Thank you for your prompt response.... Tater is not on pasture right now, he's in a good sized pen with a nice shelter. We're in Wyoming and everything is still dormant. This winter we had lows of 30 below zero, however for the last few weeks nights have been in the 20's. We've stopped feeding free-choice hay because of the waste. We've gone to feeding high quality hay pellets twice a day. We did offer him hay yesterday and he seemed to eat a bit more, but still didn't clean it up. He has been chewing and chewing on his cud.....I don't think there's anything wrong with his teeth. He seems to be pooping normally..... He just hasn't had his usual appetite. I've been wondering if he isn't filling up on his bedding, since we've been using straw.... I just don't know.
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You're welcome! Good luck...
Janet Marthalen said:
I've started letting the does and doelings out for an hour or two in the afternoons when the weather is nice. Otherwise, they're in pens. Our herdsires have a larger pen that has short cropped grass, but they don't appear to have much interest in the grass. Our goats really don't get to graze that much. I can tell they've got their bellies full when they start roaming around looking for our trees, ect..... it's time to put them away.
Patty Meyer said:
I have three does (not bred) and they are on an acre grassy/sticky lot. They don't eat much of it at all! My hubby has to mow now and then just so we can see them! I cut brush from the woods weekly and that keeps them busy. A bag of Standlee pellets is practically cheaper than a bale of hay around here. Thanks for your opinions! Very helpful.
Are these goats on pasture at all? If so, how much of the year are they getting to browse/graze?
Kimberly Mondragon said:
Hi Janet,
Yes, it's OK to feed only hay pellets. That's all we've fed for several years. Our goats prefer them and they look great. We feed about 1 1/2 cups per doe, the bucks get about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups, that's twice a day. It cuts down on the waste, makes clean up easier and it's easier to feed. We haven't had any trouble with kidding. You can offer a few flakes of straw for them to chew on, if you'd like. When we used to feed hay, the goats would pull it out of our feeders eat the leafs and pee on the stem. It was way to expensive for them to waste so much and we'd have loads of waste. Like feeding any animal, watch your herds weight and adjust their rations accordingly.
I would think they would need some hay for the long fibers for rumen development and function, no??
If you only feed hay pellets...how much do you give them? I use pellets to supplement hay since hay is so expensive and they waste so much. So, you say it is okay to feed hay pellets only???? How much?
Yea, I just wanted to make sure that you guys were talking about what I was thinking about. Just not use to them being called "HAY" pellets!
Kimberly, I have had them for a year, I have just struggled over the best way to feed them because, well, you see we don't have hay like that here! Alfalfa won't grow here the way it does in some places! Our hay sucks! And no one even ships it in to here. I think because by the time shipping is added, it is so high no one wants to pay the price!
What I am doing is working for me as far as I can tell butt he problem is until they kid, I won't know for sure how it is affecting the developing kids and therefor my does deliveries!
Well, Margaret,
Laughing, what ever is working for you...is great! I though you were wanting more information on the alfalfa hay pellets. I was just sharing our experience feeding them.
Well, Kimberly these 9 FFs came from Mexico and apparently the ranch I bought them from raises their own alfalfa, and that is what they were eating was alfalfa hay!
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