Hay or Straw

[AllWolf]

How many of you use straw mostly for feeding your goats?

Or do you use mostly hay?

I will have both straw and hay but the last time I had straw my goats went nuts over it better than hay. So now I'm going to be keeping both for them but was wondering what you all use mostly for feeding your goats. Plus my goats gets a mixture of grains and loose goat minerals of course fresh drinking water.

Why I ask because a friend of mine has a big heavy truck and I have found some straw for 1.50 a bale and they are going to take their big heavy truck and bring it to me. I only have to pay for the straw and 5 bucks for gas. Will be getting 40 bales of straw for my goats.

[susanne]

straw is a nice acid puffer. i don't feed straw to my goats but every coupple of days they get new beddings with straw and that is the time they eat it.
do you have molasse in your grain mix?

[AllWolf]

Yes it does. It has always had that.

Last time the reason my goats got to the straw is because one of the hoophouses was built right next to them so there was hay and straw in there and they loved the straw but this round of straw I'm getting is going to be put in another place not so close to them.

[susanne]

the molasse in the grain mix makes the content in the rumen sour. do you offer baking soda to your animals?
i think to offer them good clean straw for buffering the rumen will not hurt them.
i doubt the straw has enough nutrition and if they have to eat too much straw they will get thin and/or not milking good.

[AllWolf]

Lots of reason going to get that much straw is because I will have babies later and I can't pass up that price on straw because most the time I get bales of straw for 3.00 a bale. I also do keep hay here to give but I will also be using my straw for my chickens nesting boxes. I couldn't believe my goats ate most the other straw I had alone with hay next to the straw. They ate all the straw up before the hay. I also put out baking soda for my goats alone with my goats loose goat minerals. My other hoophouse I got to take and put up a big wall to keep the goats from getting into the other straw and hay that will be coming this month. The other straw that I will have also will go into another hoop house away from goats so they can't eat it. Got to have straw for my new baby beds when they get close to being here. I just want to be prepared for when it is time and catching all the best buys now before the prices go up again.

My Does goats I give them in their feed is this. Cracked corn, oats, calf manna, alfalfa, wet molasses, soybeans, sunflower seeds and beet pulp. Alone with baking soda, fresh clean water and hay.

Now since will have babies later will have my straw ready for them oh boy can't wait. I just didn't know if people feed straw to their goats or not since mine the other day went nuts over the straw I had in the hoophouse next to them. So now got to get a new wall put up so they can't get to it.

[Tracy in Idaho]

I don't use straw as feed per say -- there isn't any nutritional value there -- but goats love anything new to them.

Mine particularly like it when the weather is really cold -- all that fiber helps them to create heat when they digest to keep them warm.

So while I wouldn't think of it as anything valuable to their dietary needs, they do enjoy it, and clean straw won't hurt them at all. You never want to use any hay or straw that is moldy of course.

Tracy

[pookshollow]

My girls go nuts over the straw when I put down fresh bedding, but they soon go back to their ever-so-nutritious alfalfa hay. I certainly wouldn't consider using it as a feed, but if they want to nibble a bit for variety, it's not going to hurt them.

[DocM]

I use straw for bedding, but only "good" quality straw, not that nasty dusty big stemmed stuff. Since I went to straw, my hay bill has been slashed, and the goats have stopped whining to be fed (for a third time) right before I want to go to bed. I think they do chew on it all night. I sure wouldn't use it as a primary feed source - only as busy work.

[Sweet Goats]

I do straw also, unless like last year the goats would NOT eat the hay I bought so I used it as the bedding. Straw in also warmer in the winter, and yes they will eat it. If you have a goat that is not feeling well and not eating much, offer them strewy, it gets the rumen going and it is easy on their stomachs. Now just because the goats are eating it when you put it down does not mean they are sick.

[AllWolf]

Well I just got back on here to read what was posted. I finally got the new wall put up so no more the goats getting into the straw and eatting all it before the hay. I would never use just plain straw for feeding my goats. I also get hay but was just wondering what everyone does about straw. My goats sure do love it for bedding. I will be mostly using my straw for bedding and the new babies this spring.. I should had taken a photo of what I was meaning about the goats getting into the straw but didn't don't think I have any photos of what it looked like before got the wall put up. OH well at least my goats are lol.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

And I hate straw for bedding Two years ago I used it...I am back to my shavings! I love shavings! And yep they eat through those also! But up north I bet the straw is warmer. Vicki