Very basic question

[ailsaek]

How long does hay keep? I'm honestly not sure how much storage space to allot for it cos I don't know how much I should buy at once.

[topside1]

For many, many years as long as it's kept dry, rodent free, the obvious. But each year it's stored the nutritional value decreases. I wouldn't hesitate to feed cattle 5-10 year old hay and monitor their body weight during winter. Goats on the other hand aren't steers so I would feed hay to them up to three years old and back up the roughage with high quality grains. Another more important factor is how many animals are you going to feed per winter? How long is your hay feeding season last? What types of winter browse do you have? Summer drought or too wet of a summer must also be considered...Hope my thoughts helped.

[topside1]

Some folks have a nifty formula for hay requirements that they might share. Just a wild guess, the best I can remember is something like 4% of their body weight. So a 180 pound Nubian would need 7.2 pounds per day, that's what went into their belly, not what has fallen the ground. Most square bale hay weighs between 50-70 pounds....remember this just my best guess. After your first year of feeding animals you'll recognize how much hay to purchase the following year. Buy to much, you won’t regret it.

[ailsaek]

So I can buy a year's worth of hay at once? Cool. That saves trouble. Now I just have to figure out what a year's worth is and how much space I need to store it. I think by the information I have 75 bales would be a year's worth, but I have no idea how much space that takes up.

How big is you guys' hay storage?

[Jim S.]

I fed hay that was 5 to 8 years old last winter for a portion of my seasonal feeeding. I will feed 6 rolls of 6-year-old hay this coming winter. Hay will keep if it is stored indoors ... but ... it does lose nutrient quality and protein as the years progress. So when you feed older hay is important.

I feed old hay on what I call the "shoulders" of the winter -- at the beginning of the feeding season in late fall, and also in late winter/early spring when things are starting to green up but grass and browse is still "washy" and more water than substance. That way, the greenery available supplements the old hay.

My best, first-year hay is fed in the depth of winter, when it is cold, windy and moist. It is usually supplemented with limit-fed cottonseed, though this year I might have to look at other supplements, since there may not be much cotton around to gin, due to drought.

My meat operation is based on using the free foodstuffs Nature provides on my farm before supplementing with anything boughten. I am trying to improve ADG (average daily gain) through genetics, not boughten feed.

Goats that are fed year-around in a dairy operation can also use old hay, but again it has to be supplemented with grain, alfalfa, or alfalfa-based feeds to provide the total protein and TDN needed to support lactation.

[DocM]

I think it depends where you live and where you're storing it, the type of hay, the humidity content of the hay and your air. I buy a year's worth (valley hay) at a time, but the bottom bales (set up off the ground on pallets, ground is covered with tarps are always moldy and so... I keep a few from last year to set on the bottom row. We're very wet during the winter here. I keep them in a metal pole building. Last year (especially cold and wet), I used nearly 1000 bales, so your storage needs will probably be different. That much hay tends to create a LOT of heat. Keep humidity in mind and consider air circulation.

[DocM]

And for reference, I can store 75 bales in an area about 20X20 and 10' high.

[ailsaek]

When I was doing my math for how much hay I'd need, I was assuming the same amount of hay eaten all year. I justr went down to the area I plan to use for goats, and it is kneedeep in poison ivy, Virginia creeper, oriental bittersweet, and who know what-all (all clothes are now being laundered, and I have showered with poison ivy soap). I think they won't need quite as much hay in the summer, am I right? And maybe I can look forward to less poison ivy in the future?

[manygoatsnmore]

Yes, they will eat the poison ivy, and then come rub on you to share the oils. Be careful!