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PROTEIN
What Happens When You Feed Too Much

Getting nutrition right is the most difficult part of raising goats, whether your herd is closely or loosely managed. Most goat raisers overfeed or underfeed; fewer folks get the amounts correct. WHY feeding properly is important to goat health is explained in this article.

Show and pet goat raisers tend to overfeed. People raising goats to sell for meat sometimes don't feed enough or properly, trying to save on cost of feed. This doesn't work in a species that has a very fast metabolism (11-hour rumen passage rate) and must have quality nutrition for proper digestion and meat production.

Most goat ranchers understand that overfeeding can result in serious illnesses like ruminal acidosis and laminitis-founder. Articles on each of these topics are on the Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com.

Too much protein can slow the rate of weight gain. Sounds odd, right? But it is true. When a goat is fed a protein level higher than its body requires, ENERGY that would be used in producing muscle must instead be used to remove excess protein from the body. The result can be a reduced rate of gain and higher feed costs to the producer.

The process of removing excess protein from the body via urine is a bit complicated but goat raisers need to understand it. Micro-organisms change protein to ammonia molecules and then remake them into amino acids that make up protein chains. Ammonia molecules that are not utilized by the micro-organisms are absorbed through the wall of the rumen and circulate in the blood stream. Because ammonia build-up in the kidneys can be toxic, these molecules must be converted from ammonia to urea. Urea is then excreted from the kidneys in the form of urine.

The process of changing from ammonia to urea to urine is the ENERGY cost of having excess protein in the goat's diet. A little excess protein can be tolerated. A high level of excess protein has both an energy cost and a monetary cost because protein is usually the most expensive nutrient in livestock feed.

How much is too much protein? That's a complex question that can be variable from herd to herd. I can tell you what I feed and what I won't feed. I feed a 16% protein pelleted goat feed that has a 2-1/2 to 1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio that was formulated specifically for my goats. There are many other things in this ration that are equally important; protein isn't the only consideration when buying a feed ration. If you think your feeding might be a bit less than it should be, supplement with soft-enough-to-bite-off-easily "sheep & goat" protein blocks.

I see no reason ever to feed more than 16% protein to a meat goat. I feed this ration only one time per day in the morning. Many people feed sacked feed twice a day and I disagree with that approach, unless the goat is nursing three or more kids. The only time you can safely push feed on a goat is when she is lactating.

SUMMARY : A feed that is higher in protein than the goat needs results in an expenditure of ENERGY by the goat's body to eliminate excess protein that would otherwise have been used to produce muscling (meat).

My thanks to Kent Mills, Livestock Nutritionist with HiPro Feeds in Texas, for his assistance in producing this article.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 4.1.25

Come Learn in Person!!
How to be proactive in your herd management!

Join us at the once a year GoatCamp™ at Onion Creek Ranch in Texas where you will learn from the experts in hands on as well as classroom instruction.

Taking reservations for GoatCamp™ 2025

Oct 20-23,2025

FAMACHA training. Doing microscopic fecal counts. Reading fecals.

Learn how to diagnose and treat illnesses and diseases

Nutrition: learn best nutritional practices

Tubing, injections, tattooing, eartagging, handling and restraints

Hoof trimming, hoof care

Necropsy demonstration

Diseases affecting goats

Drawing blood, disease testing

Selecting goats for breeding, market sales

Marketing your animals

Humane slaughter demonstration

Breeding, Kidding, Kid care

Importance of private property rights to goat owners.

...and much more, all on a working goat ranch.

The GOATCAMP™ Instructors

MARK SWENING, DVM - VETERINARIAN, Coleman, Texas Vet Clinic

JAMES MILLER, DVM, LSU - PARASITOLOGIST

SARAH ABATTI, HI PRO FEEDS - NUTRITIONIST

DAN BYFIELD, AMERICAN LAND FOUNDATION - PROPERTY RIGHTS & LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

BOB GLASS, PAN AMERICAN VET LABORATORY - SERUM DIAGNOSTICS

SUZANNE GASPAROTTO, ONION CREEK RANCH

PAT COTTEN, BENDING TREE RANCH

Classroom Instruction as well as Hands-on Work with Onion Creek Ranch goats on a working goat ranch

TUITION PER STUDENT - $550.00 IF RECEIVED BEFORE 9-30-25

$575.00 IF RECEIVED ON OR AFTER 10-1-25

Registration Form on the GoatCamp™ page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com

Additional Information or questions: Suzanne Gasparotto - 512-265-2090 (Texas) or email her at onioncrk@centex.net

GOATCAMP™ TESTIMONIALS:

"Thank you for a wonderful experience this past week at GoatCamp™. I wish I had known about it before purchasing my first goat. I did some things wrong at the beginning but with the knowledge I gained this week, I feel much better about getting my program back in line. All of your speakers were engaging and knowledgeable. It was obvious that you have put significant effort in the program. Everyone on your team was helpful and very polite. Your facility is amazing. The details of how you run your operation and how it is laid out is beyond impressive. My wife is interested in coming down for kidding internship if you have availability. Once you have more details on timeframe, please let me know so I can ensure she gets it on her calendar."
Best Regards, Jim Roberts Langston Construction Co. of Piedmont, LLC Piedmont, SC 29673

AND

"Just wanted to thank you for the great experience at this year's GoatCamp™. Really appreciate you and Pat Cotten for sharing the immense knowledge you have acquired over a period of 35 yrs. Also please pass on my thanks to Seth,Trisha, Jodi, and Del."
Thanks, Sasanka Veeramachaneni Austin, Texas

Note: This is Sasanka's second attendance at GoatCamp™ in the last 3 years.

Click here for more photos from the very successful 2024 GoatCamp™