Need Advice on Hay

[CVC_Saanens]

Hello, all! I have an opportunity to purchase several tons of pea and oat hay, and was wondering what everyone's thoughts are on that. This would not be the only forage they would be getting: I'm looking to mix it with alfalfa.

I have been struggling keeping condition on my Saanen does and am thinking that adding the pea/oat mix with the alfalfa, and an aggressive worming treatment might help with that.

I have six senior does that will be in breeding pens with bucks around the middle of Sept., three junior doelings and two sheep (ya know just to round things out) that will be together during the breeding season.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing form people.

__________________
Samantha
Treasure Valley, Idaho

ADGA Saanen, ADGA Alpine, Purebred Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Katahdin and Hampshire-Cross Sheep


~* Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. *~

[Pony]

I don't have any experience with pea and oat hay, but would like to see what others' experience is.

Have you done a fecal on your does?

The hay I use is a mix of mostly alfalfa and clover, but I live in a different part of the country. I also supplement with BOSS and oats, and sometimes they get a banana for a treat. The rest of the time, they browse and eat oak, sassafras, multiflora rose, and whatever else is growing out there.

[copperpennykids]

Oat hay....not so much. Pea hay - what kind of peas? Peas are a legume and many times have a high protein content. Not sure about the calcium aspect, but if you feed alfalfa as well it should be a good choice.

Oats interfere with calcium uptake.

So, with high production Saanens this could be a recipe for disaster.

We have friends with average production (yet quite pretty) Alpines. They fed oat hay to their does one winter and had so many problems with hypocalcemia - either ketosis prior to kidding or milk fever afterwards. They lost a lot of kids and valuable does.

Personally, I would avoid the oat hay.

HTH