Dairy goat hay - what cutting?

[BeardedChick]

Do I buy leafy 2nd or 3rd cutting alfalfa, or stemmier 1st cutting?

I found a source for some really nice leafy 3rd cutting alfalfa.

 

[azelgin]

I had always heard 1st cutting had more nutritional value, even though it was more stems, because it had a slower growth rate before cutting and absorbed more nutrients. Sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

With alfalfa, leafy is always better, since they often wont eat the stems

 

[BeardedChick]

Quote:
Thanks - I thought that dairy type hay was the leafy stuff...

 

[luvzmybabz]

My girls will literally stip the leaves off the stem and leave the stems of course they are a smidgen spoiled.

 

[Cara]

Yep, mine go nuts for the leaves!

 

[PotterWatch]

This last bale I bought, is much more stemmy than what I have gotten previously, and they waste a lot more of it. I'm going back to my old supplier when this bale is gone.

 

[()relics]

IMO it depends on what other feeds are available to the goat. While its true late cutting alfalfa is much leafier and has more nutrients...A goat is a ruminant and needs roughage to keep its digestive system working properly. It is able like a cow to utilize a poorer grade hay...because of its multi-chambered stomach.

The better the hay you buy the more it is going to cost and if you are already feeding a ration you really don't need the extra good "horse" hay. I like a good grass-mix hay. I save the alfalfa for the horses.

 

[azelgin]

I got to wondering which alfalfa cutting was higher in nutritional content and ran across this:

http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/68/10/2615.pdf

Looks like fisrt cutting has about 30% more protien than latter cuts.

 

[BeardedChick]

thank you for the feedback, everyone!

azelgin, Interestingly, dairy goat protein requirements are 16%, which corresponds with the amount in 2nd cutting alfalfa.

relics, I have super-easy-keeper horses and this year, they are eating the cow's hay (decent wheat hay with a bit of alfalfa) and the preggo cow is eating the horses' grass-alfalfa.

We're all topsy turvy here. I couldn't feed my ponies alfalfa - it's just wayyyy too much for them. I am certain the Icelandic would do fine on just straw.

(not that I'd try it, of course!)

The dairy animals will get alfalfa if I am going to milk them... I don't mind feeding productive animals well - and we are in an area where the alfalfa hay is really nice.