feeding = wasting food

[helmstead]

It's crucial for proper digestion.

 

[debic]

Ok...good to know. Thanks!!

 

[freemotion]

Wasted hay = free bedding. Well, expensive bedding, sometimes, but hay and straw are about the same price here. Let them sleep in it for a while before it goes to the compost pile, so you get more use out of it.

There are some hay feeder threads around here somewhere. I find that I need to use different feeders for different types of hay to reduce waste. Standard hay rack with boards for very coarse hay, feeders made with wire fencing with 2x4" openings for most second cut, and now I have homemade hay bags with small openings for some very small third cut that just runs right through the other two feeders. A lot of trouble, yes, but it saves me a lot of hay. Hay is precious here and good second cut can be very hard to find.

 

[debic]

thanks for the info....appreciate it very much!!

Wasted hay = free bedding. Well, expensive bedding, sometimes, but hay and straw are about the same price here. Let them sleep in it for a while before it goes to the compost pile, so you get more use out of it.

There are some hay feeder threads around here somewhere. I find that I need to use different feeders for different types of hay to reduce waste. Standard hay rack with boards for very coarse hay, feeders made with wire fencing with 2x4" openings for most second cut, and now I have homemade hay bags with small openings for some very small third cut that just runs right through the other two feeders. A lot of trouble, yes, but it saves me a lot of hay. Hay is precious here and good second cut can be very hard to find.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Right- the pellets aren't a substitute for the hay they have available free choice. I just couldn't possibly afford to feed square bales of alfalfa free choice here! I supplement with the pellets in addition to free choice grass hay and limited quantities of straight alfalfa hay just to be sure my girls are getting enough. But you do want to make sure they always have some type of good hay available at all times.

 

[Roll farms]

To put it very simply, their rumens need roughage to function. Sort of like a car will run w/out oil, but not well or for long.
If they're only given pellets, the rumen can shut down.

We use hay feeders w/ 4"x4" holes, they have to work harder to get it, so not as much lands on the ground...and we put out only what they can eat 2-3x a day rather than free choice.

 

[Ariel72]

If the goats are used to eat brush for fire protection, is it possible they are getting enough roughage without free choice hay? Maybe just a limited amount in the morning and evening to round out their diet? I apologize for the newbie question, but unless they are lactating does, maybe they don't need all the alfalfa.

 

[Lady Jane]

I was having trouble finding a thread about types of hay feeders, so I will post my question here.

What type of hay feeders work best and have the least amount of hay wasting? I was thinking of building something with a trench under the hay rack area. Does that work well? Or maybe a hay rack with small holes as someone else mentioned here? If any wants to put up photos of their hay racks for examples that would be awesome.

 

[freemotion]

Here are mine: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3755

I don't have pics of the current hay bags but could post if anyone wants to see how I made them.

 

[bettybohemian]

Even if one uses hay feeders, goats still don't eat all the stems. Ours are very picky. We feed alfalfa hay free choice and just clean up the stems and hay the goats refuse and feed it to our horses.

LOL I do the same thing except I feed the stems to the rabbits and the worm bins so to me, its not actually wasted just fed to someone else. So- buys some rabbits and worms. ..or a horse.... and then there's now waste! Lol