc

• Management Intensive Grazing--

atypical

---Individual species, i.e. sheep or goats

---Multi-species grazing, i.e. goats with

cattle, etc

Benefits of Multispecies Grazing• Increased utilization of forages (??maybe

10-20%)--Greater total lbs per acre

• Weed control

--Goats eat weeds, can

clean up pasture (2-3 yrs)

• Reduced parasite

loads

--Goats graze higher

• Diversified production

--Goats and cattle

--Cattle and sheep

--Goats and horses

--Start at 1 goat per cow and can go to 3 goats per cow-vary

Complications with Multi-species

Grazing—fencing and predators• Sheep need a lower copper mineral than

cattle or goats

• Additional fencing is needed—goats more

fencing than sheep

Exterior

Interior

Problems—food and feeding

dogs

Animal Unit Equivalents

Kind/Class AUE Intake/day

Air dry lbs.

Intake/year

Air dry lbs.

Cow with calf 1.00 30 10,950

Bull, mature 1.35 40.5 14,782.5

Horse, mature 1.25 37.5 13,687.5

Sheep, mature 0.20 6.0 2190

Goat, mature 0.15 4.5 1642.5

What Stocking Rates of

Cattle and Goats?

Pasture Type% Brush

CanopyCows Goats Cows + Goats

Excellent

Pasture< 10% 1 6 to 8 1 + (1 to 2)

Brushy

Pasture10 - 40% 1 9 to 11 1 + (2 to 4)

Brush

Eradication> 40% 8 to 12

.5 + (6 to 8 per

acre)

Sustainable

Browse

Management

Maintaining 10

to < 40%1 to 3 per acre

.25 + (1 to 2

per acre)

Sheep/Goats Require

Good Feed• Browse/brush—young shoots, leaves

• Forbes—weeds, bushy plants

• Prefer plants in the vegetative stage of

growth where nutrients are lower in fiber

and higher in energy and protein

• Goats need more fiber than just “grass” and

grow 10-15% better if browse is available

compared to grass only

• Goats are better at selecting “good” parts of

plant than sheep (and cattle and horses)

% G

ras

s g

row

th

Jan. Feb Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug.Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Spring Summer Fall

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Forage Availability Can Be A Concern

Warm-season

forages

Stockpiled w.s.g.

Stockpiled fescue

Winter annuals

Spring Summer Fall

Cool-season

forages

Prior to drought in pastures

1. Maintain good soil fertility

2. Practice effective weed control with

goats

3. Practice improved grazing

management—not too heavy, come

back after rain

Rest pastures

Always Maintain Pasture Production

Inventory-Know When Need More

Pasture ID Spring Summer Fall Winter

Bermuda/mixed Poor Good Poor None

Bermuda/fescue Fair Good Fair None

Fescue/mixed Fair Fair Poor None

-/+ + - - -

Identify the forage type and average productivity for each pasture and

add them up. Doing so will tell you where the “holes” are in the

production system and where you need to make improvements.

Nutrient Needs: Cattle>Sheep>Goats

Goats are selective browsers, eat best parts

Possible Forage/Grazing

Systems for Small Ruminants• Must provide nutrients for mature herd

• Must plan for adequate quantity and quality

• Can decrease feed costs (from 60% to 40% of

total costs), decrease grain costs

• Vary with goals of farm

• Usually continuous (most popular) and simple

but can be management intensive grazing

(MIG), especially with hair sheep

• Can utilize weeds/brush with especially goats

• Assist with parasite management

Goats Can Grow & Control Brush Control

Cattle OnlyCattle and Hair Sheep

Sheep and goats can change conventional

pastures also, economical weed control

Adequate Nutrients are Needed

for Growth Of Sheep/Goats

• Goats work better than sheep on brush

• Both sheep and goats eat weeds

• Studies show that goats do better with

grass & browse than with grass only

• Goats are better selective grazers on

plants; sheep are better than cattle

• NOTE: Cannot starve profit

More Quantity of Feed=More ADG

Goats do well on browse but will do better

with more balanced diet--????may not be

competitive in the feedlot????

Cannot starve profit from goats

To Control Brush and Weeds• Graze them early

• Defoliate every 6 weeks or less

• Defoliate in the fall

• Ask---What are we going to graze after the

brush and weeds are gone?

To Manage Brush as a Renewable

Resource1) Get on it later in the spring,

2) Long rotation > 8 wks rest, and

3) Do not defoliate late in the fall

Can Use Conventional Grazing

Systems (grasses/legumes)

• Forages can decrease feed costs

compared to grain

• Vary with goals of farm, better with sheep

• Needs less equipment than stored feeds

• Must plan for adequate quantity and

quality of forages

• More competition with cattle with grass

than with brush

**Aid in Internal Parasite Control**

Plants with Condensed Tannins

(potent antioxidants--dewormers)

• Sericea Lespedeza

• Annual lespedeza

• Birdsfoot trefoil

• Arrowleaf clover

• Berseem clover

(white, not hardy)

• Crown vetch

• Chicory

• Oak leaves/acorns

• Walnut leaves

• Mulberry

• Mimosa

• Acacia (thorn tree)

• Autumn olive

• Multiflora-rose

Plan to Use Forages You Have

• Soil test and fertilize & lime accordingly

• Plan for different seasons, plan for a drought,

consider over-seeding with legumes

• Have browse available (accessible)

• Rotate pastures to keep forages in

vegetative stage of growth

• Cut excess forage for hay as a reserve for

winter or a drought

• Monitor body condition score and

supplement as needed

Watch Feed Inventory

Concerns—

• Quantity—not enough forage (need

forages or fiber if drought or overstocked)

• Quality—must consider if energy, protein,

fiber, or minerals

change

• Use what you have or

buy what you need

The Yield - Quality Compromise

Protein/energy

Fiber/lignin

Availability

Optimum

grazing

Conventional Forage Production++Browse

Spring Summer Fall Winter

100 days 100 days 100 days 65 days

Hay

Hay

Browse and forbes—use what you

have or what your neighbor has and

will give to you• Oak

• Greenbrier

• Honeysuckle

• Persimmon

• Mimosa

• Others

• Pigweed,other

weeds

• Kudzu

• Sericea lespedeza

• Others

All farms differ for forage

diversity for goats• Fescue + woods

• Bermuda + woods

• Fescue/clover + woods

• Brush land + clover or

lespedeza

• Fescue/clover + weeds

• Mixed grasses/clover +

honeysuckle (others)

• Maintenance diet can

be brush and weeds

• Conventional forages

are more reliable

• Brush and

undergrowth are

usually a waste

product and can be

20-30% of the diet

• Fresh undergrowth

can be almost all of

the diet for growing

goats

Summary for Conventional Grazing-

-Plan for fluctuating forage supply—

--Vary forages to ensure supply--• Browse/forbs=almost essential with grass

• Fescue, orchard grass with legumes

• Lespedeza

• Native grasses, annual grasses

• Fescue/lespedeza

• Clovers/supplemental legumes

• Good hay from excess pasture and use

if drought/snow/trees for goats

Questions??

Goats & Sheep

Require

Good & Timely

Management---

Prevention &

Planning

Is Always The Key