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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

> Also, if soy hay is 40% protein, you might want to feed it in smaller
> quantities and not allow free-feeding.  You can do what you want, but
> goats do quite well on far less protein, and all that protein,
> especially soy protein, is gonna go straight into the hooves.  Have you
> learned to trim hooves yet?  You may not need to with a natural diet and
> a moderately rocky pasture, but I'll bet if you free feed that soy hay,
> in no time, those goat's hooves will be curling under!
> If it were me, and I know it's not, but if it were me, I would buy 3
> bales of regular and one bale of soy.  I'd feed soy only to the pregnant
> and lactating does, maybe a little to the kids, but never in large
> quantities for anything.  Hoof health is important, especially in dairy
> goats, so while I think you need soy, you don't want too much soy.


Good point. One I had not thought of. I had planned on not feeding
only the soy hay, but I'll feed the grass freechoice and the soybean
(if I get it) hay a little at a time.

Rob - Va