What animal can I get that will do this?

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Mine refuse to eat the stems, they leave them all in the hay feeder and spilled all over the ground and then cry like they are STARVING.

Maybe not refilling it for a day and make them clean it up. I'm not saying to starve them but a day or two won't overly hurt them.
Pigs might work, they aren't too picky when it comes to dinner.

Will the pig eat it off the ground? A pig would be a good idea so we can have lots of bacon later down the line.

Are pigs safe to be in with goats?

 

[Melissa'sDreamFarm]

I leave mine. The chickens scratch through it, I even encourage it by throwing out a little cracked corn they must dig for. It keeps it turned and grass seeds picked out. Mine is outside in the weather, goats won't touch hay on the ground. I clean it up once a month and add it to my compost bin, around trees as mulch, in the aisles of my raised bed veggie garden to keep the grass down, and I add it around my plants in the raised beds as mulch. Lots of things to do with it, it just has to be managed somehow.

Let it help you grow some veggies. I feed my cucumber peels, bird pecked tomatoes, mushy strawberries, asparagus stems and some weeds from my raised veggie beds to the goats. I planted them broccoli, turnips, and kale this winter and they loved the extra greens.

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

I take a pitch fork and scoop it up and stick it back in the hay rack. They will reach up for worse hay than they will pick up off the ground. Once it's down, it's trash according to them.

 

[SmallFarmGirl]

Will the pig eat it off the ground? A pig would be a good idea so we can have lots of bacon later down the line.

Are pigs safe to be in with goats?[/b]

I put my leftover hay in the compost or if it's clean enough I'd put it in the nest boxes.
I don't think goats and pigs should be around each other, but you could give the pigs hay in their own bed or trough.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I leave mine. The chickens scratch through it, I even encourage it by throwing out a little cracked corn they must dig for. It keeps it turned and grass seeds picked out. Mine is outside in the weather, goats won't touch hay on the ground. I clean it up once a month and add it to my compost bin, around trees as mulch, in the aisles of my raised bed veggie garden to keep the grass down, and I add it around my plants in the raised beds as mulch. Lots of things to do with it, it just has to be managed somehow.

Let it help you grow some veggies. I feed my cucumber peels, bird pecked tomatoes, mushy strawberries, asparagus stems and some weeds from my raised veggie beds to the goats. I planted them broccoli, turnips, and kale this winter and they loved the extra greens.

I do all these things you have suggested, but there is so much it is just unmanageable. I was raking it out of the pen every day, but I can't keep up. Now I throw it over the fence next to the compost pile and the hay pile is already to the top of my head and it's only been from a couple weeks!!!

 

[PattySh]

I gather the spilled hay from under the feeders when refilling them and give it to my pigs for bedding/feed or feed it to the cows. I sometimes use it for chicken nest boxes. I don't know of any animal you could house with the goats safely that would eat the spilled hay.

I also fed it to my horses when I had them. Seems like none as as fussy as the goats. I don't have a huge amount under the feeders but still hate to waste it.

If you are throwing that much away possibly you are feeding too much or the hay isn't the best quality? What type of hay feeders are you using?

 

[elevan]

Are pigs safe to be in with goats?[/b]

No. Others may say yes and I know people who do it without problems but I've personally seen my fair share of horrors when it comes to pigs in with other animals.

 

[PattySh]

I have several pigs and although next to my goats (they can see them), I would never house them together. Even the gentlest pig is unpredictable when hungry and goats tend to be afraid of pigs. I had my sow who is 3 and a very sweet pig, get loose in the barn this winter and she got into the goat pen. She caused one of my goats to abort I am assuming from stress/fright and two yearlings got squished in the commotion when the adult goats all huddled scared in a corner. A very very sad day.It wasn't Charlotte's fault, we inadvertently left the stall latch undone after cleaning her pen and she was just curious.

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Lol! I know exactly what you mean, about leaving the stalks! I have sheep, and they absolutely refuse to eat any stalks! After a few years I got tired of the build up and forked the sheeps left overs to the horses and they cleaned it up like anything!

 

[77Herford]

Thats it, you could get a mini cow or steer. You could then get some beef at the end of the year or just have him or her as a pet.