# How much do you feed?



## rebelINny (Dec 21, 2010)

So how much hay does everyone feed to their  goats in a day? I have heard 2 flakes per goat per day is sufficient, but what about the does that are pregnant or lactating, and what about mini breeds? My hubby thinks one amount is right and I think the other (more) is right, help me end the dispute. We have 17 does all bred but one that lost her kid a couple of weeks ago, 1 buck, 1 wether, 3 young intermediate doelings (one is a mini), and 2 more mini does that are still growing but also bred. How much hay do you think they should get? I want to make sure that they do get enough so please end our dispute


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## ksalvagno (Dec 21, 2010)

My goats have hay at all times. I'm not really sure how many flakes per animal per day.


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## warthog (Dec 21, 2010)

My goats also have access to hay all the time.  They also have access to browse all day and get grain only according to condition.


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## jodief100 (Dec 21, 2010)

Hay or good quality browse should always be available.  Mine always have hay except in the summer months when there is lots of nice browse.  My 25 full size Boer and kiko goats (13 adults, 8 yearlings, 4 juveniles) are eating 2-3 square bales (40-60 lbs) a day right now.  If the weather lets them get out and browse the stockpiled pasture it will drop to half that.  I give them all they want. 

I suppliment pregnant and lactating does with pelleted goat grain (not the sweet stuff).


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## rebelINny (Dec 21, 2010)

Ok that is what I figured. That is what I want to do, give all they want to eat as far as hay. They do have browse, but here in eastern Ny there isn't anything to browse right now. Hubby doesn't give them enough when he feeds so I always go feed them another bale when he is gone to work. Now I can give him "what for" with all the expert advice.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 21, 2010)

Mine also have access to grass hay free-choice.  We supplement with alfalfa hay or pellets and grain for those who need it (gestating, lactating, cold weather, rutting, etc.)  

It can be really tough to determine condition at a glance when they have thick winter coats, so I make a habit of getting my hands on each goat at least once a week to feel around then adjust the amount of grain if necessary.  This may be less practical for a larger herd, but for me it's been working to keep everyone within (what I feel is) an acceptable range.


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## elevan (Dec 21, 2010)

Free choice hay always at my farm too.


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## AlaskanShepherdess (Dec 22, 2010)

I guess I'm a bit different. When I gave my goats hay free choice they got FAT! So I have to feed them the amount they are content with rather then how much they would eat if I just let them eat all they want. Right now I feed all 6 Nigerian Dwarf (1 buck, 1 buckling, 2 great with kid does, 2 early pregnant does) 2 flakes (4-5 lb each flake) of hay a day. I live in mid Alaska and for the last month or so it has averaged about -30 below zero. I actually could give them a bit less as they are starting to get wasteful since I started giving them grain, but during temperatures this cold the last thing I want is for them to need food and not have it.

I think even if my goats controlled themselves to not overeat that I would still use this method, as there is almost no waste, and they eat about half of what they would otherwise. It takes some playing around to find out how much your goats need vs how much they will eat, but my goats are quite vocal when they are hungry so it only took me 3-4 days to figure out how much they needed. Of course it will vary with the seasons and circumstances.


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## aggieterpkatie (Dec 23, 2010)

When I fed grass hay I pretty much fed free choice.  Now I'm feeding a nice alfalfa mix and they love it.  I was feeding a flake per head per day plus a couple extra flakes, and they were wasting it.  I cut back to 1 flake per head per day now, unless they totally clean the hay up then I'll bump it up a bit.  It really depends.  I guess I don't feed them a set amount every day, I feed them according to what they want/need that day.


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## ()relics (Dec 23, 2010)

Mine have access to a round bale year around.  70/30 orchard grass/alfalfa.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 23, 2010)

()relics said:
			
		

> Mine have access to a round bale year around.  70/30 orchard grass/alfalfa.


I'm totally jealous you can get an orchard grass/alfalfa blend in a round bale...


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## helmstead (Dec 23, 2010)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> ()relics said:
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Hehe I can, too...more alfalfa % in mine...and I only pay $40 for a 900 lb bale neener neener neener!!    That's why my horsies are suddenly soooo faaaat....

(background, y'all...I'm from GA, right around Nicki, and was paying $80 for a 500 lb roll of fescue when I left...so I get to neener at her!)


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## Roll farms (Dec 23, 2010)

Don't get too happy yet, Kate.

A couple of years ago, us Hoosiers had a drought and were paying big $ for shipped-in hay.  

I have been doing my part to prevent that happening again, by doing a rain dance every summer since that one.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 24, 2010)

Oh, I see how it is Kate.  

Man, $40 for 900 lbs of alfalfa blend?!  Now I'm REALLY jealous!  When I lived in Washington state growing up my friends with horses always had the most beautiful, fragrant alfalfa.  I got some beautiful stuff out of Kentucky last month at $10/square bale and that was a deal around here.

The guy I get my hay from here lives about 4 miles away so he only charges us $30-$35 per 4X5 total with delivery.  But it sure ain't alfalfa... :/

Still, it has saved us a bundle the last few months after making the switch.  The only thing I've noticed is that the goats are turds about eating the same thing every day and appreciate a flake or two of the good stuff in addition to the same ol' round bale every day.  But, that means they get to waste the cheap stuff all they want and they hoover every last morsel of the more expensive square bales we supplement with.  I can also just pull an armful off the back of the bale and throw it in the manger and they act like it's something completely different... 

We do have it underneath an overhang on the barn and they eat it through the fence.  Every so often as it gets eaten down I roll it against the fence again.  It's pretty messy, but the waste just gets used as bedding since it does stay dry underneath a roof and they aren't able to poop in it from the other side.  I don't think I'd use them if I couldn't keep them dry.  Really, I still save using it as bedding since wheat straw is $4-$5 per bale here!

I'm already dreaming about Spring when they can eat for FREE.


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## Our7Wonders (Dec 24, 2010)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> Man, $40 for 900 lbs of alfalfa blend?!  Now I'm REALLY jealous!  When I lived in Washington state growing up my friends with horses always had the most beautiful, fragrant alfalfa.  I got some beautiful stuff out of Kentucky last month at $10/square bale and that was a deal around here.


We live in the middle of Washington state - lots of alfalfa growers around us.  The hay I have smells quite good and is loaded with alfalfa leaves - it's apparantly 75 alfalfa/25 grass  - couldn't tell you if that's right or not but my girls sure love it! We paid $110.00/ton - worked out to about $5.00 per bale (just over 90 pound bales).  Not sure if that's a good deal or not, but seems pretty standard around this area.  

I can't imagine trying to work with a big round bale.  My 2 gals go through a bale a week and feeding by the flake seems to work very well for us.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 24, 2010)

Our7Wonders said:
			
		

> n.smithurmond said:
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Ya, standard for that area is a super sweet deal for us here in GA!  The stuff I have now looks great- green and leafy- but it absolutely does not have the same sweet smell as the alfalfa in your parts.  Don't get me wrong, it smells nice, but not like the alfalfa I remember as a kid.  Every once in a while the feed store will get some out of Canada that is fragrant like that.  It goes for $11-$13 per 50 pound square bale. :/


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## AlaskanShepherdess (Dec 24, 2010)

Wish I could get alfalfa for $5 a bale, but it doesn't grow up here and has to be trucked up. That means $15 a bale to get it within 400 miles of my house. Then extra to get it this far!  I pay $10 for excellent brome.


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## rebelINny (Dec 26, 2010)

I feel very lucky now! My husband makes all of our hay and it is excellent alfalfa/grass hay and some that is timothy/orchard grass. The goats definitely LOVE the alfalfa /grass hay though.


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## happyhensny (Dec 26, 2010)

I pay $4 for 2nd cut alfalfa mix bales.  They are so green and smell like a hot summer day.  Maybe I need to try some.


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## julieq (Jan 8, 2011)

We feed dairy grade alfalfa free choice to our mini and ND's.  Our three does go through a couple of heavy flakes per day and the two bucks about the same, maybe a little less during rut.


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## TwoGoats (Jan 14, 2011)

We Feed a bale/week of Alfafa/Grass mix hay during the Winter months.   The general consensus is a flake/goat/day.  A large percentage ends up on the ground.   I also give a few handfuls of Goat feed grain each day or every few days.


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