I'm another victim.....please help if you can!

[that's*satyrical]

Yeah I wouldn't use it at all except it's free from the field next door so I mix it in the buck's hay & the rabbits get some. Usually they get coastal & alfalfa hay.

 

[NYRIR]

I'm going to try and get more info on mine. I would just switch to another type if needed but this is really close by and she only charges me 2.50 for a bale...the bales are packed well and some I trade duck eggs for....she told me it was a pasture before she bought the land and that it was what they used for their livestock....not sure what kind of livestock they had, but probably cattle.
Soooo....who would I contact about testing it? I'm curious to see what is in it now....so much to learn!

 

[redtailgal]

I'm still pretty new to goats, so take what I say with a grain of salt (or two).

As for they hay:

I feed my goats a weedy fescue mix. I dont keep track of what cutting it is, they eat the same hay that the cattle eat and they do well with it. They also have plenty of wooded forage and a nice grassy area to graze if they want. I have four wethers (two are going to freezer camp and two are just pets) and two does that will be bred next year for meat babies. I dont milk anything.

I also have a friend who has a small dairy with nubians. She feeds the same hay that I feed. It's good quality, but a weedy fescue. Her goats also have plenty of forage and graze available to them and would probably need a different hay if they didnt.

As for the meds:

You've really laid a lot of meds to these goats. I really suggest you getting good fecals done on them before laying anymore meds in their systems. FInd out what you are dealing with, and treat them for that. Part of me wonders if some of the puny-ness is from all the meds that they have received. It could be that their systems just are overwhelmed right now.

I thought fescue was toxic to goats in large amounts & it was bad for pregnant goats? Is this true or no? If not I am going to take more advantage of the field next to my house every time he mows he leaves the hay for me but since it is mostly fescue usually the rabbits get it & I use some for bedding. The boys get some mixed with their coastal/alfalfa mix but I haven't been giving it to the girls.

If it's endophyte free fescue, then you are fine. Tall fescue is normally infected. The infected hay is not usually a problem unless feeding to pregnant critters. It will cause abortion in some, and in others cause the placental sac to become too thick, disallowing the mother of baby from being able to open the sac.

Planting a GOOD endophyte resistant fescue, and proper management of your fields will prevent toxic hay.

Fescue is actually a pretty good hay, when managed correctly. Ours has a protein of about 9.75 and a TDN of 60. We harvest between 600-800 round bales a year, feed what we need to the critters and sell the rest. I use it cuz it's there and I earn it when I am working the hayfields. Goats do need a higher protein than that, so if they are drylotted, they should have a higher protein hay.

My goats do very well on it. My two does and my two wethers have stayed fat and slick all summer, despite not getting grain from June until about last week.

Fescue gets a bad name sometimes, but when planted, managed, and harvested properly it is an excellent and affordable hay.

Contact your local ag extension office. They can tell you how to get your hay tested.

 

[NYRIR]

Wow.....ok, I will def be testing it for sure....man, who would have thought! Thanks for sharing the info redtailgal!

 

[bonbean01]

Don't feel bad...sometimes our enthusiasm gets the better of us...we too got sheep for the first time and realized that we didn't know squat!!!! Just sorry we didn't know about this forum then...so many excellent people on here that truly do care and are so generous with their knowledge and sharing information...can't begin to thank all who have been so helpful!!!! There is a learning curve and we were so far behind it...catching up through the years and this forum has been more helpful than all the internet research we did. Again...thank you to all the super great people on here!!!!!!

 

[B'Orion Farms]

OMG! You sound so much like me when I got my first goats. I researched myself to death, tried everything and gave them everything I read or heard about. Years later, this is what I do: No body gets grain or alfalfa except pregnant or nursing mamas. My wethers and girls with no kids get only Timothy grass and fresh cut tree limbs and leaves. Peanuts for treats. I have a lot of trouble here with UC and have had to have the urinary tract of my goat wether rerouted it was so bad. The water all along the Rocky Mountains is high in calcium, causing an increase in UC incidence. Anyway, my goats were FAT, and are still fat. They still get free choice loose minerals, a mineral block and baking soda. They get CDT but I have taken them off the BoSe (selenium) unless they are kidding. So far, so good. Seemed like the more I read and researched, the crazier I became making sure I was doing everything right. Try to relax and have fun!

I have to admit, however, that I recently got chickens for the first time and now find myself doing the same darn thing with them. Must be in our nature! Good luck to you.

 

[NYRIR]

Don't feel bad...sometimes our enthusiasm gets the better of us...we too got sheep for the first time and realized that we didn't know squat!!!! Just sorry we didn't know about this forum then...so many excellent people on here that truly do care and are so generous with their knowledge and sharing information...can't begin to thank all who have been so helpful!!!! There is a learning curve and we were so far behind it...catching up through the years and this forum has been more helpful than all the internet research we did. Again...thank you to all the super great people on here!!!!!!

I know what you mean...I have crammed in some research but really like having people on the other end to answer questiions...especially people who started out like me

 

[NYRIR]

OMG! You sound so much like me when I got my first goats. I researched myself to death, tried everything and gave them everything I read or heard about. Years later, this is what I do: No body gets grain or alfalfa except pregnant or nursing mamas. My wethers and girls with no kids get only Timothy grass and fresh cut tree limbs and leaves. Peanuts for treats. I have a lot of trouble here with UC and have had to have the urinary tract of my goat wether rerouted it was so bad. The water all along the Rocky Mountains is high in calcium, causing an increase in UC incidence. Anyway, my goats were FAT, and are still fat. They still get free choice loose minerals, a mineral block and baking soda. They get CDT but I have taken them off the BoSe (selenium) unless they are kidding. So far, so good. Seemed like the more I read and researched, the crazier I became making sure I was doing everything right. Try to relax and have fun!

I have to admit, however, that I recently got chickens for the first time and now find myself doing the same darn thing with them. Must be in our nature! Good luck to you.

I am so envious you have found your niche with your goat feeding and care....I cant wait to get there! They are all growing except the one....she is 27 lbs of Alpine (??) doe....so frustrating....I have no idea if it is something I did or didn't do....but she acts perfectly fine and her coat looks great....she's just so tiny.
I have 2 Bucklings and a wether, but I really hope I never have to deal with UC...I did buy the ammonium chloride, any recs on how much to use?
Lol @ the chickens...we have a LOT of chickens and we were only going to have 6.... ;-)...and then only 3 ducks too....

 

[20kidsonhill]

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm

 

[B'Orion Farms]

OMG! You sound so much like me when I got my first goats. I researched myself to death, tried everything and gave them everything I read or heard about. Years later, this is what I do: No body gets grain or alfalfa except pregnant or nursing mamas. My wethers and girls with no kids get only Timothy grass and fresh cut tree limbs and leaves. Peanuts for treats. I have a lot of trouble here with UC and have had to have the urinary tract of my goat wether rerouted it was so bad. The water all along the Rocky Mountains is high in calcium, causing an increase in UC incidence. Anyway, my goats were FAT, and are still fat. They still get free choice loose minerals, a mineral block and baking soda. They get CDT but I have taken them off the BoSe (selenium) unless they are kidding. So far, so good. Seemed like the more I read and researched, the crazier I became making sure I was doing everything right. Try to relax and have fun!

I have to admit, however, that I recently got chickens for the first time and now find myself doing the same darn thing with them. Must be in our nature! Good luck to you.

I am so envious you have found your niche with your goat feeding and care....I cant wait to get there! They are all growing except the one....she is 27 lbs of Alpine (??) doe....so frustrating....I have no idea if it is something I did or didn't do....but she acts perfectly fine and her coat looks great....she's just so tiny.
I have 2 Bucklings and a wether, but I really hope I never have to deal with UC...I did buy the ammonium chloride, any recs on how much to use?
Lol @ the chickens...we have a LOT of chickens and we were only going to have 6.... ;-)...and then only 3 ducks too....

A couple of years ago I purchased a baby nubian girl for a family member. After a year, she was still the size of our nigerians. Now, two years later, she's a little bigger, but still very small. She's healthy and happy, just little. Maybe you're is that way too?

I have, over the years, fed ammonium chloride. The best way I found it by mixing it with peanut butter. After a while, my boys got tired of peanut butter, so I stopped for a while. Guess it's time to get back on it. I've tried just about every way possible. Have fun...