Need hay/pellets advice/opinions

[dbarjacres]

We live in Wisconsin and getting hay is normally not a problem here, but the rest of you guys who are drought ridden are taking all of it! So, prices are up to $160T average on straight alfalfa and as we didn't have much rain for those second crop grasses to grow, there isn't much mixed available, if any that I can find.

I THOUGHT I bought enough orchard/alfalfa mix for my nigies and minis, but it was really nice hay and they inhaled it (I free choice as that's easiest for us) so I'm gonna run short for sure. I can easily get alfalfa, but they waste so much of it by leaving the stems. My donkeys eat the stems if we pick them up daily, but that's not very feasable in winter and both of us working. So, I'm thinking I can stretch my donkey hay (which is about 11% pro, fine grass mix, 1st crop) and feed some of that to the goats and possibly go the alfalfa pellet way so many of you do. I'd feed pellets on a limited basis (now, remember, these are small girls and they get hugely fat off of 18-20% protein hay, even tho you with the big dairy girls can feed that w/ no problems), maybe 3/4 pound average per doe plus free choice grass hay.

I've been calling mills to check prices and have found prices from $12.50/ bag down to $8.60 - these are all the ARCO ones in the brown/green bag. The mill with the $8.60 bags said they could give me a break on a ton, which we can store, but they weren't sure how much cause they'd never sold that much! And they are only 9 miles from my house.

Thoughts and opinions please! Thanks a bunch!

[Feral Nature]

That is the range were were/are paying for alfafa pellets per 50 lbs bag. Last winter there just wasn't really any hay so we fed the alfalfa pellets instead along with alot of beet pulp. So if you run out of hay you could feed them alflafa pellets like some of us down here did. Of course up there in the north, you really need the hay to fill bellies and keep them warm, but we had one heck of an ice storm down here last year, 3 days not above the 20s, and we had no hay.

[dbarjacres]

I know lots of you down south pay a LOT for your hay, but it's kind of unheard of up here. Just called an ad, the guy is about 30 miles away and grows it himself, not a broker, and he's up to $85 to $100 per 3x3x8 foot bale for grass/alf mix.

I know if I feed them some of the 1st crop 90% grass hay that's for the donks they'll not eat near as much as what they are now of this really nice second crop, so I'm thinking I can stretch what I already have, still allow them to eat as much hay as they want (thus full bellies if they choose) and allow them a daily pellet ration. Which would still allow them to remain warm.

Maybe if that would work out well, I'd just continue that next year - buy all nice first crop hay and supplement pellets. It's sure hard to find good 2nd crop that's not too rich. Argh, always something to stress about!

20 degrees for 3 days in a row!? Bet you guys were wondering how we do that for MONTHS!!!!

[Middle River]

I'm in the same situation as you right now - our hay guy was supposed to hold another 350 bales for us - we went to re-up on Sunday and there wasn't even one bale left ! People are coming from far and wide to buy hay in our area and its really short changing everybody here. I'd do the same thing though i guess, as we were only paying $2.00 per bale, which is cheap i know. So we had to play the hay game - try to find it that is. We found a nice ( stored inside ) round bale source from a guy we used to get squares from so we are now feeding that to our two young horses and two cows that are in together. That cuts down our need to squares in half - so now we just need squares for two trail horses and my goats ( 4 does and a doeling ).

I've been thinking about feeding my goats 1/2 alfalfa pellets though ( and half hay-grass mix) I feed a small amount of AP now, but it's not much. I was also wondering if i should do like 1/4 beet pulp to 3/4 AP ??? BP is about $8 per bag here, and AP is about $11 per 50lb bag ( also ARCO ). What is a good feeder for AP ??? I'd like to try something different though, so i think i might try this.

Good luck on your hay search - we are somewhat lucky to have #'s of hay suppliers we have used before. I heard that there is somebody else out by us though ( we have never used them ) that has about 2000 bales of wonderful hay left for $6 a bale ! We just can't pay that right now - yikes !

[Feral Nature]

I feed 2 parts alfalfa pellets to 1 part beet pulp. Get them used to the beet pulp slowly though like any new feed. Mine have been eating beet pulp everyday for years so are quite used to large amounts. I feed the shredded beet pulp mixed in dry with the alfalfa pellets. They love it!

We get beet pulp in big 40 lb. bags for under $10. so it goes far. If someone has never seen 40 lbs of beet pulp, it takes up more space than you would think

[hobbyfarmer]

We put up enough hay to scrape by but I'm trying to stretch it far enough to get us well into summer if need be this year. I'm feeding hay in the a.m. (and grain) and then replacing the evening hay w/alfalfa pellets and shredded beet pulp. My goats do very well on it and I don't have to sweat every wasted piece of hay now. I understand your trouble with hay this year. Good luck!

[dbarjacres]

Middle River, I haven't feed small squares for 3-4 years as we've been doing large squares as we have a tractor to handle them and it's easier on my bad back. Back then I was paying $2 for good solid 50-60 lb bales. Now I'm seeing them for $4-8 - IF they have any left. That's cheap to other people, but just crazy up here, isn't it? I mean for the high taxes and high gas prices WI has, can't we at least have cheap hay!?

Plus we can't afford $500+ of hay right now, all the places are far enough away by the time you drive a diesel pickup w/ 24' flatbed deck over trailer, you may as well get 2-3 tons minimum. At least with the pellets I can just pick up $50 at one time.

Glad I'm not alone here, but sorry others are going thru this too!

[georgec]

Hay is pretty cheap here in SE OK. Round bales are $20-$30 each. Small squares around $4 each, small squares are getting hard to find so you pay a premium.

[mygoat]

Here's what I do with my hay, here in MI.

I free feed an outdoor stored grass (with some alfalfa) round bales. The quality isn't that bad when I scrape out the nasty outer layer... it's actually a nice green fluffy hay under the nasty layer, not too dusty. Then again, I have a very good hay dealer who knows his stuff. And, outdoor stored is cheaper. I use the outer layers as bedding in their pens, so it also cuts cost a little there.To store my hay, I folded a huge tarp in half and blanket it, holding the corners down with bricks/blocks.

The reason I don't buy alfalfa hay is because the ones needing the alfalfa are preggo/lactating does, and they get alfalfa pellets in their ration. The hay does have a BIT of alfalfa, but since I request grass only, I pay the grass only price, lol.

[hoofinitnorth]

We're stealing all your "cheap" hay! LOL The hay I feed as a high quality ration comes from Oregon. It is around $125/ton FOB Seattle but when it gets here it is $520/ton! Awful, I know. That is for timothy or orchard grass or alfalfa. Nicest hay I've ever seen and I've been feeding from this farmer for almost 10 years now. Worth the money to us when the next best thing is imported junk. Many of us feed local brome/timothy/grass hay as a tummy warmer. I think most actually feed more local hay and then supplement with the imported hay as needed. I do it the other way around for the goats - they get top-quality hay twice daily (which is really free-fed in measured amounts so I can track their consumption) and their beds are stuffed with local hay for warmth and cushion. They munch on the local hay when they're cold or want to "browse" a bit and seem to really like having the variety.

I think you would be just fine feeding your goats a grass hay supplemented with alfalfa pellets. Just choose wisely and if you can swing it, have a couple feed analyses done on a few random samples from the ton you buy. This will help give you some idea of the Ca:P ratio and how much it varies from bag to bag, as well as a hint as to what else is in it (or not).

Make your dietary changes slowly and keep a close watch on your goats' health, attitudes, milk production, birth numbers, and birth weights and see if you notice much difference. Offer them good minerals and lots of clean, fresh, water, some turn-out or outdoor walks too, if you can. Consider adding copper bolus and/or Bo-Se shots at appropriate times in their lifecycles too, if those are things that are deficient in your area's soils and/or if your goats start showing signs of deficiency. Good luck!

[Liese]

Just got the latest price list in from the Mill - alf pellets last order were 10.55/50# now it's 12.05, goat pellet went from 7 to 8.50. The mill owner says hang on it's going to be a rough and steep ride. We are stretching our hay as tightly as possible - free choice is not an option. Fortunately I only bred 2 knowing it was going to get worse. We are feeding alf. pellet mixed with goat evenings, only enough grass hay that is eaten completely in 30 min. 2x day and then a nice clean wheat straw for the munchies - they love that stuff. Fortunately Nigerians will get fat on air! The Alpine girls are getting more but they're also on the milk stand.