I'm having trouble finding straw for my barn floor. I have found some hay from 2009 and 2011, they want to sell it cheap and it has always been dry so no mold. I wouldn't want to feed it to my goats, I like hay from this summer/spring to feed them. But would it be as warm as straw? I've heard it isn't but this is the first livestock I've had. They have a enclosed ban and it gets down to about 10 degrees here. I can buy straw from the feed mart but it is going to be $6 a bale versus $2 for the hay but if I need it I'll get the straw. Thanks.
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I'm not sure about the warmth factor, but like Rachel said, as soon as it starts to build up, it'll start to compost, which will raise the temperature. The big difference between the two for bedding is that the hay won't be as absorbent as straw, so it might need to be a little deeper so that the goats don't wind up getting urine on themselves from laying in the wrong place. But again, once you wind up with "deep litter," that should not be a problem.
I think they'll be ok with the older hay for bedding. It's not moldy or bad, just old, probably not as nutritious as new hay. But I will have new hay in their feeder, so if they eat some off the floor they'll still have new available.
I use hay in my barn, and the goats love it. They eat some of it, just so you know... because they like it. So even though the hay you're talking about won't be your primary food because it's older, they will munch when you put a layer down. I have never heard that straw was warmer... I didn't hear my goats complaining... lol I can get hay for free, so that's why I use it over straw. Straw and hay are great for deep litter method bedding (just adding a new layer of it over the old over the winter) because they compost and that creates/generates heat from underneath. Both will do that, so if I were living in your weather conditions, I would personally still use hay. (because it's free, not because it's better or not) Hope that helps!!
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And once they dirty the hay, they don't really munch on it anymore. It's only when I first lay mine down that they get excited and eat it. :)