Bedding for dairy goats-shavings vs. straw?

[PattiXmas]

OMG - do you show at the same county fair my kids did last year???

 

[NubianNerd]

Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?

 

[PattiXmas]

Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?

Nope, we are in Michigan. We were told last year we could only use the shavings in the pens. Sooooo, we spent around $50 on shavings alone for that week only to see everyone else using straw. We just found out yesterday that the "rule" had been changed and everyone should have been told - gee, I think they forgot to mention it to us and they should have taken down the shavings only sign....

(Kids are in the 4H, and I am learning how political and one-sided it is. Too bad the others don't put their energy, time and money in properly caring for their goats because our club has kicked their butts for the last 3 years. I feel very confident that we shall kick their butts again this year. We have a ton of goat drama!!! Too bad it's not Llamas - then we could call it Llama Drama!)

 

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

Anyone else? are pine shavings bad for goats? I wouldn't think so...they absorb wet and odor better than straw.

Goats will normally eat a certain amount of wood, because they are brush eaters, not hay-eaters, naturally. There is hardly any nutrition in the shavings, but I can't see any reason why they would be bad for them.

 

[NubianNerd]

Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?

Nope, we are in Michigan. We were told last year we could only use the shavings in the pens. Sooooo, we spent around $50 on shavings alone for that week only to see everyone else using straw. We just found out yesterday that the "rule" had been changed and everyone should have been told - gee, I think they forgot to mention it to us and they should have taken down the shavings only sign....

(Kids are in the 4H, and I am learning how political and one-sided it is. Too bad the others don't put their energy, time and money in properly caring for their goats because our club has kicked their butts for the last 3 years. I feel very confident that we shall kick their butts again this year. We have a ton of goat drama!!! Too bad it's not Llamas - then we could call it Llama Drama!)

I KNOW!! Good grief, the drama is insane! "Oh my goodness, you used my feed pail!! DISINFECT IT!" Then, once we did, "No, I don't want it anymore. You made it all dirty" Drives me nuts sometimes... but I love it!

 

[nightshade]

I use sawdust from 2 local mills, get it for free and it cleans easily, almost like kitty litter.

 

[ThornyRidge]

I believe it is actually the oil in the cedar that could cause problems.. more of an irritant.. Pine shavings are totally fine.. and much easier to clean up instead of packed/woven/wet hay/straw!!!! plus they virtually compost into nothing.

 

[mully]

Pine shavings are the best. If you use straw they will eat from the floor and it is also harder to break down the straw. Pine shavings just melt into the ground and make nice compost.

 

[zgoatlady]

Hi,
You never want to use cedar with goats or horse's or small animals, with dogs they dont really lay on the cedar its more in beds for the flees and that.
Cedar has a oil in it that a lot of animals have really bad reactions to.
So if we use shavings we use white pine only and than for the big girls we put straw over that. Why you ask well somethings they get the shaving in their eyes and thats a huge problem..
When we go to shows most just use shavings so we go and get straw to use over it. Not a problem for us.

 

[norcal]

I did read that it could be used, but some preferred not to, because it can stick to their hair. I guess if they lay in pee, poop, or spilled water maybe? I use straw for my goats, pine chips for the chickens.