Advice on Picking the Better Hay

[Goat Whisperer]

Pushing a big bale out of a truck is actually really easy. Especially if it is only 640#. It’s easier than one would think.

Right now we use a 15 passenger van to transport, it’s a little more difficult to unload the hay but certainly doable. When using a truck it’s really simple.

We (feed store employees & I) would actually just rotate and push the bales out of the trailers & into the truck. To onload just back up over some 4x4s and push the bale off.

 

[Bruce]

I'm not confident we can push 640 lbs 3x3x8 bale off a truck, but if we can I'd go with that.

You could maybe attach a rope around the bale connected to something behind the truck, then just drive the truck forward and the bale would fall off?

 

[rachels.haven]

I bet it would. I've seen people online discussing doing just that.
However, I think I'm just going to go down to the local feed store and look at their hay, make sure it's still nice enough and just set up a delivery. $10/60 lbs of hay is better than $37/100 lbs of hay. I can't quite swallow that price. I'll also supplement with alfalfa pellets when necessary. My bucklings still have some growing to do after all.

Then next year, when prices are more normal I will order several tons of hay, and NOT MOVE so I can use that nice hay all year. I think that's my game plan at this point.
Thanks guys.

 

[Bruce]

Yeah, not moving would be a good plan

Hopefully this will be a better hay year. Apparently too wet down your way last year and a long drought up here. 1 cutting, nothing was growing from July on.

 

[CrockpotGodess]

I live in brookline NH. Right next to Townsend MA border. I have some hay ideas if going to NH. Pm if you have not found an option.

 

[rachels.haven]

Thanks, I may. Still using my feed store. Nice to onlinemeet someone 20ish minutes away. Wonderful to know there's an option nearby.

 

[Bruce]

I live in brookline NH. Right next to Townsend MA border.

So does DW's brother and his family! They aren't "herd" people though. In fact I don't think they currently even have any pets.

 

[Thornpaw]

Hello out there!
I'm stuck buying hay in late February after a move. It's very expensive ($37/100lbs!!!). I have one doe freshening in March and it looks like my other two does are open. I also have 2 bucklings. I get to choose between straight alfalfa and orchard-alfalfa mix. Because of the price of the hay, I'd like to get the most cost effective option while not putting my one milking doe on a low protein or calcium diet.

I was a little dismayed when looking at the alfalfa that it appeared to be a little stemmy-very green, just looks kind of like something the goats would enjoy wasting. The orchard mix was amazingly green, but it's not alfalfa and is lower in calcium. I do have access to 20% protein alfalfa pellets ($20/50lbs) and some very soft, brown, second cut $10/bale grass hay. Everyone is also getting a balanced goat ration (either purina or dumor, I dumped them in the same can before the move for simplicity sake). I'm not sure if the feed store that carries these will eventually run out of hay though, is the problem and I don't want to be up against that wall.

What would you do? Other than get annoyed about hay price and the predicament you're in, of course.

ETA, attached thumbnail on accident. Wrong file. Please ignore.

Orchard Alfalfa
View attachment 58376

There is a product called Chaffhaye. Chopped alfalfa molasses and probiotics. Comes in 50lb bags. Goats love it and there is zero waste. They lick the feeders. Feeding rate is 2-2.5lbs per 100lb animal. Chaffhaye.com. it costs me $14 a bag but none of it is on the ground

 

[rachels.haven]

Wow, that's cheaper than my hay choices. I'll look into it. Worried the price out here may be much higher, but it would be great to know. I've been scared off by stories of bad batches of chaff hay fed to goats and causing fatalities, but it may be worth a look, at least for winter and early spring milking.

ETA: Woah, I wish it was $14/bag! Nope, looks like everything is about $20/50lbs, although sounds like waste will be less, so I consider it still an option.