# Eating too much hay?



## animalsRawsome (Oct 7, 2011)

My dad recently bought some goats that were born this spring. They seem to be eating ALOT of hay. It's just grass hay(some weeds in there too)  Can they eat too much of it? We're giving them each a pound or two of grain per day as well. Thanks for your help!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 7, 2011)

I've never known an animal to eat too much hay.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 7, 2011)

no, they wont eat too much hay. it is surprising how much hay they will go through. They can also be very wasteful if the hay isn't fed in a good hay feeder off the ground.


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## 77Herford (Oct 7, 2011)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> no, they wont eat too much hay. it is surprising how much hay they will go through. They can also be very wasteful if they hay isn't fed in a good hay feeder off the ground.


Yes, I found that out the first few days of having goats.  Now we have those rack feeders.


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## 20kidsonhill (Oct 7, 2011)

I know some people say use it as bedding, but straw is 3 a bale around here and hay is 5 a bale. So it doesn't make much sense to me. Plus you can end up with a lot more bedding than they really need.  

Good hay feeder will pay for itself in no time.   

For a couple goats one that hangs on a wall or off the fence works well, but for several goats free-standing hay feeders work the best.


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## Livinwright Farm (Oct 7, 2011)

You can make your own hay racks too  It doesn't have to be pretty to be functional either, though most that build build for functionality & looks.
It is definitely cheaper to build your own hay rack with a shelf (for collecting falling hay as they eat), even if you are going out and buying pretty wood to build with!
We have been blessed with other people's scrap/left over lumber this year, making all our little projects for the farm even cheaper.
Honestly, if you wanted to go the freebie route, you could even make one using pallets gotten from stores that just throw them away/put them at the side of the road.  It takes more time in disassembling the pallets in order to build with them, but if you are strapped for cash and don't happen to have any spare/scrap lumber hanging aroung, then it is definitely worth it.


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## animalsRawsome (Oct 7, 2011)

Thank you everybody! The pallets are a good idea, I'll have to keep that in mind. They do have a feeder that we built, maybe I'll post pics of it and you guys can see what you think about it. Also working on another feeder, but I'll have to get a patent for that one before i post pics! JK...maybe


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 7, 2011)

They can't eat too much hay.  They can, however have too much phosphorous.  Grass hay and grain are both very high in phosphorous which means your Ca ratios are upside down right now.  Legume hay or alfalfa pellets will provide much needed calcium and balance your ratios.


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## Goatmasta (Oct 7, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> They can't eat too much hay.  They can, however have too much phosphorous.  Grass hay and grain are both very high in phosphorous which means your Ca ratios are upside down right now.  Legume hay or alfalfa pellets will provide much needed calcium and balance your ratios.


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## animalsRawsome (Oct 7, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> They can't eat too much hay.  They can, however have too much phosphorous.  Grass hay and grain are both very high in phosphorous which means your Ca ratios are upside down right now.  Legume hay or alfalfa pellets will provide much needed calcium and balance your ratios.


Ok. Thanks! I'll see what TSC has for alfalfa pellets on saturday. Should I replace their grain with the alfalfa pellets, or just mix the grain and alfalfa pellets?


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## spanish goatee guy (Oct 8, 2011)

i once had boer goats , inow raise another breed , icalled kent feeds in iowa the rep ,informed that in pellets the fiber content is what counts it helps the rumen work 17% IS WHAT HE RECOMMENDED, 4lbs of hay is adq per day, hay addsthe fiber grain just addsenergy  , ikeep the grain too a  min. sweet feed causes the rumen to gain toomuch acid  bloat also occurs. hay helps offset acidosis. acidosis is bad for goats


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## spanish goatee guy (Oct 8, 2011)

i once had boer goats , inow raise another breed , icalled kent feeds in iowa the rep ,informed that in pellets the fiber content is what counts it helps the rumen work 17% IS WHAT HE RECOMMENDED, 4lbs of hay is adq per day, hay addsthe fiber grain just addsenergy  , ikeep the grain too a  min. sweet feed causes the rumen to gain toomuch acid  bloat also occurs. hay helps offset acidosis. acidosis is bad for goats


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 8, 2011)

animalsRawsome said:
			
		

> n.smithurmond said:
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> 
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> ...


You'll need to work them up on the alfalfa pellets since they're not used to it.  I would back off on the grain so that your alfalfa pellet to grain ratio is balanced (3:1) then start working them back up to the necessary levels of grain while maintaining the ratio.  You're going to find that with the increased protein and calcium levels from the alfalfa that you'll need to feed less grain in the long run.  I do feed my growing kids grain, but always in the proper Ca ratio.  UC is better prevented than treated and those babies need calcium to grow.


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## that's*satyrical (Oct 8, 2011)

does brand of alfalfa pellet matter?


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 8, 2011)

I like Standlee pellets because they are never dusty, but you may find another brand you like.  Read the label though- some brands have added stuff.  Standlee's ingredient listing is alfalfa.  No additives.  Tractor Supply's brand has animal fat added- blegh!


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## that's*satyrical (Oct 8, 2011)

where do you get your standlee & how much does it cost?


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 9, 2011)

TSC.  They USED to be 9.99 a bag.  They're up to $11.99  a bag right now with alfalfa prices getting so ridiculous.


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## that's*satyrical (Oct 9, 2011)

Yeah we are going to try growing our own it's Wayyyyy cheaper.


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## 77Herford (Oct 9, 2011)

Noooo, don't make your own, were will I get all my money.   Hee hee just kidding.  Good Hay prices have got a bit ridiculous.  I take perspective though when I see what they pay for it in California, whoa.


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## willow_top_farm (Oct 9, 2011)

I went to a local TSC and they had bales of hay stacked in the store marked as "Alfalfa Hay" for $5.00 a bale.  My 10 year old daughter pointed out what how horrible the hay looked and she was right. It was full of hard stems and light brown. I looked more like straw than hay.  And around here, we can get good alfalfa hay for $3 a bale, so I think TSC is losing it's marbles!!!


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Oct 10, 2011)

There is no issue with quality as far as the Standlee pellets are concerned.


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