Hay! No, really, hay.

[Skyesrocket]

Yep, they will waste more of the round bale than they will eat. Check around for dropping hay prices right now.
The alpaca farm near us just dropped their hay down to $1 a bale to clear out 1200 bales so they will have room for the first cut of the year hay.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have 10 goats ranging from my little nigi to my biggest 155lbs saanan doe.

They eat an 800lbs bale of hay in 2 weeks easy.

Hence why I can't afford to feed more than 10 - 12 at any given time.

7 sheep eat twice that much.

They have browse and grazing and get a scoop of feed every day too.

 

[ninjapoodles]

The lady I get goat's milk from has her goats on pasture, but they also have free-choice hay. I thought the method she used was pretty clever. She has those big square trash cans, the cheap ones, with tight-fitting lids, which are big enough to just hold a whole bale of hay, with the lid fitted snugly. She has holes cut in the sides of the cans, just at goat-height. It keeps their hay dry, and keeps them from wasting much. The cans are tied to the fence so they don't get knocked down.

 

[karen71]

Quote:
I'd like to see a picture of that - I had Dh make a hay holder with slates and mesh n the bottom- we put a cover on top to keep the hay dry- thought it would help with the waste but they still make a huge mess on the ground- and they would rather starve then eat it off the ground- crazy goats

 

[ninjapoodles]

Just picture a trash can (square) with a 10"x10" hole cut in the front, about two feet up from the ground. The goats stick their heads in there to get the hay.

 

[Skyesrocket]

I'm going to try that. My gals have a hay rack but waste a lot of hay. I suppose you could use a large laundry hamper too and it would be ventilated.
Thanks for sharing the idea!