So, here's the story: I have three wethers (as I'm sure most people know) and feed them grass hay free choice, Blue Seal Caprine Challenger twice a day, and free choice minerasl/kelp meal mix. And water, of course. I only have room for 8-10 bales of hay at a time, so I get it fairly frequently. Luckily, I get it at a discount from a man who lives up the road. He has mostly grass hay, but this year it is a bit coarse and generally not that great. The goats leave like half of it in the feeder (along with dropping some on the ground- regular waste) so they are not getting much at all... I go through it too quickly and they are not eating the majority of it, so I'm basically wasting my money there.
He also has this great, 2nd cut alfalfa for a decent price. I bought some before, and the boys love it. There is very minimal waste and I only use 4 flakes a day (2 in the morning and 2 at night) It is soft and smells wonderful. I am not worried about them getting fat. It would only be for the winter, and I could adjust the quantity as needed. My main concern is u.c. Again, it would just be for a few months. Still, I'm not sure. I have AC stocked in my supplies, just in case, as well as ACV, but I really don't want to risk it too much. I do understand that it only happens to a very few goats, but the chances are said to be higher when feeding high-calcium food.
So, in conclusion, what do you all think? Stick with the grass hay, which is cheeper and "safer," but really isn't very good, or use the high quality, more expensive, possibly "dangerous" alfalfa? I would use a mix of alfalfa/grass, but they would just pick through it more and only eat the alfalfa. And getting is elsewhere is pretty much out of the question for now. Since I have to get it pretty frequently, it is convenient to just go down the road and be able to pick it up ourselves.
He also has this great, 2nd cut alfalfa for a decent price. I bought some before, and the boys love it. There is very minimal waste and I only use 4 flakes a day (2 in the morning and 2 at night) It is soft and smells wonderful. I am not worried about them getting fat. It would only be for the winter, and I could adjust the quantity as needed. My main concern is u.c. Again, it would just be for a few months. Still, I'm not sure. I have AC stocked in my supplies, just in case, as well as ACV, but I really don't want to risk it too much. I do understand that it only happens to a very few goats, but the chances are said to be higher when feeding high-calcium food.
So, in conclusion, what do you all think? Stick with the grass hay, which is cheeper and "safer," but really isn't very good, or use the high quality, more expensive, possibly "dangerous" alfalfa? I would use a mix of alfalfa/grass, but they would just pick through it more and only eat the alfalfa. And getting is elsewhere is pretty much out of the question for now. Since I have to get it pretty frequently, it is convenient to just go down the road and be able to pick it up ourselves.