OneFineAcre
Herd Master
What size bale?meme said:
Question about Alfalfa for goats...
- Thread starter WhiteMountainsRanch
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- #12
WhiteMountainsRanch
Loving the herd life
Ours are the standard 100 pound bales and the 4 Way, Bermuda, and Alfalfa is all the same price. $18.99
$0.19/lb for hay?! 
That's only a little bit cheaper than grain and grain is much more nutritious! I pay $0.0625/lb for hay and $0.24/lb for sheep feed, so for me it makes sense to feed more hay than grain. Even though 1 lb of grain is = to 2 lbs of hay nutritionally (for the most part, depends on the hay and grain fed), hay is still cheaper to feed.
As for the alfalfa thing, like other legumes, it is famous for being very rich in calcium--which builds strong bones, produces lots of milk, and reduces (or even eliminates) the potential for urinary calculi in male ruminants. It is great to feed to lactating females, growing youngstock, and males of any age.
That's only a little bit cheaper than grain and grain is much more nutritious! I pay $0.0625/lb for hay and $0.24/lb for sheep feed, so for me it makes sense to feed more hay than grain. Even though 1 lb of grain is = to 2 lbs of hay nutritionally (for the most part, depends on the hay and grain fed), hay is still cheaper to feed.As for the alfalfa thing, like other legumes, it is famous for being very rich in calcium--which builds strong bones, produces lots of milk, and reduces (or even eliminates) the potential for urinary calculi in male ruminants. It is great to feed to lactating females, growing youngstock, and males of any age.
meme
Loving the herd life
I think they are usually 100 lb. bales. It's outrageous, I know.OneFineAcre said:
That's why we still only have three goats and I am reluctant to keep more. If only our land wasn't so hilly and dry, we would grow our own.- Thread starter
- #15
WhiteMountainsRanch
Loving the herd life
meme said:I think they are usually 100 lb. bales. It's outrageous, I know.OneFineAcre said:
Us too. It's all about location location location!
OneFineAcre
Herd Master
Yeah, I don't know much about the California hay scene.WhiteMountainsRanch said:meme said:I think they are usually 100 lb. bales. It's outrageous, I know.OneFineAcre said:
Us too. It's all about location location location!
I buy 4'x5' round bales of coastal burmuda approximately 900 lbs for $35 dollars. But, a square bale of alfalfa costs $18 here.
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- #17
WhiteMountainsRanch
Loving the herd life
We don't even have round bales available.OneFineAcre said:
You'd think we would since we can't grow our own! 
