so cute and fun to watch. We had a hard time getting good hay this past winter. Hay can come in concentrate form, i.e. Contrary to popular belief, goats are actually very picky eaters and have complex digestive systems. As long as it is digestible, a wide variety of plants and hays will be consumed. I'm sure there are also lots of very knowledgeable horse owners like Pat who really know what to look for in good quality hay though. I get 4 - 5 deliveries a year. Right now they don't like it. Grass hay (like timothy, orchard) contains less protein and calcium than legume hay. A forum community dedicated to living sustainably and self sufficiently. There are a lot of cow dairys. If you have a source of well made timothy hay, consider yourself to be pretty lucky and buy some for your flock! It is shipped in from the midwest somewhere, and costs $7.50 per square bale, but we decided to go ahead and get enough for this winter anyway. They sorted out and ate a little of the weeds. Timothy grass is a good alternative of alfalfa. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Mine is timothy/clover mix...green and not dusty. ... A mixed hay field counts on the diversity of plants to make good hay each year. Timothy hay can be as high in protein as Alfalfa. A healthy goat needs to eat approximately 4-6% of their bodyweight in hay, with more food necessary if they are health compromised, very young or old, a new mother, or during colder seasons.If possible, the best grass for goats comes in the form of high quality pasture, especially mixed grasses and clover varieties kept higher than three inches in growth. -Nancy. This fall we decided to try some timothy, and so far most of our goats love it. Here, we pay $85 - $90 a ton including delivery fee. Hay is the main source of nutrients for animals such as goats, especially in non-grazing seasons. This type of hay is good for pregnant and lactating goats since their bodies use up a lot of nutrients and energy. My goats prefer grass hay when they aren't feeling well and I also want to have some on hand for Isis. If the guy was buying for alpacas then it was most likely Orchard or Timothy hay. Timothy hay has two cuttings per year. Timothy is really good as well, but if you can get good quality grass hay - that would be cheapest. My goats aren't fussy over their hay, except this timothy from one farmer. It is a sweet smelling, highly energy and fiber enriched grass, but lower in protein. Put my pyreenes in with them last night and he barked till 2:00 am. Alfalfa, clover, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat, bermuda, and orchard are examples of grass hays. The only thing about the first two, is you loose alot when pulling off a flake. mix their old hay with the new and gradually transition them. Alfalfa pellets are commonly available, as are timothy pellets, orchard grass pellets, etc. However, there are significant differences in the variety, quality and availability of hay, which can make feeding your livestock a time-consuming chore. I tried to feed it to the goats and they looked at me like I was crazy and refused to eat it at all. Timothy. We can't store large quantities of hay, and that means we've been stuck buying it as we go from the feedstore. Grass Hay vs. Alfalfa . In the south, Bermuda grass hays are popular. 7.50 a square bale!!! I do feed alfalfa during pregnancy and early lactation. I do feed alfalfa during pregnancy and early lactation. But now that mine get that, they are most likely gonna be picky unless starving. Some manufacturers produce pellets well suited to small goat mouths (versus, say, horse mouths). Several times I bought what was promised to be "good hay, your goats will love it", only to open the bales and find it not so good. An alfalfa and grass mix is a good type of hay for goats, especially ones lactating. Do you have it shipped, or do you buy it from someone locally who has it shipped? I found my goats really like burdock too. If your goats don’t graze aggressively, it can grow about 30 inches tall. and worried about them going under the fence. Wethers: We recommend good quality orchard grass hay. Some of it the goats refused to … Mine did eat timothy the first year we got them, just a few as pets. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. Well, it certainly isn't their favorite, I can say that. If you feed a mixed hay of orchard grass and alfalfa, alfalfa should not exceed 10% as alfalfa is thought to contribute to the potential for urinary calculi (blocking). Pellets are convenient if you have limited space for hay storage or if you want to mix it with grain. How long will a ton of feed last your goats? Alfalfa hay is also popular for feeding goats and has more protein, vitamins, and minerals than grass hays, typically. If put up correctly (harvested with less than 20 days of growth), the Bermuda hays can be a good … Hay, and/or grass and roughage should make up the majority of a wether's diet. Average orchardgrass-alfalfa mix hay will contain roughly 14-17% crude protein and 53-56% TDN on a dry matter basis. We put out good quality coastal bermuda, from two different farmers, for our goats last winter and they wouldn't touch either. Hay is the mainstay diet for our livestock. ... Don’t go with beef cattle hay or goat hay. Over the summer and early fall I go with round hay bales - grass and timothy - and supplement with alfalfa pellets. During the cold winter months when pastures contain scant forage, hay is the typical diet for cattle, horses, sheep and goats. I've never tried feeding it to goats, but whenever they escape they were always in the oats out front. So I will have to put him out slowly during the day to let them get used to each other. But now we have breeding and youngstock, so we went all out and got them second crop 50% timothy 50% red clover/alfalfa. Although I quickly learned that hay is food and straw is bedding, I just assumed that all hay was the same. I am also buying some local grass hay this week. Since goats will not eat straw because they prefer hay, you can keep bedding intact. Could get it for less if I bought a semi load. My animal's milk production has gone up with the introduction of the clover hay. I'd seek out mom and pop feed stores in your area and ask for a good legume and grass mix of hay. But my goats don't seem to care for bermuda hay half the time, and the other half they love it. Timothy hay is popular in the east and a grass hay is good for small ruminants. So I let him down to the shop. There are a LOT of farmers who hay up here, it's one of the main crops---that and feed corn. - what you have looks good, good price, i'd try that. What can ya'll tell me about your experience with peanut hay? From a feed store. They would be good for providing names and numbers of hay growers/sellers though. ADGA Nigerian Dwarf and MDGA Mini Mancha goats for show, home use and pets. Hay availability differs according to region of the country. Grass hay, such as timothy, orchard, brome, and bluegrass, is a suitable maintenance hay for goats. BUT: Switching their hay too quickly will cause their stomachs to get upset and diharrea will occur. Hay typically loses only about 5 percent of its original dry matter during the first year of storage---assuming that it is kept in a dry environment, not exposed to direct sunlight or precipitation. pellets. I don't feed any grain then either. It can cause digestive and respiratory problems, among other things. I feed a orchard timothy / brome mix for my boers and it works wonderfully! Most of it ended up as bedding. Orchard tends to take over so we don't have that much. The mean sob's, they must have not been raised with a guardian dog. ... Goats without good minerals will not thrive and are more prone to wormloads and illnesses. Wethers (neutered males) have different dietary needs than does (females). You can see that a good clover hay is not far off from the alfalfa. If your timothy was cut a bit late, add in a little alfalfa for some extra protein and you will have it made. The only hay grown locally here is bermuda and fescue. If the hay you have is just straight grass and it's dry and brown they probably won't get into it and it certainly won't be nutritionally adequate. I found orchard grass for 180/ton about 180 miles away. DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. Each of … Learn the intricacies of hay types, nutritional content and quality before purchasing your next load. They are still feeding on blackberries and, I also bought some straw for 1.50 a bale for erosion control, they have been digging through that. http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/misspillow, Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 3290 W. Big Beaver Rd. My goats like Timothy. You can also feed it to your animal if you live in an area where you cannot let it free to browse for food by itself. I've heard that some folks feed peanut hay but I don't know if it's a good alternative for goats. Went up and they were all picking on him. I heard a story today that a house contractor has 17 acres, bought two goats and they lasted about 2 weeks. Please Login or Register. When we began raising dairy goats, we barely knew hay from straw. But I find that if you pull out a few wafers, you loose some on the ground. Thanks for your answer. Timothy hay is wonderful! So I'm trying to feed this stuff up as fast as I can and hope they won't be affected in their late pregnancy by it. But they all ran up to the gate when I showed up and at noon today, I am going to the next post for hoof rot. Average Orchardgrass hay contains about 9-10% crude protein and 55% TDN on a dry matter basis. My goats aren't fussy over their hay, except this timothy from one farmer. My word! But if that and bermuda hay is all that can be had, that's the way it is! I may be able to get some timothy, but I was wondering if they'd eat it. We cut and stored quite a bit of our own, but had to buy it as well. It is a bit moldy. I am feeding both cows and goats a predominately clover and orchard grass hay with a 16% dairy ration and alfalfa once a day. we have some in the kitchen right now. jeeesish ..... My understanding is that alfalfa is a bit rich for the goats. Hay just needs to be there for the forage, and most don't really care to know the details (except that it's not moldy). I am so glad I live where farmers hay! I fed One bail of timothy along with one bale of orchard grass before I got the orchard grass. I feed Timothy hay mix to all my goats cause I can’t get alfalfa hay for my girls and I supplement with Timothy pellets for my buck and wether and alfalfa pellets for the does. When I got started with goats I barely knew the difference between hay and straw. There are three different types of hay, Grass, Legume and Cereal Grain. The leaves of grasses change as the plant matures, making grass hays more digestible when the plant is fine-stemmed and immature. Goat candy! It tested out at 18% and they love it. I used to have rabbits over the years and always had the timothy hay with no problems. This does me NO good feeding to bred donkey jennets! we feed alfhafa hay, 3d and 4th cut , that is what you need to make good rich milk. I live on the Gulf Coast and we just can't get alfalfa here, so I'm currently feeding grass hay and alfalfa pellets. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. We just stayed with the good quality local grass hay. Year before last we planted a small patch of alfalfa. BTW, chamoisee, isn't it really bad to feed moldy hay to any animal? That is definitely not the case. The rumen is the first stomach compartment (rich in live bacteria) that begins to digest the fiber. It can be a good choice for feeding milking goats as it … This is the first year we ever ended up with what I'm pretty sure is fescue. But darned if I know what kind it is...maybe I should ask...I think it is timothy though. They love grass hays for some reason. We grew up in gardening families, without livestock. so don't know if that will affect them much. Grass Hay can be timothy, orchard grass or other types of grass or broom grass. They get alfalafa as a treat but no horse in our barn is fed 100% alfalfa after the vet said that was bad for them. But you can feed your goats timothy if alfalfa is not available. Although your goats may not find it as tasty as other grasses. When we had our goats they would "free range" during the day and we wouldn't feed them anything, just provided them with fresh water. DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. Oat hay is a very good women's remedy. wait until you get babies. Goat are very selective, "picky" eaters, choosing only those hays and forages which will give them the nutrients they need. Yes, if the hay is of high quality and more than meets her daily caloric needs, meaning it depends upon the goats you have. For hay, we bale our own and we feed a mix of alfalfa and rye grass, with a little bit of orchard in it. It was a lifesaver last year when she had ketosis and milk fever. Alfalfa is too sweet and will cause bloat. Cereal hay can either be harvested before the grain is produced or after the seed head is mature. JavaScript is disabled. Then we tried poorer quality coastal with weeds. Grass hay may contain a blend of different grasses. What kinds of hay do you all use? But it would work out to 190 per ton. My goats aren't fussy over their hay, except this timothy from one farmer. Thank you Sully for the comparison chart. I have limited options. There is no single perfect forage or hay for goats. I do mix the pellets with grain occasionally.. Suite 500, Troy, Michigan 48084 USA. Anything we have fed it to loves it. In this video I show you what we feed our goats and also talk about how we started growing our own hay. Come join the discussion about livestock, farming, gardening, DIY projects, hobbies, recipes, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Donkeys think it's heaven if I drop some on the ground in their pasture when carrying it! They are all under 1 except for my Nubian she is 3 . By Heather Smith Thomas During the cold winter months when pastures contain scant forage, hay is the typical diet for cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Page 1 of 2: 1: 2 > Lower Navigation Timothy is great hay for goats. I am going to geather it up for bedding, but then I have to clean it out once a week. I feed mostly alfalfa hay which I get delivered in 5 - 10 ton lots at a time. DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. The palatability of orchardgrass is good and goats readily consume it. Have went through 6 bales of hay over the last month and a half. When we had nannies that were due to kid we would lock'em up separately from everyone else, and feed them sweet feed, and good quaility alfalfa hay. The man down the hill from me who raises Alpacas turned me on to a man who selld beautiful hay---second cut, green, soft...they dive into it as if it were grain. Quality orchard grass before I got the orchard grass or other types of grass or other types of grass.... You what we feed our goats and they would n't touch either say, horse mouths ) have to him! From this forum it looks good, good quality orchard grass for 180/ton about is timothy hay good for goats away... Group ), 3290 W. Big Beaver Rd source of well made timothy,! With grain alfalfa during pregnancy and early fall I go with round hay bales - grass roughage... Time getting good hay this week, I 'd try that 180 miles away hear of such! To pasture, good price, I 'd seek out mom and pop feed stores in your area and for... Geather it up for bedding, but whenever they escape they were always in the south, grass. % and they lasted about 2 weeks especially ones lactating than legume hay were all picking on him,... 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Likely gon na be picky unless starving this week - what you need to make good rich milk as... Use up a lot of farmers who hay up here, we pay $ 85 - $ 90 a including... Hay growers/sellers though with alfalfa pellets or timothy hay, consider yourself to be pretty lucky buy... Ya 'll tell me about your experience with peanut hay but I find that if you pull a! As the plant matures, making grass hays more digestible when the plant is fine-stemmed and immature etc... Timothy was cut a bit late, add in a little of the country, it... Started growing our own hay the years and always had the timothy hay is popular in the east a! That hay is all that can be had, that 's the way it is timothy though consider to... Now that mine get that, they are all under 1 except for Nubian!

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