http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/misspillow, Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 3290 W. Big Beaver Rd. When we began raising dairy goats, we barely knew hay from straw. If the guy was buying for alpacas then it was most likely Orchard or Timothy hay. There are a lot of cow dairys. DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. Alfalfa, clover, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat, bermuda, and orchard are examples of grass hays. I am also buying some local grass hay this week. Anything we have fed it to loves it. I only bought 1 ton from the local supplier, so it was not worth my time. As long as it is digestible, a wide variety of plants and hays will be consumed. I've heard that some folks feed peanut hay but I don't know if it's a good alternative for goats. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. Year before last we planted a small patch of alfalfa. ... Goats without good minerals will not thrive and are more prone to wormloads and illnesses. My goats prefer grass hay when they aren't feeling well and I also want to have some on hand for Isis. For hay, we bale our own and we feed a mix of alfalfa and rye grass, with a little bit of orchard in it. The palatability of orchardgrass is good and goats readily consume it. Grass Hay can be timothy, orchard grass or other types of grass or broom grass. so cute and fun to watch. 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. 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. I feed mostly alfalfa hay which I get delivered in 5 - 10 ton lots at a time. mix their old hay with the new and gradually transition them. Page 1 of 2: 1: 2 > Lower Navigation I have limited options. so don't know if that will affect them much. The only hay grown locally here is bermuda and fescue. Pellets are convenient if you have limited space for hay storage or if you want to mix it with grain. We grew up in gardening families, without livestock. There is no single perfect forage or hay for goats. My animal's milk production has gone up with the introduction of the clover hay. We just stayed with the good quality local grass hay. 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. Last night I heard the coyotes yelling, no doubt mateing. I got some "grass mix" first crop from a highly recommended farmer, it cost me an arm and a leg and the crap is fescue. I found my goats really like burdock too. what a shame. we feed alfhafa hay, 3d and 4th cut , that is what you need to make good rich milk. We cut and stored quite a bit of our own, but had to buy it as well. So I let him down to the shop. Wethers: We recommend good quality orchard grass hay. Each of … They are all under 1 except for my Nubian she is 3 . pellets. BTW, chamoisee, isn't it really bad to feed moldy hay to any animal? I heard a story today that a house contractor has 17 acres, bought two goats and they lasted about 2 weeks. 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. An alfalfa and grass mix is a good type of hay for goats, especially ones lactating. Grass hay is a good source of food because it includes a moderate amount of proteins. 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. I do mix the pellets with grain occasionally.. Although your goats may not find it as tasty as other grasses. Timothy. Put my pyreenes in with them last night and he barked till 2:00 am. 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. Since goats will not eat straw because they prefer hay, you can keep bedding intact. Cereal hay can either be harvested before the grain is produced or after the seed head is mature. You may hear of types such as timothy hay, orchard grass, canary grass, fescue, etc. Over the summer and early fall I go with round hay bales - grass and timothy - and supplement with alfalfa pellets. But now we have breeding and youngstock, so we went all out and got them second crop 50% timothy 50% red clover/alfalfa. It is a bit moldy. Donkeys think it's heaven if I drop some on the ground in their pasture when carrying it! My goats aren't fussy over their hay, except this timothy from one farmer. This fall we decided to try some timothy, and so far most of our goats love it. What kinds of hay do you all use? If you have a source of well made timothy hay, consider yourself to be pretty lucky and buy some for your flock! 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. The mean sob's, they must have not been raised with a guardian dog. 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 hay can be as high in protein as Alfalfa. I live on the Gulf Coast and we just can't get alfalfa here, so I'm currently feeding grass hay and alfalfa pellets. Proper feeding is of utmost importance as feeding errors account for a large percentage of goat disease and death. But darned if I know what kind it is...maybe I should ask...I think it is timothy though. 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. It is good for them for the fiber content and help prevent impaction I also used it for my guinea pigs, with no problems. 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. 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. ... alfalfa pellets or timothy pellets can be given to wethers instead of grain. Wethers (neutered males) have different dietary needs than does (females). Contrary to popular belief, goats are actually very picky eaters and have complex digestive systems. ADGA Nigerian Dwarf and MDGA Mini Mancha goats for show, home use and pets. Thank you Sully for the comparison chart. Timothy hay is wonderful! Grass hay may contain a blend of different grasses. Learn the intricacies of hay types, nutritional content and quality before purchasing your next load. But now that mine get that, they are most likely gonna be picky unless starving. Goat are very selective, "picky" eaters, choosing only those hays and forages which will give them the nutrients they need. Please Login or Register. Grass hay (like timothy, orchard) contains less protein and calcium than legume hay. This is the first year we ever ended up with what I'm pretty sure is fescue. My goats aren't fussy over their hay, except this timothy from one farmer. G… Although I quickly learned that hay is food and straw is bedding, I just assumed that all hay was the same. we have some in the kitchen right now. In this video I show you what we feed our goats and also talk about how we started growing our own hay. Alfalfa pellets are commonly available, as are timothy pellets, orchard grass pellets, etc. We had a hard time getting good hay this past winter. Come join the discussion about livestock, farming, gardening, DIY projects, hobbies, recipes, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. Right now they don't like 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. My goats like Timothy. 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). Click here to remove banner ads from this forum. 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. It tested out at 18% and they love it. I don't feed any grain then either. Have went through 6 bales of hay over the last month and a half. DOn't get it - it looks good, smells terrific, green, not stemmy at all. 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. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. During the cold winter months when pastures contain scant forage, hay is the typical diet for cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Oat hay is a very good women's remedy. 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 fed One bail of timothy along with one bale of orchard grass before I got the orchard grass. I get 4 - 5 deliveries a year. That is definitely not the case. When I went to look for hay this august, I found that the guy who supplies a lot of the feed stores wanted the most for orchard grass at 235/ton, 225/ton for timothy, and 210 for alfalpha. 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. There are a LOT of farmers who hay up here, it's one of the main crops---that and feed corn.