buying hay~what should I look for?

[marlowmanor]

I put an ad up on our local CL looking for hay and straw for winter. I got a couple responses already. One is nearby an we will be calling soon. Now I need to know what I need to look for and how much I need. We are getting square bales (easier storage). I am figuring that 15-20 bales will last us through winter. I want 5-10bales of straw if I can find it to use as bedding as well. I know not to get moldy hay, but is there anything else I should know about purchasing hay for our goats?

 

[20kidsonhill]

2nd cutting or 3rd cutting is almost always better than 1st cutting. 1st cutting will work, but it is stemier, especially for young growing kids.

Ask about how heavy the bales are? There can be a big difference in size of small bales.

 

[Goatherd]

I also agree with the 2nd and 3rd cutting. Personally, I say get more than you think you need. It will never go to waste and if you do run short trying to find hay mid winter is not always easy and is usually more expensive.

 

[marlowmanor]

Thank you 20kids. Our goats are all over a year old so not really in the growing kids stage. I will ask about what cutting it is though. We aren't paying more than $3 a bale, that was one of our stipulations.

ETA: What's a good mix for them?

 

[marlowmanor]

I also agree with the 2nd and 3rd cutting. Personally, I say get more than you think you need. It will never go to waste and if you do run short trying to find hay mid winter is not always easy and is usually more expensive.

We have to think about the space we have for storage. I'm figuring 20 bales will be tops that our storage area will hold. We still have about half of the round bale that we got last year that we are still working on as well.

ETA: How fresh does the hay need to be? Would a year or more old be okay to use? What about if it was sunbleached? There was an ad on CL for free square bales we called about yesterday and she said it had been dry stored but that it was sunbleached, we weren't able to work out schedules to get it anyway (she wanted it gone last night and DH was working) I was just curious if it is okay for it to be sunbleached.

 

[Goatherd]

I can understand that. I fortunate, and spoiled, by my hay guy. I don't have the space to store much hay so he keeps it for me. I buy what I want, pay for it, and get 10-15 bales at a time as I need it. His charge is $3.50 for second cut hay.

 

[marlowmanor]

It's possible I could work something out with my dad to store extra hay in his barn if I needed to, I just haven't asked him yet. For 3 goats I am figuring 20 bales will be about right. At least that will be what we start will likely till we figure out if I can work something out for extra hay storage.

 

[20kidsonhill]

We are using Orchard grass, sometimes timothy hay. And we get separate bales of alfalfa hay for when the girls are nursing their kids. I just used up the hay that I got from last year, so using it at a year old is okay, as long as it has been well stored. It will have less vitamines in it the older it gets, so if you know your hay isn't perfect I would make sure I supplement with some grain or goat minerals. Although honestly I would supplement with goat minerals all the time anyway.

Not sure about the sun bleaching, I don't think a little is too bad for it. Normally, a lot of sun bleaching means they cut it and left it out in the field too long, or it was rained on and had to be reracked and redried so I doubt it is quite as good quality as if it was not bleached. Plus she was giving it away, so that would be a good indication it wasn't the best. The hay we get is really good quality, it was $5.25 a bale this year, but they are good sized for small bales, and our hay person knows what he is doing and stand behind the quality of his hay. We checked the hay auction in our are and it said, the hay last week sold for $4.75 for small bale orchard grass hay, 2nd cutting.

 

[marlowmanor]

Well i have a few ideas about what to look for and what questions to ask. Thank you 20kids and Goatherd for your help.

So I am looking for dry stored, 2nd or 3rd cutting hay, that is a orchard or timothy grass mix, and is less than a year old.

 

[daisychick]

I have some sun bleached hay, but only the outside top layer is bleached. When I open up a bale it is green as can be inside. If you open up a bale and the inside has no green to it and only brown, they you know it probably sat un-baled in the field for too long. My hay gets sun bleached from being in a hay stack in our lean to type shed, Colorado sun can be brutal, but they hay itself is still really good. When you go to buy hay always ask to open up a sample bale. Look at the center of it and pick up some and give it a good sniff. Sometimes you can't see mold but you sure can smell it. My year old hay from last years 3rd cutting is still green and smells like pretty fresh hay when I open it up.