feeding alfalfa pellets

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Very interesting! I did not know that. I was told that it is the high levels of Ca. So if something is too high in P that is what causes UC in goats? Is that right?

 

[SheepGirl]

SHK - yep and it causes UC in sheep too.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I don't have a lot of experience feeding alfalfa pellets, but i did try it a couple times, and I had problems with the younger goats and younger does eating the grain around them and leaving the alfalfa pellets. They are larger than the pellets of grain. Now the older does thought they were fantastic. The main reason I stopped feeding them was cost, they are more expensive that alfalfa hay for us and more expensive than pelleted grain. If they were more affordable I would for sure use them with pelleted feed when my does are nursing.

 

[Catahoula]

For us, the alfalfa hay price is so high, couple of my goat buddies are considering supplementing their diary goats with the alfalfa pellets. One small bale of alfalfa hay here is $15-16.5 and a 40lbs bag of alfalfa pellets is $12. It is one thing to pay high price, it is also hard to get here too...at least the small bales. None of them has the space or equipment to handle the big huge round or rectangular bales.

 

[willowgem]

My two boys love their alfalfa pellets!
They get a 50/50 mix of Noble Goat and alfalfa pellets, along with free choice grass hay.

The breeder I bought my boys from, like Southern by choice's "vet", said absolutely NO alfalfa...but I've learned better since joining this forum.

 

[20kidsonhill]

For us, the alfalfa hay price is so high, couple of my goat buddies are considering supplementing their diary goats with the alfalfa pellets. One small bale of alfalfa hay here is $15-16.5 and a 40lbs bag of alfalfa pellets is $12. It is one thing to pay high price, it is also hard to get here too...at least the small bales. None of them has the space or equipment to handle the big huge round or rectangular bales.

40lb bag of alfalfa pellets was $16.00 the last time I priced it, and our alfalfa hay is around $5.50 to 6.50 for a 45 lb bale. Clearly what where you are will dictate what you choose to feed. Our grain is running about $11.00 a 50lb bag right now. I just got pretty nice orchard alfalfa mixed bales for $5.25, they have about 50% alfalfa in them.

 

[Catahoula]

Clearly where you are will dictate what you choose to feed. Our grain is running about $11.00 a 50lb bag right now.

X2... The grower grains I feed is $20+ a 50 lbs bag. At least I am new to buying hay so however cheap it was...I never knew. As long as they don't keep going up up and up.... One of my goat buddies said alfalfa hay a couple years back was about $6-7/bale...in Colorado.
We must do what we must to keep the kids or other livestock happy!

 

[redtailgal]

I WISH I could find some alfalfa hay, lol. I wouldnt feed it exclusively, but would like to have it occasionally.

Hubby brought home a bag of alfalfa pellets the day I started this post.

They wouldnt eat it very well, so I thought I'd give them a couple days to get used to it. I've been mixing it in with their grain. The babies eat around it, as do the does, leaving the alfalfa in the feeders when they walk away. Plato tried to eat it but choked on it.

Socrates.....he wont even eat the grain that has touched the alfalfa. He was a trooper and did taste ONE pellet....and audibly wretched, yaked it out, backed up and commenced to snorting at me. (guess there was little doubt what he thinks of alfalfa).

Sooooooo, now I have almost 50 pounds of alfalfa pellets. The iguana can eat some of them soaked, but it would take him about 600 years to eat the whole bag. I guess I'll use part of the bag to feed my roses, and then give the rest to the bulls this winter.

Thanks for the information. Believe it or not, your opinions are just as valid as Socrates.

I'll just grow these two wethers out on grain.

 

[Catahoula]

Actually it took over a week before my kids would nibble on the alfalfa pellets. I just toss a handful of alfalfa pellets into their grains. They pick out the grains and left the green pellets. I didn't care and one day, they finally started to eat it and I increased the alfalfa pellets. It was the same with BOSS. I was amazed how well they could pick out tiny grain pellets and leave the BOSS. After about a week+...again, they start to eat it too. So if you really want to supplement pellets, don't give up so soon yet. True, they may not ever eat it, but I'd keep mixing it with their grain for longer.
Good Luck.