The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: fifixx on December 27, 2010, 04:23:33 pm
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My 8 girls have eaten their way through a bale of hay in 2 days - should I ration them or is this the right amount? I am giving them ivy and willow branches too as well as a small amount of concentrate once a day.
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A big bale? Or a small bale?
Goats do need a lot of hay, and most people feed ad lib. We don't quite feed ad lib- but they all get their hayracks freshly filled in the middle of the day, and topped up if need be morning and evening. I generally find my kids from about 6 months old to my goatlings will eat any quantity of hay, whilst the adults do eat a lot less.
Beth
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small bale!
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think of it as their form of central heating!
and if they are filling up with hay it should cost less in concentrates...
our 3 are emptying a wall rack (5 foot manger type) in about a day and a half on top of the concentrates.
If you have goats, get big bales in winter - it really makes a difference ;)
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A small bale between 8 goats in 2 days is perfectly normal. Little Blue is right, big bales are more economical.
Beth
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prices sky high here - have been quoted £60 per big bale!
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Wow- that's awful. I pay £25 for a big bale. Mind you, we find small bales are expensive here- £5-6 a bale.
Not good at all!
Beth
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My six goats go through a small bale in betwen two and three days, but they also get horse haylage first thing in the morning. They are not out at all atm, and I give the hay at lunchtime and last thing at night if rack is empty. They also get some concentrate first thing in the morning, and some sugarbeet shreds at lunchtime if its cold. Haylage lasts a week per bale.
I pay 4 pounds per small bale, and 6 for a bale of haylage (I buy it in the merchants, as my own stuff has not been tested and I know of people whose goats got listeriosis from haylage, happily my sheep will eat it though).
I have given up adding up the costs of the goats, but luckily still have got a cheque to cash from the farmer who had his calves in my field for most of the summer.... at least some money towards the skyhigh costs of feeding the animals this winter...
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A good stockman will feed as much hay/haylage at this time of year as the animals will eat. When the temperatures rise, the demand for hay will drop.
The prices vary so much this year but here in Devon I am paying £35 per bale of hay - very large bale, 8' long ! - which, as it weighs around 400kg I don't think is too bad.
We have to pray for a warm spring and summer so the grass grows fantastically. Store as much fodder this next year as you can so there is always something in your barn.
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Also- if you can get your hands on really good quality straw- goats will eat that too, and it is not bad for them. No, its not got the same protein content as hay, but it has great fibre content, and you can always replace the protein with something else- a little bit of soya bean meal for example.
Our local farmer where we get hay and straw from, has one field where the grass grows through the crop- so we always get the straw from that field, as it has the dried grass through it. The goats love to eat it, and if the weather is particularly bad and the goatlings eat all their other hay, I will throw some of the straw in the hayrack to give them something to chew at. At only £12 for a big bale, that is very economical for them. I wouldn't like to solely feed straw, but as an addition it can be fine.
Beth
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For those living in areas where peas are grown - PEA HAULM. A wonderful nutritious fibre/feed provider.
I can't get it in Devon, but in Sussex I used to buy up to 2000 bales a year. The goats love it and it is a fantastic addition at this time of year. Most arable areas grow peas, another is triticale which is commonly grown. Never tried this but I am sure somebody has.
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we grew peas last year and I can vouch for the goats loving the haulm!! is runner bean haulm ok too do you know?
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Yes it is.
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Has anybody got any idea of how many small bales makes up a big round bale or a big square bale for comparison purposes?
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I think most people use factor of 10 to 12 small bales to a big round one. I have never used big hay bales (yet).
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I would agree with ten bales when calculating cost comparisons, but hopefully you would get more like 12 bales. If my goats are in because its a rainy day, I give them both hay and straw. My pygmies go for the straw first in fact, and it is cheaper. I am lucky enough to be given wheat straw with the wheat still on by a friend who harvests using vintage machinery because he loves to watch all my animals eating their way through it. He has no animals himself but spends time with mine, he's quite mature now but bends down like a 10 year old to tickle a pig. I have adopted him as our family grandad now. My bills have gone up so much, lucky hubby doesn't watch the bank account and I have downsized too. With so much cold weather so early on its going to be an expensive winter.