Okay, go totally "for dummies" on me here, because I know next to nothing when it comes to hay. I have been feeding my girls half timothy hay and half alfalfa hay from Atwoods or TSC, basically free choice (I get out there and top the rack off a 2 or 3 times a day).
The thing is, I don't know enough about hay to know what kind of quality it is. The timothy is light green to slightly brownish and seems really short (like almost chopped), smells and looks clean, and has some weedy cat tails (I think that's what you call them?) in it. To me, the alfalfa smells delicious, but it has a LOT of tough stems in it, and the dark green leafy stuff seems to be basically crushed into powder. Is this poor quality hay?
I ask because my lower ranking pregnant doe seems to be dropping in body condition. She is not terrible, but I am watching her closely because her eye color has been poor, and she is just starting to feel more bony. She is 3 weeks from kidding and definitely has a big belly with lots of movement in there, and she supposedly comes from a litter of 3, so I don't want to be underfeeding her if the babies are demanding a lot from her system. I have just treated her with COWP and morantel, so hopefully I will see improvement SOON, and possibly the drop in body cond is just to do with parasites, but I just wanted to look into this. I feel like this girl can use all the help she can get.
Also, should I be switching to straight alfalfa anyway? I have read a few threads on here talking about switching pregnant does to alfalfa and didn't know what was meant by that? Do does need straight alfalfa during late pregnancy/lactation, or is the hay/alfalfa mix I've been doing fine (assuming it is good quality)?
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thanks ladies :)
I have not been able to get hay this winter and like you, I've been buying from TSC and my local feed store for hay. The feed store has a chopped timothy that sounds like what you get, and the last month or so it has been so brown it is almost inedible. I think it's coming from out west where they've had a terrible drought. My girls just won't eat it and even the boys won't eat it now. I've had to supplement with timothy pellets which they will eat. I buy the alfalfa bales from TSC too and they are just as you describe. My pregnant (and newly freshened) girls eat it really well (they do waste some of the thicker stems) and it seems to satisfy them where they were acting like they were starving before I got this alfalfa. Until we can get some better hay, the alfalfa from TSC will have to do. If you are in the same boat (sounds like you are) I wouldn't hesitate to give them what they will eat. Also, if you are mixing the alfalfa and hay and they like it, that's great! I did that until the chopped hay got really bad and now mine won't eat the brown timothy anymore (it does have a little bit of green but not enough), so it's down to pellets and alfalfa. Looking forward to hay season and lots of browse!
So keep in mind, that only YOU know your situation, your farm, your desires for how you want to manage your herd. I'll share with you my knowledge, and how I apply it, but ultimately, what you do with that information will depend on what applies to your herd in a lot of areas.
The greener hay is, the better quality it is. Weeds in goat hay is not a bad thing, because goats LIKE weeds... for other species, it might not get eaten, but my goats LOVE weeds. I get my hay from my father in law's farm. He lives about 2 miles from my house. He cuts his hay MUCH earlier than other farmers in our area, and so he gets LESS hay, but it's very green. He raises cattle, so I'm lucky that he harvests early, because for my goats, this means better hay... and cows don't NEED such quality in the same way goats do. He also doesn't spray his fields, and eats a TON of eggs, so we trade. All the eggs he can eat, for all the hay my goats can eat. :)
Short and chopped isn't bad, as long as the hay is green. The "cat tails" are probably NOT actually cat's tail rushes, but grass seed bunches. Those are fine. My goats LOVE them.
Alfalfa is a stem filled plant. If your alfalfa has thick stems in it, it's probably what is called "the first cutting" which is not as soft as second and third cuttings. First cutting just means that it's the harvest from the first time the field was cut that year. The reason the stems are more thick, is because they had all winter to grow, and did so. Second and third cuttings mean the stems have less time to get thick and undesirable to animals.
This is where the "you'll have to decide what applies to you" part of my reply comes in:
I personally don't feed alfalfa. It has recently been approved as a GMO crop, and I don't have the money to pay for organic. Plus, my does all keep very good body condition without any alfalfa, or extra feeding, so I don't feed more than free choice hay.
Re your doe with poor condition:
A lot of people would say now is a safe time to grain her, but be aware that in pregnancy, often times extra feed goes into the kids rather than the doe carrying them. This can cause complications during delivery when kids are too large for the doe to deliver without trouble.
On my farm, my hay is enough for my does for their entire pregnancy. I have found that graining or other supplemental feeding has caused large kids in my does, because they are getting what they need from their feed. If I had a doe that seems on the thin side prior to kidding, I would treat her for parasites if applicable, dose with copper, and keep an eye on her. I *might* start adding VERY small amounts of grain to her diet a few days before kidding, but because of the short timeline to her due date, I would probably wait. Once she kidded, THEN I would start feeding to help her get her conditioning back. Possibly with some calf manna or something along those lines.
No matter what you choose, you must be sure that any new additional feed be added and increased in small amounts, over time. Otherwise, you'll throw off digestion, and cause other issues like diarrhea. :)
okay, i see. is green leafy hay just hard to find this time of year?
they seem to eat the timothy well, and pick out the alfalfa leafy powder stuff. the lady at TSC told me they have bales of brome hay in the back and that it is "the best" - should i switch to that if they don't have better timothy and alfalfa when i go back later this week?
can you tell me why some people switch their pregnant does to alfalfa? does it have to do with a proper calcium to phosphorus ratio?
When it comes to hay, green is good, and brown is bad. Big stems and powdery leaves are a challenge. Goats are not usually happy about real stemmy hay, and the powdery leaves tend to just fall to the ground and not get eaten. I usually say to listen to your goats, so if your goats feels boney, I would give her the hay that seems more nutritious. Which one does she prefer to eat?