Do goats need hay as a part of their diet?

[fluffychicksmomma]

Goats will eat a lot of stuff, but they most certainly do LOVE hay, and can live on it quite nicely. They also prefer it to eating just weeds and scrubby stuff. Why do you think you need hay-making equipment? I have a herd of horses, I just buy several hundred bales of hay every summer. Its readily available and quite reasonably priced. One word of caution, your goat needs a grass hay, not an alfalfa hay. Alfalfa isn't going to kill them, but it is much richer than what their digestive systems need, and it really isn't the best for them. They will do much better with a nice crass hay.

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Also, we have stored our hay for years the way someone else mentioned, on pallets with a good tarp over it, but another thought is to use hay cubes or hay pellets, they come in 50-80 lb bags. The cubes are a bit less expensive than pellets, but getting a few bales of hay will be your least expensive route. I never ever buy my bales from the feed store becasue they are way highter than buying it from the hay farmers. I'm paying $3 a bale or about 70 lb bales. Just look for local ads, if your feed store is like ours, there will be lots of ads for all kinds of hay posted up somewhere in the front of the store maybe.

 

[cmjust0]

Cubes and pellets don't provide long fiber...goats need long fiber.

 

[cassie]

Depends on what kind of goats you have and what you are using them for. My dairy goats were fed alfalfa hay and grain. If you have browse they will eat that but if you are using them for milk they need hay and grain in addition if you want them to produce. Pellets make a very good feed if they have access to something to provide some roughage.

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
I agree...

We have two lambs and a goat and keep very little hay., they all get lamb grower as a suppliment... most feed stores sell hay, buy it as you need it... you would take up as much space with hog grower... believe me!

I have an external garage which has a loft where our straw and hay are kept... it doesn't take up too much space. You don't sound too enthusiastic over goats or pigs.. so why bother if you aren't stoked?.. Keep in mind that one goat gets lonely and will not do well... they are social creatures.

 

[17roses]

Here is a great article on this very thing. I have read through many of the article and the lady who runs this website is quite an expert on goats. I have contacted her several times with problems I didnt understand.

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/longfiber06.html

 

[Skyesrocket]

That's a good link. Thanks I bookmarked it.

 

[Pampered Chicken]

fiascofarm.com is a great website also. Mine get free choice hay, grain twice a day for the girls, BOSS and they can browse. We also cut shrubs and tree limbs and fee them those. Really depends on what your going to do with them. Milk, meat or pets.