Alfalfa pellets

[Aped]

Okay what's the deal with Alfalfa pellets? I'm sure this has been discussed before but are they 'free' like hay or should they be limited like grain? I was feeding my doe as much sweet feed as she wanted on the milking stand but then decided to start feeding her alfalfa pellets on the stand because her poop wasn't right and I thought it was too much grain.

 

[freemotion]

They are almost "free" in that they are a great way to slow the doe down on the stand. I sit on a five gallon pail of alfalfa pellets when I milk so there are always more nearby in case I'm having a slow day and she is having a Hoover day! I also add a little soaked beet pulp to slow her down even more. I give a double handful of grain twice a day.

They are not "free" in that the goats still need to have the bulk of their food be long-fiber stemmy hay/pasture/browse so that their rumens will work correctly. So you don't want an entire diet of alfalfa pellets to replace hay. Not that anyone would, just sayin'.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Free is right, they're in no way a replacement for long fiber roughage like hay. Alfalfa pellets are pretty much like grain. They're easily broken down and high in protein so high amounts can cause the rumen to go a little crazy. Add in the short fiber length, which doesn't take as much cud chewing, which in turn reduces the amount of saliva buffering the rumen, and you can get a good opportunity for acidosis to occur.

 

[Aped]

Oh great thanks. They definitely do slow her down mixed with the remaining sweet feed. I might just have to keep using the sweet feed but mixing it with the pellets instead of replacing entirely because it seems like she won't go for that. I was originally mixing crushed alfalfa cubes. They love those but after a while, she would start kicking after she ran out of the sweet feed, ignoring the cubes. And yet if she's off the stand she'll tackle me to get some of them. I guess there's a time and a place for all types food in a goat's mind.

 

[Roll farms]

I have one doe who will pick the corn out of her grain mix (that everyone else eats all of) and stomp her feet until I give her another scoop to pick through.
I've started keeping a bucket under the feeder on the stand to catch the feed she rejects while looking for corn.
Every goat seems to have their own little quirks....

 

[glenolam]

I mix 2 50# bags of regular grain, 1 50# bag of sweet feed and 25# of alfalfa pellets in a huge container and that's what I give to my goats. I find the alfalfa helps the digestive track and the sweet feed keeps my doe interested in her grain more so I can milk at my pace, not hers.

 

[treeclimber233]

Has anyone ever fed hay-stretcher to their goats?

 

[stano40]

I mix 2 50# bags of regular grain, 1 50# bag of sweet feed and 25# of alfalfa pellets in a huge container and that's what I give to my goats. I find the alfalfa helps the digestive track and the sweet feed keeps my doe interested in her grain more so I can milk at my pace, not hers.

What type of grain do you use?

bob

 

[glenolam]

Hey stano - Sorry I didn't reply...I must have missed that one.

I buy Dumor brand from TSC. I buy the regular grain and the Dumor sweet feed. Here's the link to a picture of the regular grain:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/livest...-goat-feed/dumor-reg-goat-feed-50-lb--5078058

 

[stano40]

What I use for grain is a mixture of different grains and feeds for my goats. They get fed this mixture once a day and they get hay, whatever I pull from the garden or they just browse around for awhile.

This is their primary grain.

I buy 50# bags of:

whole oats
steamed barley (when they are in milk)
rice bran or wheat bran
calf manna
10% Boss

sprinkle yeast flakes or what I like to do sometimes is mix in blue seal feeds sunshine plus which has the yeast added into it.

I also started adding

beet pulp pellets
alfalfa pellets

They free choice -

redman salt
manna pro goat mineral
baking soda

I think I got it all.

I used to feed just pellets but found they were wasting a lot or just not eating very well.

When I went to this grain mixture they went nuts for it and didn't want just plain pellets.

Found this mixture on another dairy goat farm and added a few extras. Thought I would give it a try for the 10 goats I have.

bob