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["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

On 10/21/06, SISU! <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:

> My goats, and some others I knew, were actually quite picky about their
> hay.  Several times, I bought hay that they would not eat.  It wasn't
> that they wanted more expensive hay, because more often than not they
> liked the cheap, weedy stuff better,

Goats like some weeds in the hay much better than any hay you can
find. I always used to feed my pregnant goats and bucks brome hay. Now
I can't find brome, I feed grass hay that I get from a neighbor. I
feed alfalfa sparingly these days -- well, I feed hay only when I have
to.


> as finicky as a cat.  If there is any way possible to avoid buying round
> bales from the start before you know whether or not your goats will eat
> it, I would.  Perhaps you can get some loose hay or a square bale from
> the same source and test the goats before you lay out the money for the
> round bale?

Another problem with round bales is that they are more likely to have
mold in them. Mold can be deadly for goats, although mostly they just
won't eat moldy hay.

> I'd feed soy only to the pregnant
> and lactating does, maybe a little to the kids, but never in large
> quantities for anything.

Does this soy hay have beans in it? If it is just the hulls and stems,
it may be okay. I don't have it available to me here, and I've never
looked into how much protein the non-bean portion of the plant
contains.

> all.  If you are dead set on [feeding alfalfa], get it in pellet form and 
> feed it on
> the milkstand.

Buy a little bit first and see if they like it. One year when there
was little hay to be had, I fed alfalfa pellets. The goats liked a
brand called, IIRC, Merry Maids. Another brand ended up in the compost
as, alas, I had no cow to feed it to.

> There's no truly right or wrong way...there are just different
> management strategies and you will have to find what works for you on
> your land.  I'm excited for you as I also just love goats.

I agree with Bev here. Especially on loving goats. Mine are great. The
only papered animal I have is a sweet Saanen buck that I bought in
Oklahoma (for $100 and he was out of great milk lines) when I picked
up my Anatolian guard dog. His daughters are nice though I haven't
milked any of them yet. I sold his one daughter from last year to a
fellow in a neighboring town, and he is getting lots of milk, or at
least more than he needs. He's not the sort who would be into advanced
goat management.

Marie