Tree bark, newspaper, feed sacks, foam pipe wrap . Some of these items, if eaten, can kill them. It takes lots of Milk of Magnesia to get foam pipe wrap through a goat's digestive system. Fresh, clean water is essential to the continued good health of goats. Keep water troughs very clean.
Dirty water is a quick route to illness.
Algae grows rapidly in water troughs which receive direct sunlight during hot summer days. An automatic chlorination system is best, but algae can be controlled by adding not more than one ounce of bleach to 15 gallons of drinking water. Too much bleach will kill the vital bacteria in goats' stomachs. In addition to salt blocks, producers should provide, on a free choice basis, loose minerals containing 950 to 1250 ppm of copper. Loose minerals are better because blocks lose essential nutrients when they are heat shrunk.