My goats need more food

HaleyBugs · #1 02/22/13, 10:15 AM

Ok I live in Michigan and we are going through the "hay crisis" for sure. I bought 125 bales of hay in the fall at $6.50 a bale, figuring my horse would eat just under 100 bales for the winter and the rest would be for my two goats and for emergency hay in the spring or something. Well, the hay stack is going down and I've still got a lot, but I'm feeding my goats four flakes a day (I have five goats now, two are in milk, and one is just a kid so she doesn't really eat any yet). They get grain twice a day with some alfalfa pellets mixed in and some beet pulp shreds, and fresh veggies from the house sometimes. I just don't feel that they are getting enough, they are thinner than they were over the summer but not skinny. I just want to give them more food so they shut up and quit screaming at me! Hay right now is $10+ a bale, and my car just broke so guess where all my money is going? To the car :/
Is there anything else I can feed them that doesn't cost as much as hay?

GoatJunkie · #2 02/22/13, 10:29 AM

I'm looking at sprouting grains for my goats. It's called fodder. There is some good info on the Cow forum. I started a thread about it here (on our Goat forum): Sprouted Grains

Someone posted the most excellent blog link on that thread.

Check it out!

HaleyBugs · #3 02/22/13, 11:27 AM

Thank you! I definitely will

**mygoat** · #4 02/22/13, 11:28 AM

Try calling around and seeing if any hay sellers will deliver round bales. I couldn't afford livestock if I had to feed square bales. We store them outside with a tarp. We only get as many as we need at a time - the does have a bale they constantly munch off of, the boys have a bale that we peel layers off and feed them in hay feeders.

mjgh06 · #5 02/22/13, 11:44 AM

My first question is have you checked them for worms? A worm load can cause them to lose weight and not absorb all their nutrients. If this has always been your diet for them, and they have previously done well, I wouldn't start changing feeds as changes can mess up a goat's digestive system. Check for worms and then just give more hay if you can and they are eating it. You said you give grain 2xd but didn't say how much - cups or pounds per goat estimate?

Shayanna · #6 02/22/13, 12:41 PM

Where are you located? Are you willing to travel? Do you NEED square bale's or could you use a round? We might have an extra round bale. Its a little old, but if you peel off the outside layer, its good on the inside. I don't know about for horses, but my mom has been feeding it to hers with no problems. maybe look at some standlee products at your local TSC or Family Farm and Home? Anybody near you have some pine trees that need trimming? I'm serious. We throw limbs in with our goats about once a week. I'm not sure if it cuts down on hay consumption, but its free. They like cedar too.

We are about 15 miles north of cadillac.

PS. I just read about your car. Sorry. That stinks. I wish I could help but we have no way to lift it INTO the back of our truck. Its A LOT easier to get out than in...

mjgh06 · #7 02/22/13, 01:04 PM

Be careful with the Pine needles - they shouldn't have it as a daily feed. It is a natural wormer though and can help with that.

Shayanna · #8 02/22/13, 01:10 PM

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/poisonousplants.htm
Some of the edible ones are around-the-house plants. I guess the rule with goats is --the more variety the better. Nothing should be fed in excess.

HaleyBugs · #9 02/22/13, 01:22 PM

I don't really have a place to store round bales other than the pasture that they share with the horses, and the horses would eat it all. I also don't have a way of getting it to my house, so round bales are out.

Well they were eating all day over the summer outside, no hay and the prego's got a cup of grain each a day until they started nursing, then they got a cup twice a day. Now I let them out and they have eaten all of my pine trees, which is fine because were cutting them down in the spring anyways. So their diet has drastically changed because of winter. It went from grazing/browsing all day with a little grain to eating hay all day and now they get about 1 cup of grain and 1 cup of alfalfa pellets each in the morning, 2 cups grain, 1.5 cups alfalfa pellets, and 1/2 cup beet pulp each at night. They don't have worms, I have them on a regular schedule and I rotate wormers. The last time I wormed them was three weeks ago. They just aren't getting enough hay, and they want something to much on all day and I can't afford to buy any more hay so they need something else.

I live in Howell, and I'm good on hay for the rest of the winter. We only have a few more months hopefully! I can't do round bales, I could try the local hay auction or something but the prices there are just terrible. 20 people and 10 stacks of old moldy hay, your paying top dollar for bad hay. The alfalfa pellets and the beet pulp I have are Standlee products, I love them! My friend has an old horse who eats a TON of hay and wont keep weight on and her vet told her to buy alfalfa cubes and soak them in a bucket and give that to her mare free choice, do you think that's a good idea for the goats?

So basically, I'm looking for something to substitute hay. They just want something to chew on all day. Fodder sounds wonderful, and I'm actually going to go buy some tubs and seed tonight and I'll see if my goats like it!

Maverick_mg · #10 02/22/13, 02:01 PM

I'm having the same issue with everyone too, also in MI. There isn't as much nutrients in the hay this year because of the drought so I think that has a lot to do with it. I'm feeding the same amount grain as I do every winter with extra hay and everyone is still skinnier then I would like. This is the first year I have ever fed beet pellets but they seem to help. I also added alfalfa cubes to the horse, she gets them dry cause she won't eat them wet and the goats won't eat them at all. Vet said to add Natures essentials 32 to the horses grain and pro bios all the way around to make sure they're getting all the can out of the feed. I get the pro bio paste and mix it in the food, every one seems to like it. I'm just going to have to settle for that until there's green grass about and we can put the weight on them then. Good luck.

whodunit · #11 02/22/13, 02:21 PM

Pine needles cause abortions if too many are eaten.

wmk0002 · #12 02/22/13, 02:26 PM

Probably not beneficial since you can't haul a round bale, but what I have done in the past for animals is to buy round bales and re-bale them into square bales. This would only work if you had a friend who had a square baler and you would need a truck as well so it's probably out of the question. However, it may benefit another who reads this thread. Back when I lived with my parents, my dad and I did this frequently when our hay fields had just been sprigged with bermuda and were unusable. A large round bale will make about 20 square bales and are about $20 apiece around here, which means $1/bale cost plus the labor (and skill) needed to manually feed the round bale into the baler and haul/stack the hay.

mekasmom · #13 02/22/13, 02:31 PM

Sometimes in life we have to make hard decisions about downsizing for the good of the animals. If we have too many to feed, then we have to sell some for their own good. My choice would be to keep the goats and sell a horse or two, but everyone has their personal choices. It's wrong to just leave them underfed though. You should either look for hay, and find a way to pay for it, or else make a choice about who you can feed and who you just cannot.
It was a really tough year for hay due to the drought, so many people have had to make those choices. It isn't anyone's fault. It is just that choices have to be made in the midst of famine times like the drought of last summer. And, it looks like it will be another bad year this year too.

where I want to · #14 02/22/13, 02:45 PM

For next year- once when hay was awful here, I fed blackberry leaves that I harvested in the summer and kept in grain bags. In the summer, I cut a branch of blackberry (and salmonberry but I don't think you have that,) and, with a heavy gloves on, ran my hand down the length in the same direction as the thorns, letting the leaves fall on a tarp. When they dried, I bagged them. I thought I'd get spiked by thorns but it was actually ok.
The goat loved, and I do mean loved, them in the winter. I had not harvested enough to feed only that but it was much appreciated.
I imagine there are deciduous tree leaves that you could collect in the fall too. I would just check to make sure they are not toxic. I know some leaves that are simply wilted can be toxic but when they have naturally fallen, they are OK
Michigan has lots of sugar maples and I'm sure the goats would love those too. Just make sure they are dried properly so they are not moldy- a single layer on a tarp when they fall. Then bagged dry and out of the sun to store.
You might not be able to keep them on this but it could be a hay extender.
Depending on what's available, you could assemble quite a goat smorgasbord.
Right now they may enjoy twigs too.

tentance · #15 02/22/13, 03:50 PM

actually i was going to suggest the maple/sycamore leaves too! genius.
i realize the ground might be hard to get to, but i'm pretty sure they can eat a lot of fruit tree branches and leaves because it's safe for rabbits. that includes apples, pears, apricots, blueberries...and willow.
you might be able to work out a manure for trimmings deal with an orchardist for next year. the cuttings should be very nutritious, as the trees are perennials and not meant for mass growth.
when i lived near fremont there were a lot of corn farmers that would just leave the stalks in the field over winter. maybe you can find an organic corn farmer (amish?) that might be willing to help for next year?
also there is quite a bit of information in the rabbit forum about natural feeding, and feeding weeds. my rabbits get all kinds of things from the yard, and goats can eat everything rabbits can eat. i think.

hey wait, don't goats eat tin cans?

Alice In TX/MO · #16 02/22/13, 03:58 PM

We have Live Oak trees here that do not lose their leaves in the winter. I go to old cemeteries and along the road sides to cut browse for the goats.

Plantman · #17 02/22/13, 08:12 PM

Just be really careful not to give them any wisteria... It will kill them quickly... Speaking from experience here.

goatkid · #18 02/23/13, 12:27 AM

I don't know what you are paying for alfalfa pellets there, but if I thought my goats weren't getting enough hay, I'd feed more pellets. They don't waste them like the can do with hay. Another idea is if you can find round bales and they are cheaper, feed that to the horse and the small bales to the goats.

Clovers_Clan · #19 02/23/13, 12:32 PM

If its more of a boredom and less of a nutritional issue for your goats. Tree trimmings are a big hit with my goats during the winter months. They love to strip the bark off of any oak branch trimmings. Now is the time most folks trim shrubs/trees if you ask around maybe someone will bring them to you rather than burn them or pay to haul off. Just make sure they're from goat safe plants. I'm trimming a bit off my roses everyday, they eat the whole shoot and it keeps them entertained for quite a while. Trimmings can be high in nutrients too. Oh, and if you can find anyone with invasive chinese privet issues, I'm sure they'd love to give you some!

Backfourty,MI. · #20 02/23/13, 04:36 PM

Keep your eye on the local papers. Around up here where I live this is about the time of year folks start advertising any left over hay they have because they want to clean the barn out before spring.

Have you checked around for Chaffehay? Some folks are feeding that now because of the drought & hay shortages but I agree that alfalfa pellets will help stretch the hay, also like Alice said browse cut from certain tree's but nothing green here now but different pines. Thank goodness spring is around the corner.

If you do find some good round bales though, some folks will deliver for you & you could store on a pallet & cover with a tarp until ready to feed it.