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Long Stem Fiber is Essential for Goats

The Crucial Role of Long Fiber in Goat Nutrition: A Dietary Imperative

Goats, renowned for their selective and intricate eating habits, thrive on a diet rich in long fiber, playing a pivotal role in their overall nutrition and well-being. In this article, we delve into the significance of long fiber, its definition, the distinction from roughage, the limitations of pellets, the role of acid detergent fiber (ADF), and the careful considerations required when modifying a goat’s diet. In short: Long stem fiber is essential for goats.

Long stem Fiber is Essential for Goats

1. Defining Long Fiber:

Long fiber refers to the structural components of forages or browse that provide goats with a fibrous material crucial for proper digestion. It includes the stalks, stems, and leaves of plants, offering a comprehensive and complex source of nutrition.

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Ideally, long fiber should be at least 3/8th to 1.5 inches in length. This long plant material finds their way to the rumen, rubs against the walls of the rumen, stimulates the muscles to react causing a contraction and squeezing affect. This makes up a nice slurry of juices that the micro-organisms love. They help break it down further, the goat then regurgitates their cud and they chew their cud for the next phase of digestion. 

Long stem fiber in their rumen helps to keep the pH balance where it needs to be. If you’re feeding a high diet of sugars, and starches in the form of grains, the pH balance becomes more acidic, which can cause a whole host of problems. The long stems, because they take longer to digest, need to be re-chewed in the cud and take a longer cud chewing time keep the pH balance in the correct place. The saliva plays a key roll in this as it mixes with the cud being chewed. The saliva has a built in buffer to keep the rumen pH balance just right!

2. Differentiating from Roughage:

While often used interchangeably, long fiber and roughage are not synonymous. Roughage encompasses any feedstuff that is high in fiber, including long fiber, that breaks down slowly. Long fiber is the best roughage for a goat. But other roughage in feed may be rice hulls, soybean hulls, cottonseed hulls, and oat hulls.

A pasture is 100% roughage. 

3. The Pitfalls of Pellets:

Pellets, while convenient, do not qualify as long fiber or roughage. These processed feeds lack the structural complexity that long fiber provides. Goats need to chew and ruminate, and pellets, being more concentrated and lacking the necessary fibrous structure, can compromise these natural behaviors.

Feeding grain at night, because of its quick digestive and lack of digestive qualities, isn’t wise. When the weather turns cold, the best thing you can do for your goats is fill them up with grass hay before bed. That long stem fiber will keep them happy and warm as they digest and re-digest it all night long. 

It’s very important to understand this: Hay turned into pellets, like alfalfa pellets, do not have long fiber in them, even though they used to be long fiber before pelleted. The act of cutting it up into such small pieces removes the long fiber and therefore does not give the rumen the stimulation it needs. 

That does not mean that alfalfa pellets won’t work in a rounded nutrition program, but it must be kept in mind that they can not be the only source of food and the goats need long stem fiber. While looking at feed tags, also note the crude fiber. It’s important that the pelleted feed as roughage in the form of cottonseed hulls added in. If it doesn’t, the crude fiber will be too high and without the needed roughage, the goat can’t digest it properly with enough of the rumen stimulation that keeps the pH balance in balance. 

Grains do provide energy but are also full of starches. And starches reduce their ability to digest the long stem fiber. If you’re over feeding grain, you’re hindering the goat’s digestive abilities. 

4. The Role of Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF):

Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) is a key parameter in assessing the digestibility of plant material. It represents the less digestible components, including cellulose and lignin. Long fiber, with its higher ADF values, encourages goats to chew and promotes better digestion, contributing to overall gut health.

But you want your hay to test below 40% for ADF, with about 28% being perfect for the goat’s digestive system. If the hay tests about 40%, then it will not only be not as digestible to the goat but it will also be low in energy. If this is the case, you’ll probably look into feeding grain to your goats to get them the energy they need to thrive. 

You may find that most grain sacks don’t have on their tags, the ADF levels, but be sure to reach out to the company and nutritionist at the feed store and ask them to get those numbers for you. If you are feeding grain to your goats, do so regularly, consistently and the same amount each day. Ensure that one goat isn’t a hog, eating faster and more than the other goats. 

5. Gradual Diet Changes:

Goats are creatures of habit, and abrupt dietary changes can lead to digestive disturbances. When altering their diet, in introducing new sources of long fiber, grain products, switching pasture or moving them from pasture to pen feeding, it is imperative to do so gradually. This allows the microbial population in the rumen to adjust and ensures a smooth transition.

By switching slowly, you’re giving the goat’s rumen and micro-organisms time to adjust to the new source of food. You will avoid acidosis and other rumen problems by heeding this warning. 

6. Adequate Daily Roughage:

A general guideline is to provide goats with approximately 2-4% of their body weight in dry matter as roughage per day. This ensures they receive sufficient long fiber, promoting rumination, maintaining dental health, and supporting a healthy digestive system.

7. Keep Good Records:

If you’re desiring to up your goat raising game…keep good records. It’s easy and you’ll get a huge set of bonuses that will help you raise goats and help them when they are sick. 

 

 

Conclusion:

In the intricate world of goat nutrition, long fiber stands as a cornerstone for overall health and well-being. Its role in maintaining proper digestive function, encouraging natural behaviors, and promoting dental health cannot be overstated. As conscientious caretakers, understanding the distinction between long fiber and roughage, recognizing the limitations of pellets, and approaching dietary changes with gradual consideration are crucial steps in ensuring the optimal nutrition and vitality of our caprine companions.

And now you know and will never forget: long stem fiber is essential for goats. 

There’s a lot more to know about what to feed goats: Raising Goats Resource Page

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