One Fine Acre - 2023 4H Steer Project Update

[samssimonsays]

I love this feeder

 

[OneFineAcre]

Well let me tell you what prompted my new "hay feeder". I had that "goat port" there already for shelter.
This past summer I found another source of hay. I was getting a great deal on alfalfa hay, $65 for round bales like these.
He also had a barn full (380) bales of Tiffany Teff grass has. So, he was going to be my secondary hay provider. My main hay provider I get coastal Bermuda from
Well we went a couple of weeks ago to get a bale, and he only had 1 row left. I was thinking "oh my gosh, where did all of that hay go"?
He said after the ice storm, people just went crazy buying hay.
So, we decided to go ahead an buy 4 more bales from him before he ran out.

This is my other shelter. From closest in the picture, Bermuda, oat, teff.
So, if they don't waste to much of that that I'm letting them just eat off of, then I should be OK

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Looks like they really like the Teff (meant to say OAT) hay! I've got a round bale out under a cover, but I keep a hog panel around it. It forces me to peel off hay when the bale gets smaller, but they arent' walking on it and peeing/pooping in it either. Looks like your goats have better manners than mine do, lol! (course, it's the big ol Nubians that do most damage to my round bale if they can get to it)

edited to add... I obviously can't count bales. I should say that it looks like they enjoy the OAT bale the most....

 

[norseofcourse]

After hearing about teff hay on here, I finally found someone (kind of) locally who had some. I got five bales from them just to see how mine would like it. They don't really care for it. I think it may have been cut way too late. It's an uncommon hay around here, so it's unlikely I'll find more anyway.

 

[OneFineAcre]

After hearing about teff hay on here, I finally found someone (kind of) locally who had some. I got five bales from them just to see how mine would like it. They don't really care for it. I think it may have been cut way too late. It's an uncommon hay around here, so it's unlikely I'll find more anyway.

What were they eating before?
At first my bucks were kind of turning there noses up at it but after a couple of days they came around
I think if it is cut late it gets more coarse than Bermuda

 

[norseofcourse]

What were they eating before?
At first my bucks were kind of turning there noses up at it but after a couple of days they came around
I think if it is cut late it gets more coarse than Bermuda

My normal hay is an orchardgrass/timothy mix with a bit of red clover. The teff didn't look too coarse (I've never seen Bermuda hay in person), but the seed heads looked pretty mature, and it looked more stemmy than grassy. I'll just feed it a flake or two at a time along with the regular hay, since I don't have enough to switch anybody over fully anyway.

Timothy, orchardgrass and alfalfa are the primary hays up here.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Do not
I repeat do not let your goats eat off of round bales on there side like this
As they eat off of the bottom they get top heavy and can get tipped over
We learned the hard way

 

[samssimonsays]

Oh no! I hope everyone is ok OFA.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

X2
Hope all the animals are well

 

[Hens and Roos]

x3, hope all is okay