Can you feed grass clipings to goats? - Homesteading Today
You are Unregistered, please register to use all of the features of Homesteading Today!    
Homesteading Today

Go Back   Homesteading Today > Livestock Forums > Goats


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 04/26/09, 10:05 PM
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 234
Can you feed grass clipings to goats?

Just woundering if you could feed grass clippings to goats, I know you are not soposed to feed them to horses so I was woundering.

Thanks Kimberly
__________________
Sacred Wind Farm
Raising miniature horses, alpine and Nigerian dwarf dairy goats
http://sacredfarm.webs.com/

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04/26/09, 10:37 PM
mygoat's Avatar
Caprice Acres
HST_MODERATOR.png
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MI
Posts: 11,235
I don't know why you'd want to, and I don't know that it would be sucessful - goats are browsers and need leaves and such to forage on. It does make good bedding for all sorts of critters, though.
__________________


Dona Barski

"Breed the best, eat the rest"

Caprice Acres

French and American Alpines. CAE, Johnes neg herd. Abscess free. LA, DHIR.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04/26/09, 10:55 PM
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 234
I was just woundering, hubby for some reason thinks its a wast not to feed it if it can be fed, they still have their big bale. I was not just going to feed the clippings, just through them some when we mow is all.
__________________
Sacred Wind Farm
Raising miniature horses, alpine and Nigerian dwarf dairy goats
http://sacredfarm.webs.com/

Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04/27/09, 06:50 AM
Katie
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Twining, Mi.
Posts: 19,930
They probly won't eat it like that after it's cut.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04/27/09, 06:54 AM
Rockytopsis's Avatar
A & N Lazy Pond Farm
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: East Tennessee
Posts: 3,375
Cut grass heats up very fast. Not a good idea to feed it to them. Have him make a mulch pile and put all the clippings there. Keep them turned and by next summer you will have some good mulch and the grass clippings won't be wasted.
__________________
A small Goat farm in East Tennessee
http://www.freewebs.com/rockytopsis/
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04/27/09, 07:11 AM
beccachow's Avatar
Animal Addict
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 12,211
I just wouldn't feed grass clippings to the goats or the horses, just too afraid to take the chance .
__________________
Becky
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04/27/09, 07:23 AM
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 839
If you wait until it completely dries-like next day or more, I don't see the difference between that and grass hay (if they will eat it). It is when you pile it when wet that makes it hot and not good for goats or any animal, same reason you can't bail it until it has completely dried. It will catch of fire.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04/27/09, 09:38 AM
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: oklahoma
Posts: 140
i dont think they/ll eat it...its the same as if you wanted a goat to mow the lawn. they will eat a blade of grass and go to the fence line and eat brush, weeds, and tree leaves. they just dont eat that much grass to begin with
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 04/27/09, 09:54 AM
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Michigan
Posts: 432
NO! do NOT feed grass clippings. I had a neighbor think that it would be ok to dump her grass clippings in my goat pen so that they could have a "snack". I came home later that day to find one of my nicest goats dead in the barn from bloat and 2 others quite bloated.

I immedietely erected "Do NOT feed the Animals Anything, Ever" signs on all the fences.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 04/27/09, 10:13 AM
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 833
my goats at grass clippings all the time one of my fainting goats lasted 14 years which is a LONG time for a goat to live his front legs were messed up and he walked on his knees but he walked all over the place and i couldnt put him down when i had the vet come out to check out the cows he said he is healthy and gets around ok that he would just leave him (i wasnt gonna kill him just wanted to see what was up with his legs but he wasnt sure he just thought it was old age since he was 13 years old when he check him out) he died last year though and he was about 100lbs

but he would eat grass clippings that id feed to the calves he was right there eatting it with them but i wouldnt give them alot like 4-10 hand fulls depending on how big of hand you have

goats eat about any thing or at least all mine did i bed them with straw and they were in there eatting that when they had hay and fresh grass out side
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 04/27/09, 04:04 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 13
mine will work hard to get to grass clipping under the fence even though they have 4 acres of pasture and only 8 goats. I even started blowing the clipping into the pasture so thay won't have as much reason to stick there head out.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 04/27/09, 04:33 PM
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 149
My angoras won't touch grass clippings even when they are hungry. Not sure if it is the smell of gas on it or what.

Chickens love to play in em though....
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 04/27/09, 05:05 PM
DQ DQ is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ok
Posts: 1,825
mine eat grass clippings. I've only fed it for fun I don't spend time raking it up and feeding it to them. its only hay cut short. as long as its treated like hay in that it is dried and not doused in chemicals then its fine in my opinion.
__________________
A mystery is not an explanation..... on the contrary....no sooner is a myth forged than, in order to stand it needs another myth to support it.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 04/27/09, 07:31 PM
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Medina,Oh
Posts: 84
I have feed grass clipping to sheep and goats. But I always let them dry then go back the next 2 days w/ a lawn sweeper.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04/27/09, 09:30 PM
KittenMittens89's Avatar
Just Me.... Again!
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 226
We mow grass in the summer and we do all the time. The goats eat it okay. Also my brother's boss(they do landscaping mowing and such) gives all the grass brush and such to his father in laws cows.
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:56 PM.
Contact Us - Homesteading Today - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top - ©Carbon Media Group Agriculture