Question

KimE · #1 05/13/08, 07:40 AM

I have no experience whatsoever with goats so I thought I'd ask here. My husband and I have a huge old bank barn that an old owner left a bunch and I mean a bunch of loose hay stacked in it. One side is alfalfa, the other is timothy. the hay is a few years old but has never been rained on and isn't moldy at all, just dusty and faded on top. When we attempted to start forking it out by hand it was even green underneath and my horses were trying to eat the alfalfa that fell on the ground.

My question is: can I offer to have someone's goat herd to be put up in the barn for a couple months and let them eat it down? There is no way I want to spend two years digging that stuff out, its packed in there. It took us that long to get corn cobs and chopped straw that he had in the 40 ft extention cleaned out. I'd be thrilled to have 20 goats up there eating away!

topside1 · #2 05/13/08, 07:48 AM

Hire a local fellow with tractor and have him spike it out and spread it in your fields...the goats would have a great time climbing on the hay mountain but that's about it....they really prefer browseing this time of year. Why not advertise the hay and give it away for mulch or bedding?

topside1 · #3 05/13/08, 07:51 AM

You could also bale the loose hay right in your barn. Find someone with the equipment. They may give you some and take the rest...the hay is still editable.

Minelson · #4 05/13/08, 07:52 AM

With the price of hay as it is I would offer it to some animal rescue. I would think you would get rid of it a lot faster if you let people know it is available...you might even be able to sell it. Jeepers, where are you from? Some area's are in a real bad hay shortage and would really see this as a life saver

topside1 · #5 05/13/08, 07:52 AM

Advertise on the barter board where you live and what you have for free...who knows a forum member may live right next door....by the way where do you live?

KimE · #6 05/13/08, 09:02 AM

We have offered it for free; nobody wants to do the work to get it out of the barn. Having it spiked out isn't an option by the way the barn is put together, hard to explain unless you see the barn. I thought maybe if the goats were penned in the barn by gates it might work. Guess we'll have to burn it after all, bummer.

We're in Indiana.

fishhead · #7 05/13/08, 10:31 AM

They'll just eat some and poop and pee on the rest.

What a waste!

There's a national hay supplier website that might find you a buyer willing come and load it or bale it.