I keep reading about people giving out lays and flakes. I figured out what that is, but what I want to know is that better than just filling up their hay feeder and giving them 24 hour access? We built a hay feeder (still haven't gotten around to putting on the latches and finishing the roof) and we just fill it up every few days, usually fluffing it everyday when I change the water. When they get down to the bottom, I take whats left and what ever is dry on the ground and use it for bedding. One end of the feeder is for feed and minerals. I know I need to make the mineral feeder, which I should have done this month. The roof is temporary and the back door still needs the latches on the back door but we only bought the nails and plywood for the top. Everything else was made with pallets I got for free so I cant complain too much...lol One more question...I still have to look around some more but so far all I can find in hay is coastal, grazier, and alfalfa. Just started trying out the grazier but so far they like the coastal best. Should I keep looking for something else or is this a good hay? Cant seem to find Timothy in bales. Here are a couple of pics of our first feeder...
My herd has access to hay 24/7 as well. I don't count what I use per day. I fluff what's in the rack before I add more. We use about a bale a week of quality timothy and/or alfalfa. You don't necessarily have to locate timothy hay, just the best quality hay you can get in your area. My feed store only sells what they bale themselves, so I have the only two varieties they carry and I mix them. Works fine here The feeder looks good!
if it works for you then keep a it I limit their hay or they waste more then half of it. if you arent dealing with huge waste issue then dont change what is working I like your hay feeder :thumb: oh and coastal should be fine
OH ok, so it mostly for waste purposes. Well with only 3 1/2 goats the waste isn't that big a deal for me. I do feed alfalfa also but mostly to the girls. Bosco gets some but I read it's bad for him so I limit it. I saw a feed store while driving so I'm gonna check them out and see what they got. Thanks
Well, I'm thinking the answer to that question is whether or not one has an unlimited hay budget. You see, goats are browsers. They will go through a pasture, field, hay feeder, and they pick out the best stuff and leave the rest. If they have access to hay 24/7/365, they are going to waste an awful lot of hay. I am not fortunate enough to have an unlimited budget for hay, so my adult girls get 5-6 lbs of hay - depending on their size - per goat per day split into 2 feedings.
