Dairy goat won't eat grass

[Muddy Boots]

We just bought a 2 year old freshened Nubian that had been kept in a barn and was never pastured. We brought her home planning on slowly starting her on pasture however she won't eat grass. We have continued to feed hay because we want to make sure she does not dry up. Will she ever eat grass on her own? Any ideas?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Goats aren't grazers. They are browsers like deer. They want leaves and twigs and brush.

If you are feeding her hay, it should be alfalfa hay.

[mygoat]

Goats may eat grass if that's all they have - however, they're more likely to loose condition and become very skinny if forced to eat nothing but grass - especially a doe in milk. To keep a doe in milk, she needs at least 1lb of grain for every 3 lbs of milk produced (this will vary doe to doe) - and milked at least 1x per day, of course. Since making milk uses a LOT of calcium from the doe, she will need alfalfa pellets and/or quality alfalfa hay. Free choice hay - wether it be high quality grass (then you'd need to offer a few lbs of alfalfa pellets per day), a grass/alfalfa mix (less pellets needed) or 100% alfalfa (little to no pellets needed) is best. If she's your only goat, I suggest getting a friend for her - goats are herd animals and can become destructive to barns/fences in boredom and gain other odd behaviors from their lack of a social life.

[RiverPines]

Grass...sheep!!! You need sheep.

Goats like trees, weeds, brush and so on.

[deineria]

Yep. My goats hate grass - lol!

[motdaugrnds]

My goats love grass. They also enjoy browse. I often see them laying in the middle of some juicy grass eating what is conveniently around them. (I have often sat out there with them while they do so.)

I have Matua (endophyte free) grass surrounded by Bi Color Lespedeza "shrubs" in the back 2-acre pasture. There are also young trees (pine, oak, maple, etc .. all but black cherry as I got rid of those) they enjoy. I often throw bean & Catjang Cow Peas over the pastures during the winter thaws; and they love those too.

[QoTL]

SOME of my goats LOVE grass. Others prefer trees. It really depends on the goat, I think (or I have weird ones... )

That said, the first time I gave our new rabbit a treat, she wouldn't eat it. And the first time she was put outside on grass, she wouldn't eat that either. She does now, but it did take her awhile to give it a try. It might be the same with your goat (although I agree that she needs trees and brush to try out as well).

[wintrrwolf]

When I got my first goat she ate on everything but grass, got her a pygmy friend who seemed more of a grazer and sometimes would catch the 2 of them nibbling through the field picking out what they liked. That was last year, this year I will catch all my goats doing some grazing, after browsing through the woods.

[FunnyRiverFarm]

Mine like grass in the spring when it is sweet and tender but lose interest as soon as tree leaves begin to appear.

[Eunice]

I live in the desert and my goats are fed alfalfa in their pens, but let them loose and they will eat anything green, including grass. Right now I try and take them out for an hour of grazing each day (playing "Heidi"). I sit there with a book to read while they eat and cavort.

[jad44]

My experience with goats - I've had dairy goats, and they seem to love the hay and grains, but shied from the pasture grazing. My Boer goats love the browse, and some grain, and dry hay in winter. But, this year my goats have surrpised me - the entire bunch whether it be Nubians, or Boer, or my alpine goats, they are all grazing! It has taken 4 seasons to get them to graze; but it can happen. Of course those who can climb high enough to get at leaves in trees, or downed trees, love to gnaw on that too. I've had a large number of kids this winter/spring and they are all grazing right along side of their mothers now. My pasture was mostly browse when I started out and I had mostly Boer goats, so it got eaten down real well, and now more grass has taken over. They have 7 acres to hunt for browse and in the evenings they lay out in the grassy area and just munch to their hearts content, and I've set out there and enjoyed their company and listened to them chew the grasses down. It almost sounds "scrumptious". Just give your Nubians long enough and they'll start to graze, just suppliment them in the meantime. These started right off this spring grazing, like they'd always been grazing - a real surprise to me!

[motdaugrnds]

I discovered my goats do "not" like to browse "fescue" grass.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Mine won't touch fescue on the way to the forest, either. They do like Lespideza (sp?).

[Goat Servant]

When I first brought my Boer gals home from eastern Wa, the dry side of the state & let them out they almost freaked when they saw green grass. Didnt know what it was!
They now enjoy a mouthful now & then but would rather do blackberry vines & my lilac bush.
It is nicely pruned.

[jil101ca]

My little herd now eats its and does it all, brush and grass, browse and graze. They didn't when i first got them last year. It takes time for them to adapt and to learn what yummy is all about.

[topside1]

Sound like she needs some company...

[Muddy Boots]

Thanks for all the info we are still learning. Most of our pastures are all grass with no over grown trees or brush just trees outside of the fence for shade. I am working on a new pasture area that will offer some brush, I guess I better finish it. We do have several goats that eat grass but they have been raised on pasture. I guess we will just keep working with her. Thanks again