[laurelrus]

This isn't a problem, I'm just curious -
 I take fresh hay out everyday to our goats which they've eaten by the end of the day (or pulled down and trampled on). I also take fresh straw out some days to top up their bedding.
But when I go out with hay and straw they're always much keener to eat the straw than the hay. Is this normal? I always read about people feeding hay so why do my boys enjoy eating the fresh straw bedding??
Thanks

[Talana]

Goats like variety some do like eating straw- good roughage along with the hay, I put some straw in some racks with hay in the rest of the racks often the straw comes out of the racks more easily than hay -they have a self bedding system! I think the extra roughage just like tree branches slows the process through the digestive system so they get more nutrients out of the hay, spring greenery, concentrates they are eating. Mine love eating straw as well as their ad lib hay. Some people might say the hay you have may be poor quality so are forced to eat straw, which may be true in some cases but if your hay is good quality and your goats eat it then they just like the variety also they are individual in their likes & dislikes.

[mojocafa]

Mine are exactly the same

[Treud na Mara]

And I thought it was just goaty contrariness !     and all along it is careful dietary control.

[laurelrus]

Thanks Talana, I'll start putting some straw in the hay rack as well. I have another issue with hay with our Ouessant sheep - they don't want it from the hay rack, they like it in a bucket but now that the weather is turning so rainy and windy that's not going to work. Their favourite way to have hay is for me to stand and hand feed it to them!

[Treud na Mara]

Sometimes I do think some of our animals 'see us coming' and enjoy the rings they can run round us 

[Lesley Silvester]

My goats also love to munch the straw when they have fresh bedding. I did try in the rack once when we had run out of straw and they didn't want to know. It's the only time they will eat stuff off the floor.


Oh except the time one of the kids dropped the ginger nut biscuit I had given her in all the muck in the yard and Pom had it. 

[Steph Hen]

I read a book on goat feeding. Said that oat straw is the best to feed.

Is anyone picky about the straw they offer (obviously must be clean and not damp) wheat/barley/oat straw?

[Trixie]

Mine love barley straw, always take straw and hay to racks and nearly always eat straw 1st, they do seem to eat a bit more of the hay during colder weather.  The billy will eat a bit of hay but not keen, his favourite is straw too! (the hay and straw are both good quality)

[shygirl]

mine get straw added to their shavings bed, variety is good.

[ballingall]

Ours eat straw enthusiastically too. I knew someone who used small bales of hay, and in order to fill her hay racks everyday, she put a leaf of gay on each side, plus a leaf of straw in the middle to fill up the rack. Works really well.


Beth

[Melmarsh]

Mine have always picked through the wheat straw I put on the bed. Their absolute favourite is pea straw but I can't get hold of it in small quantities. Well worth a try but always have hay as well.

[Lesley Silvester]

It's mostly barley straw I use for bedding. We don't shake it out but just put a bale, minus the ties, into the shed. By the time they have had a good munch it is fairly well spread out.

[Steph Hen]

I only have a bit of barley straw and wheat straw a left but will have a look for pea next year!

[Anke]

I only have a bit of barley straw and wheat straw a left but will have a look for pea next year!

Unless you have got a commercial pea grower near you; you will struggle to get it...