Do most folks just keep the hay feeder filled and let the goats help themselves, or do you dole out a set amount at each feeding?
We were giving our goats our cattle hay until recently, as this is what they got last year and seemed to do fine on it. However this year the quality of the cattle hay is really not very good at all, nowhere near what it was last year. It's fine for our Highland cattle, but very dry and stemmy, so we recently switched the goats to a 2nd cut orchard grass hay that we feed our alpacas.
All the goats love this hay, and they gobble it right up. Whereas previously they would cry for breakfast/dinner, and then waste a lot of hay that was probably too tough and unpalatable, now most of the time they are quiet, presumably because their tummies are full! They certainly appear content, and are almost always chewing cud!
We have just been keeping the hay feeders filled, but now I wonder if they need as much of the grass hay, and if they will overeat? Their tummies are always quite round and full now, whereas before they would inflate and deflate.
I guess I just assumed they would eat what they needed and then stop, but maybe they're stuffing themselves on this delicious new hay? Is it ok to just keep the hay feeders topped up, or should we be doling out a set amount of hay at each feeding? If so, approx how much should each one get?
In addition to hay, the two milking does get about 2 cups of goat text at milking time, sometimes a small amount of BOSS mixed in, and I've just started giving them each 3 or 4 rehydrated cubes of alfalfa hay and a half a handful of beet pulp after milking, as the weather is getting colder now. The doelings share a small pan of goat text once a day, and the two boys get just a taste.
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Hmmm. I milk in the late afternoon, so that's when the does get their grain and some alfalfa on the milk stand. But I also fill the hay feeder in their house when they go back to their pasture, so maybe I'll skip that for now and see if that doesn't encourage them to eat a bit more pasture.
I do know what you mean about them preferring weeds...on our way to the barn for milking, they will stop to nibble all the weeds along the lane way, but seem to completely ignore the lush pasture. Go figure!
I would cut back on the hay u feed at nite; in the morning mine race out to the pasture to eat... if your pasture is just grass u may want to let it get weedy....I notice my goats definitely have the order of preference. first they will eat all of the weedy stuff first until its completely gone from the lot then they will go for the grass...it doesn't make for a real pretty looking lot but their tummies are full and they are happy. and im saving $$..it was costing us about $700-900 a year to have someone brush hog. not to mention the cost of hay! I usually order enuf in fall to last thru the winter and some carryover for spring/summer for those rainy days when they wont go outside.
Thanks for the input everyone. I don't find they waste too much as I've finally managed to make a feeder that keeps waste pretty low.
But Rose, you've raised another question if I may...my goats are in a lovely green pasture right now, yet they seem to prefer the hay to the pasture. When I first put them in there after a long, dry summer, they went straight for the tender green grass, but now they don't seem to want it. Should I maybe cut back on the hay to encourage them to eat more of the grass? After all, it's free and won't be around much longer as winter's on the way!
Good point, Rose! I know some people prefer to feed their goats 3-4 times per day rather than putting it all out at once because the goats seem to waste less that way.
free choice is good. I don't keep my feeder full all the time because they waste way too much hay. I load it with the amount I know they will eat through the nite; my goats are on pasture during the day. during winter I stuff the feeder with hay cuz of the cold and wind.
Gotcha! Sounds like goat feed here. And I agree with Rachel that free choice is fine for hay.
Sorry, must be a local term. It's short for "goat textured ration" and is a mix of rolled grain, some pelleted stuff, vitamins and minerals, and a touch of molasses. Whatever the specifics, the goats LOVE it lol!
What is goat text?
Free choice is fine!