Pine Pellets for bedding

[TriWinkle]

Hey, it's me again. Is it ok to use pine pellets used in horse stalls for bedding for my goats? We ran out of alfalfa hay today and had to use the rest of my pine pellets for them. Alfalfa hay is expensive so was wondering if I could switch to pine pellets or shavings instead.

Thanks for the help.

[Donna1982]

You are using alfalfa hay as bedding? That seems a little costly. Why not straw? I don't have an answer about the pellets sorry.

[Minelson]

I use mostly shavings with some grass hay "waste" for bedding. I think it's easier to clean than straw. But if your having babies, straw should be used because the shavings will stick to the babies. If I used alfalfa it would all get eaten..except for the stems Are you sure it's alfalfa that you are using?

[Pony]

Just out of curiosity: Why are you using feed hay for bedding?

I have found that my goats like to eat the pine pellets, so would think twice before using that as bedding.

If you can get old grass hay or oat straw or something like that, I'm sure it would be fine.

We use the stuff those naughty goats waste, as well as any old bales of grass hay we can glean.

[eclipchic]

we sometimes use hay for bedding, we have more hay than straw and the hay is well grown here and we just pay for the cut and bale ($1.50) ....the straw we have to pay $3 a bale for. So I get it.

I don't see why you couldn't use pellets, the straw is likely cheaper though. It'd take at least 2 bags of those pellets to cover (at about $5/bag) our stall where it only takes one bale of hay or straw to cover the same stall. The shavings are really pricey too.

[southerngurl]

Pine pellets are great. I would put straw/hay on top for better insulation. They will keep things drier longer.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by eclipchic

we sometimes use hay for bedding, we have more hay than straw and the hay is well grown here and we just pay for the cut and bale ($1.50) ....the straw we have to pay $3 a bale for. So I get it.

I don't see why you couldn't use pellets, the straw is likely cheaper though. It'd take at least 2 bags of those pellets to cover (at about $5/bag) our stall where it only takes one bale of hay or straw to cover the same stall. The shavings are really pricey too.

Dang. I'm paying $3 a bale for alfalfa hay. $1.50, and I'd be using it for bedding too!

[Tallabred]

I use pine pellets. I have stall mats on the floor, put pine pellets on top and activate them so that they are very fine shavings. I scoop out really wet spots, use a yard rake to rake goat pellets into a pile (they roll on top of the shavings). You can also sweep them into a pile.

The only time I put hay or straw over them is when someone is giving birth. I have used them for years - BIG cost savings.

[Ranger]

Three dollars for alfalfa hay!? Really? I pay sixteen to twenty a bale here. As for the pine pellets, I'd be afraid that they would eat them.

[southerngurl]

They eat a few then get bored.

[eclipchic]

Originally Posted by Pony

Dang. I'm paying $3 a bale for alfalfa hay. $1.50, and I'd be using it for bedding too!

That's what it goes for around here but we have our own hayfield at our homestead....maybe 2 acres worth. We actually have 2 hayfields but the 9 acre one we can't get a decent honest haycutter to save our lives. $1.50 is the charge the haycutter charges us to cut and bale it.

[eclipchic]

Originally Posted by Ranger

Three dollars for alfalfa hay!? Really? I pay sixteen to twenty a bale here. As for the pine pellets, I'd be afraid that they would eat them.

round or square bales? Our round go for $40/bale, square for $3.00/bale.

[TriWinkle]

Thanks for the info...the alfalfa hay was all I had at the time...Definitely looking for cheaper alternatives.

[Ranger]

eclipchic-- that's for a square bale!!

[farmmom]

Wish I could get alfalfa that cheap!! Like Ranger, I'm more in the $20-25/bale.