Hay Pellets plus hay?

[mousebandit]

Hi all.

If the goats are being fed regular hay (alfalfa, grass, or a blend), are hay pellets necessary in addition to that, or are they a substitute (or partial substitute) to reduce costs?

How much hay and / or pellets are you all feeding your goats daily? (And what breed, age, etc.)?

Thanks!! I have to put in a feed store order today, and I'm weighing on getting more pellets or not.

Tracey Mouse

[vallyfarm]

Good hay, good grain, good to go. The hay is as much for roughage as for nutrition. Ask any dairy farmer and they will tell you. They keep as tight a control as posible on rations to the point that many have a certain feed mix for individual cows. Generally I go through about 5-6 lbs of hay per goat, more if milking. Those cubes/pellets started out as treats for the horse people and for the rodent type of animals. A lot of money for what you get with a goat. Put the money into better/more hay and grain and still come out ahead. Mike

[mygoat]

What kind of goats do you have? IT mostly depends on what kind, what age, if bred, if milking, if breeding, what production is like, etc.

I have 7 does and 2 bucks. The 7 does all live togeather. I have three does due on the 20th, the 23rd, and one on april 4th. Two are dairy does, one is a mini (mostly pygmy). they are getting increased rations now since they are in the final month. The mini is currently getting 3/4 cup of grain and 2 1/2 cxups alfalfa pellets. She is due on the 20th, and I plan on upping her to 1 cup grain in about a week, and stopping there. Alfalfa pellets will not increase. The Dairy doe that is due on the 23rd (an alpine about 155lbs) is also getting 2 1/2 cups alfalfa pellets and 3/4 cup grain. Her grain will be upped to about 1 1/2 lbs and then will alter it according to her production. Alfalfa pellets will be free choice for her in the milkstand. My other alpine doe is due on the 4th of april and will be the same, I've just started feeding her grain again.

My other mini does (two 6 month olds and two does due in june and july) are getting no grain, 1cup alfalfa pellets.

Bucks get 1 cup alfalfa pellets a day.

All goats get 1 flake of hay a day. It's really nice alfalfa/grass mix hay.

[DocM]

Pellets are an alternative to hay, not a substitute. I find there is a lot less waste with pellets than with feeding the alfalfa hay that I can buy around here, which is compressed and so dry it falls apart to dust when I open the bales. I provide my goats with good grass hay too, free choice, just to give them something to munch, but since I went to pellets, they don't eat huge quantities of hay. The only goats getting grain (14% dry ration, no molasses) are lactating, growing, or pregnant in their last month. I dump pellets in a feeder in an amout equal to about 3 lbs per goat. There are as many ways to feed as their are goat owners.