goats also have 2 stomach same as a cow

this link shows the digestive sytem of a ruminant http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks...umen_anat.html

as to feeding too much grain it is quite simple with a goat too much grain kills them ........ and they cant take much in the way of antibiotics or other interventions ....... this is partly why in western societies goat dairies have never been popular ........ goats virtually have to be kept in the old natural way or they just dont produce and mortality is high

the goat has the last laugh on 'modern' facory farming and unatural methods ! but even so goat milk is still drunk by more of the worlds population than is cows milk .......

but back to grain ....... a goat does need some grain to produce milk but it must be balanced with roughage ....... in the wild they seek out seeds and flowers but alo balance this with leaves, bark and even a bit of woody stems ......... a goats rumen is like compost tumbler it must be balanced !!!

I disagree with Enterolab - just because they are experts on human digestion doesnt mean they understand ruminants !!! I am sure what the ruminant eats and breathes in does come through in the milk and lots of old goat keepers have stories that prove it - like the lady who told me how after putting creosote on her fence posts her goat's milk tasted of creosote for months

koz