- Thread starter
- #871
babsbag
Herd Master
My DH just picked up 1.5 tons of Alfalfa pellets in 50 lb bags. Now what do I do with them? $170.00 a ton, can't beat the price.
Jumping the Moon Dairy - the next chapter
- Thread starter babsbag
- Start date
CntryBoy777
Herd Master
Ya could always stack them on a pallet....but I'd put a piece of cardboard on top of the pallet to help avoid nail holes in the bags.....also will allow ya to monitor any rodent activity. I truly didn't understand the scope of the situation with the headgates.....sorry bout the inept answer......
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- #873
babsbag
Herd Master
No answers are unappreciated. Building a dairy is complicated...and so is owning 60 goats...how did that happen? I need to go a find a pallet, I think I have one out there somewhere.
Glad you got the savings on the alfalfa, sorry you now need to figure out how/where to store them.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Why don't you just shorten the three metal pipes at the base of those headers, lowering the entire thing? From pic it appears those legs just fit into a sleeve at the base (welded at that point?). Maybe that's what you were saying with the "next winter" project.
Baymule
Herd Master
Great buy on the alfalfa pellets!
- Thread starter
- #877
babsbag
Herd Master
@Mini Horses, that is what I intend to do. Those were an A #1 pain to install on the milk stands. They are in two pieces but they are ridiculously heavy. This winter I need to take the stands out of the parlor and redo the floor...lessons learned the hard way...so at that time we will take them apart and take the head gates to a welder. I think probably 4-6 inches. I need to observe the big girls in the head gates and see if there is any reason they can't be shorter. I have one goat that has no problems, she is part moose, the others all struggle to some degree getting in and out. One little doe has learned to put her front feet on the cross bar to make herself taller, smart girl.
The savings on the alfalfa pellets is about $11 a bag. It is about 2 hours away but bringing home 1.5 tons makes the trip ok. Next time will be 2 tons I think. Our trailer is rated for 2.5 tons but DH was a little hesitant to carry 2.
Some of my does are looking pretty thin. I give them all the hay they want but no grain, too hard to grain 60 goats. When I started milking I have them all in a holding pen outside of the parlor so I have started feeding them a little grain or beet pulp to entice them into the pen while they are waiting to be milked and then they get grain on the stand. But the deal is they don't want to leave the milking parlor when they are done getting milked as that is where the grain in. So my plan is to bring them all into the holding corral for the parlor and lock the gate. Go and dump 100 lbs of pellets into their feeder, and then go back to milk. Hopefully the pellets will entice them to leave the parlor. If that doesn't work I will start feeding pellets on the stand and grain in the feeder waiting for them when they are done. But 100# of grain costs me 28.00 and the alfalfa is less than 10.00. I might have to figure out a mix of grain and pellets that I can afford.
Hoping that this will get them out of the parlor and put some weight on them too.
The savings on the alfalfa pellets is about $11 a bag. It is about 2 hours away but bringing home 1.5 tons makes the trip ok. Next time will be 2 tons I think. Our trailer is rated for 2.5 tons but DH was a little hesitant to carry 2.
Some of my does are looking pretty thin. I give them all the hay they want but no grain, too hard to grain 60 goats. When I started milking I have them all in a holding pen outside of the parlor so I have started feeding them a little grain or beet pulp to entice them into the pen while they are waiting to be milked and then they get grain on the stand. But the deal is they don't want to leave the milking parlor when they are done getting milked as that is where the grain in. So my plan is to bring them all into the holding corral for the parlor and lock the gate. Go and dump 100 lbs of pellets into their feeder, and then go back to milk. Hopefully the pellets will entice them to leave the parlor. If that doesn't work I will start feeding pellets on the stand and grain in the feeder waiting for them when they are done. But 100# of grain costs me 28.00 and the alfalfa is less than 10.00. I might have to figure out a mix of grain and pellets that I can afford.
Hoping that this will get them out of the parlor and put some weight on them too.
Bruce
Herd Master
Maybe you just need a 4x4 or 4x6 "step up" block at the front of each one?
- Thread starter
- #879
babsbag
Herd Master
I am not sure how my dairy inspector will feel about that if it is made of wood. But I am thinking about using it now for a trial to see if it works.
I have 20 goats too many, some body needs to come and get some. I started raising the minis thinking I might transition to them entirely but I can't make that commitment yet and in the meantime I have too many goats. I started a list of "have to keep", "might keep", "sell" and they all ended up in the "have to keep" list for one reason or another. Some of the reasons aren't very practical but it is really hard to transition from hobby owner to business owner. Some of these goats have been with me a long time and some of these goats won't be understood by anyone but me. I need someone to come over here and make the hard choices for me. The other problem is that they are not really "family milkers". They do ok on the stand, but they aren't overly excited to see me unless I have grain and can be downright hard to catch at times. Makes it a hard sell. I keep seeing the word "auction" floating around in my head.
Baymule
Herd Master
You have some hard decisions to make.....
