Sheep & Goat Feed covers complete feeds, minerals, and milk replacers made for sheep and goats, including options that keep copper levels safe and help prevent urinary stones. Whether it's lambing, kidding, youth livestock projects, or working herds around Delta County, we'll help you feed each species what it actually needs.
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Sheep & Goat Feed Feeding Guide
Can sheep and goats share the same mineral?
Usually no, and this is the one that matters most. Sheep need only a tiny amount of copper (about 5 parts per million in the total diet), and it turns toxic above roughly 25 parts per million. Sheep absorb whatever copper they're given and store the extra in the liver for weeks or months, then a stressful event like weaning, shearing, or hauling can trigger a sudden, fatal release. Cattle need roughly ten times the copper sheep do, and goats need more than sheep, so feeding cattle or goat mineral to sheep is the classic way sheep get copper poisoning. When sheep and goats run together, folks often feed a sheep-safe (low-copper) mineral to the group, but that can leave the goats short on copper. One mineral usually can't do both species safely.
| Sheep | Goats | |
|---|---|---|
| Copper need | Tiny (~5 ppm); toxic above ~25 ppm | Higher than sheep |
| Safe mineral | Sheep-made (low copper) | Goat-made |
| Mixed flocks | Sheep-safe mineral for the group, watch goats for deficiency | May need copper supplemented separately |
How do I prevent water belly in wethers and bucks?
Water belly (urinary stones) hits wethers, growing ram lambs, and bucks. A blocked urethra can rupture the bladder and kill them. Keep the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the diet around 2 to 1; heavy grain diets run high in phosphorus, which drives stone formation, so check the feed tag for the ratio. Ammonium chloride in the ration helps prevent stones (it's already in many show-lamb and wether feeds), and plenty of water matters just as much. Dehydration concentrates the urine and raises the risk.
What milk replacer should I use for bottle lambs or kids?
Use one made for their species, lambs and kids do best on their own kind's formula. Ewe's milk is much richer than cow's milk (about 18% solids versus 13%, and much higher in fat), so a cow-milk-based replacer shortchanges lambs on fat. Mix exactly per the label, never water down the powder, and get colostrum into them first, within the first day. Lambs and kids need roughly 10–15% of their body weight per day in milk; frequent small meals (or cold milk around 40°F fed free-choice) keep them from overeating, bloating, and scouring.