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514 Posts
Hi all,
I am still learning as I go. All of the books that I read prior to bringing my goats home in February said that they needed to have a good quality hay, free choice. We had some nice grass hay, and that is what they ate. As my does' pregnancies progressed, we moved to alfalfa hay, and they powered through it, leaving nothing in the feeder. Post-pregnancy, there was no alfalfa available at the feed store, and we moved on to orchard grass. Same thing - they absolutely inhale the stuff, and then there is nothing left in the feeder. I recently bought another bale of regular valley grass hay, and the girls won't even touch the stuff.
To me, "free choice" means there should be hay available in the hay rack for whenever they want it. Just wondering how to keep the edible and nutritious stuff in there all the time. Or do you not worry about it???
We are bringing our first buck home this weekend, and he has been eating alfalfa. The breeder said this is the way to go - more nutrition for the money. She showed me how she spreads one flake of hay among her whole hay rack, and this is what all of her goats (ten? of them) get for the day. If this is the proper way to do it, mine are going to be SO disappointed at the way things change around here. How do you feed hay to your goats, how much, how often, what type?
Thank you!
I am still learning as I go. All of the books that I read prior to bringing my goats home in February said that they needed to have a good quality hay, free choice. We had some nice grass hay, and that is what they ate. As my does' pregnancies progressed, we moved to alfalfa hay, and they powered through it, leaving nothing in the feeder. Post-pregnancy, there was no alfalfa available at the feed store, and we moved on to orchard grass. Same thing - they absolutely inhale the stuff, and then there is nothing left in the feeder. I recently bought another bale of regular valley grass hay, and the girls won't even touch the stuff.
To me, "free choice" means there should be hay available in the hay rack for whenever they want it. Just wondering how to keep the edible and nutritious stuff in there all the time. Or do you not worry about it???
We are bringing our first buck home this weekend, and he has been eating alfalfa. The breeder said this is the way to go - more nutrition for the money. She showed me how she spreads one flake of hay among her whole hay rack, and this is what all of her goats (ten? of them) get for the day. If this is the proper way to do it, mine are going to be SO disappointed at the way things change around here. How do you feed hay to your goats, how much, how often, what type?
Thank you!