Can brush be brought to a goat for feed?

eam · #1 06/09/08, 02:04 PM

Hi,

My DH and I are considering a couple of small (probably Nigerian Dwarf) goats for milk after reading the intro in Mother Earth News this month. It was suggested that even if it's a small yard (which I have), the owner can collect and bring brush to the goats and raise healthy animals.

We have a very small yard but would be willing to collect brush for them if it's feasible. We want to stay away from having to purchase hay year-round to feed them and don't want to feed too much store bought grain.

We raised a couple of sheep last summer just for meat so it was short-term (and very expensive having to purchase most of their feed but that's a different thread) and housing, pasturing, etc were minimal. However, we can use their housing - about 8X8, weather-tight. We have a small area for them to exercise in but DH is afraid they'd completely destroy anything growing in this area. Is this likely?

How much brush would we need to collect? Is it feasible to do this? I'd hate to start something that wouldn't be healthy for them in the long run.

How much exercise space do they need?

Sorry for the long post but I want to make sure we do right by these animals before they come to our home. I've read Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats and didn't see anything that would eliminate this idea.

Thoughts? Ideas? Tips?
Thanks.
Elizabeth

ricky · #2 06/09/08, 02:17 PM

goats will need good hay in the winter or you will have many problems. you can collect all the brush you want but how will you keep leaves on it in the winter? there is only so much gathering you can do . i guess if you want to you can bag leaves grass nuts and what ever you think they will eat but you will need a big barn to feed a few small goats. just go out and get some hay now and store it it can be had for 3 or 4 dollars a bale. or 25 for a round bale.

DQ · #3 06/09/08, 02:24 PM

whether or not they will destroy every thing growing in their yard really depends on how big the yard is, how much you feed them and what is growing in it. I started off with a pygmy for brush control in my chicken yard. probably around 25x25 feet. she never ate down everything. she kept to the honeysuckle on the fence mostly and the tall grass around the edges it was mostly full of an as yet identified plant that I hav since realized that none of the goats will eat. they will debark trees and eat almost everything if they are not provided with plenty of yummy appropriate things to eat. you could bring them all their forage needs if you have that available to you. it could prove very labor intensive. a compact bale of hay provides alot more lbs of feed than a big pile of open foliated brush. grass clippings are a little more feasable. maye you could do an experiment and weigh how much brush you can come up with. figure on needing around 4lbs for each goat daily. that would be my guess on nigis in milk. a full size doe in milk could pack away 8lbs easily in my experience. also keep in mind the calcium needs of a doe in milk. many people feed alfalfa in order to meet that need but a high calcium dairy ration could in theory make up for the calcium deficit in a grass hay diet. as far as excercise goes even a small area will work especially if you give them toys to play on. hope this helps!

eam · #4 06/09/08, 02:45 PM

Thanks for the info.

Hay around here (NE MA) is $12 a small, square bale. Round bales don't exist (not an agricultural area). Even if they were $3 a bale, storage is a problem.

While I realize winter poses other challenges, and know we'll have to buy more feed, I was trying to determine if it's feasible to collect (forage on our own) enough of their feed during non-winter months to be cost-effective.

About 4lbs for each goat daily is a very good figure for me to work with. That gives me a place to start from and do the calculations. I don't mind buying some feed (whether hay or grain) but more need to know if I would be providing a proper home for these animals for a price we'd be willing and able to pay.

Any other info would be great - all ideas welcome!
Thanks.
Elizabeth

Scrounger · #5 06/09/08, 02:50 PM

You will need a LOT of brush! I usually find that it is easier to bring the goat to the brush, instead of the brush to the goat.....
You WILL need to give hay in the winter. You don't NEED to give a lot of grain, but it will help them. They will eat the bark off of trees even if you give them tons of other good stuff to eat. Remember - goats are 2/3 deer.

Wags · #6 06/09/08, 03:04 PM

Exactly how much yard space do you have for them? My Niggies like it when we trim brush and toss it too them as their pasture area is mostly grass, but I don't think they could be sustained on just trimmings - it doesn't take very long for leaves to fall off trimmings even when fresh, let alone during the winter.

I personally wouldn't bother with hay if storage space is tight. Go with alfalfa pellets - less waste, and it's easier and cleaner to store.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 06/09/08, 03:40 PM

We bring our goats browse every day.

KSALguy · #8 06/09/08, 04:18 PM

if you have ceder or pine abundant in your area you can cut branches of them all winter as fresh forage and then just burn the left overs,

hoofinitnorth · #9 06/09/08, 05:11 PM

My husband cut down about 25 young, but rather large alders, aspen, birch, and willow for the goats the other day. I only have 11 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 4 of which are BABIES (so they don't really eat the brush yet) and 1 of which is only about 3.5 months old (so also not eating a lot of brush yet). They ate every scrap of the brush in a matter of hours (not days) AND they were getting their normal hay ration. They do this regularly so yes, as someone else said, you will need a LOT of brush.

jBlaze · #10 06/09/08, 05:16 PM

Remember that you will need to haul off the brush they won't eat. They will eat the leaves and bark, but leave most of the woody stuff.

**mygoat** · #11 06/09/08, 05:43 PM

They won't need grain until they are in late pregancy and through lactation, 1 lb per 3lbs milk produced. Nigies should be fairly affordable.

If hay prices, availability, and storage is a problem, look into free feeding Alfalfa pellets. Some feed it in exchange for hay.

As for finding round bales of hay which are rather inexpensive for the amount of hay you get, visit local stables, ask a 4H member etc, if you can get the number of their hay supplier. If a hay baler does any larger amount of hay, it's likely they do rounds.

eam · #12 06/12/08, 10:35 AM

Thanks everyone for all the information. I'm still not sure what we'll do but you all have given me lots to think about.

The 'excercise' area we have for them is about 35X50, most of it grass, edged with brush. I realize the brush would be gone in no time so we'd have to add to their feed in other ways. We're still figuring!

Thanks.
Elizabeth

Carolyn · #13 06/12/08, 10:56 AM

Also remember that what you feed them will affect the taste of the milk and could affect the quantity of milk produced. Many people think that they can feed goats anything and still have a productive goat that has good tasting milk. Of course the goat has to be healthy and you have to follow clean habits when handling the milk--but feed will definitly affect the taste of the milk. Carolyn

Steffiej · #14 06/12/08, 11:26 AM

An alternative when you have storage issues is buying the large bales. I take one large bale, put it on pallets, and put a tarp over it. I take the hay I need each time and feed it to the goats. If they have shelter that keeps it out of the weather, you can put quite a bit at a time out, and keep the rest on the pallet under the tarp.

JasoninMN · #15 06/12/08, 11:51 AM

Where would you get the brush? I sure wouldn't be happy to find someone collecting brush on my property and its probably illegal to take it off state land with out a permit. You might want to check into that.

Alice In TX/MO · #16 06/12/08, 01:57 PM

We drive our four wheeler down the gravel road and trim the oak and hickory along the road side.

BothFeet · #17 06/12/08, 02:41 PM

When I had only two goats ( the easy days ), a bale of hay lasted close to two weeks. Plus we gave a little grain. It wont be that expensive to feed two goats, so I don't think it would be worth your time to try to collect enough brush to feed them. We bought 6 bales at a time and stacked them in the garage.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #18 06/12/08, 05:31 PM

"DH is afraid they'd completely destroy anything growing in this area. Is this likely?"

Count on it.

BothFeet · #19 06/12/08, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

"DH is afraid they'd completely destroy anything growing in this area. Is this likely?"

Count on it.

tee hee hee, unless it is something you WANT them to eat. I have one eucalyptus stump that keeps sprouting branches. I would really like them to trim it back for me. They will attack any other tree or bush, but leave this one lone stump alone.