Allergic to Hay...goats?

vegbear

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Aug 11, 2015
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Okay--I am fairly sure I know the answer is a big fat NO!:)
But I am allergic to pretty much all grasses..Timothy in particular..
we want goats but I want to breathe ;)
Do goats NEED hay? or can they go without and still be healthy?
Thanks!
 
Goats do really need hay. Especially in the cold when browse and graze are limited. Pregnant and milking does also HAVE to have it. Weathers and bucks shouldn't eat a lot of grain- they should have hay.

Sorry
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I'm allergic to rabbits and I have wanted them my whole life so I feel your pain. And not like take a Benadryl and be fine, allergic. Like....throat closing slowly dying allergic. Ha!
 
Yes!! That's me! I get asthma from allergies if they get to nuts! I am also allergic to cats :) which I have two but my meds work really well for that. Hay however..is one of the big ones.
I had read that some people don't even feed their goats hay and just pellets..but I assume that's a no no?
 
Ehhh you could go that route I suppose but the long straws in the hay are really good for their rumens and digestion so it may cause problems in the long run? Not positive on that.

Have you been around the pellets and they don't cause a reaction for you?
 
No I haven't been around the pellets either so I very well may haver a reaction ;(
sigh....I guess...no goats for me!
 
@vegbear very sorry to hear about your allergies... that is sad.
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But you are correct: goats NEED hay to stay healthy.

For other people reading this thread, here is a short film that explains how the rumen works and why that roughage is needed:
I do feed a fairly high percentage of pellets (less waste!) but I still feed hay, every single day. And what happens if you only feed pellets? I just met a lady who had tried that: her goats kept getting acidosis. That can actually be fatal. So although pellets are really cool, and they are easy to feed and store, and the goats generally don't waste them like they do nearly everything else, goats can not survive on pellets alone.
 
@vegbear
 very sorry to hear about your allergies... that is sad. :(  But you are correct: goats NEED hay to stay healthy. 

For other people reading this thread, here is a short film that explains how the rumen works and why that roughage is needed:  
 I do feed a fairly high percentage of pellets (less waste!) but I still feed hay, every single day. And what happens if you only feed pellets? I just met a lady who had tried that: her goats kept getting acidosis. That can actually be fatal. So although pellets are really cool, and they are easy to feed and store, and the goats generally don't waste them like they do nearly everything else, goats can not survive on pellets alone. 


Good to know!! I wouldn't have thought about acidosis!
 
You might try cubes. They are chopped hay rather than ground and would be better for rumen health than straight pellets. I used to feed pellets to my goats but I fed roughage too. Goats will waste cubes if fed as is because they are really too big for their mouths. They will pick them up, chew on them and then drop them. You can get around this by soaking them with water first. You just have to be careful not to feed more than will be consumed promptly because they will spoil. Another source of roughage you might consider is beet pulp. Contact one of the agricultural colleges. They will be able to help you. I have asked them to balance grain rations for me and they complied.
 

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