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Author Topic: how much hay  (Read 4809 times)

earlybird

  • Joined Jun 2012
how much hay
« on: September 27, 2012, 01:11:26 pm »
with winter coming up my young herd will have to be housed in the barn in the yard, they will have access to hard standing outside, i have a billy and four young ladies hopefully to be with young soon  :fc:, i shall be feeding 1 meal dairy nuts and 1 meal course mix wondering roughly how much hay i will be getting through each week , because they wont be able to graze untill spring, our fields are on marsh land and will be to wet and spongy for them, i have to use conventional small bales. We have some hay we did ourselves but i know this wont be enough so i need a rough idea of their usage so i can get plenty in. Also have been told i can feed them barley straw as well for their roughage is this right, thankyou.  :goat: :goat:

countrywoman

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: how much hay
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2012, 01:51:36 pm »
I was feeding two pregnant girls last winter with yard access only and they got through a small bale of good quality hay(fed ad lib) in a month, between them.  They were also getting coarse mix with Brinicombe's minerals and copious amounts of greenery daily in racks in the yard. 
 
The outside racks kept them occupied and gave variety.  Even during the worst of winter I was able to cut a rack-full of brambles once the nettles etc had completely died and I also collected orchard prunings locally for them to strip the bark off which they loved (the stripped bits are now being used as kindling).  They also got some barley straw a couple of times a week which they do enjoy - but make sure it is the nicest, brightest version if they are to eat it. 

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: how much hay
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2012, 02:10:40 pm »
Mine won't eat straw, any kind, as they know I will cave in and give hay eventually... In severe winter weather two adults can go through a small bale in a day... (when it was -20 I have to say, nothing else in termīs of roughage fed though, and only little concentrate - hot soaked sugar beet shreds mainly, and goats are dry and more than 2 months of kidding).
Mine love good quality haylage, I do buy horsehage for my milk recorders for a couple of days prior to recording.

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: how much hay
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2012, 02:51:51 pm »
At the moment our 15 are getting through about 3 kilo of hay each per day, in the winter we can double this , they also get coarse mix and barley and oats, oat straw is eaten like it's going out of fashion,
When all the animals are in over winter we will be using approx : 3 large round bales a week
7 horses
15 goats
16 sheep
Dont ask why.... :-J

sokel

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • S W northumberland
Re: how much hay
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2012, 03:28:12 pm »
Our 8 goats eat roughly 1 1/2 small bales of hay a day between them thats filing the racks 3 times a day as we only give them a slice at a time otherwise they waste it.
between the horses donkeys and goats we use 2 large round  bales a week during the winter  ::)
Graham

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: how much hay
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2012, 03:39:48 pm »
Mine two tend to get through a small bale in two days in the winter.

plumseverywhere

  • Joined Apr 2013
  • Worcestershire
    • Its Baaath Time
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Re: how much hay
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2012, 05:13:22 pm »
Last winter I was feeding 1 pregnant doe and 2 goatlings - they got through about 1 and a half bales every 48 hours. I expect this will be more with a hungry boy kid added to the equation this year!
I've been drying willow and nettles in a small barn ready to add to the hay to bulk it out - especially as hay prices could be ahem, a little steep!!
Oh and the sheep will be wanting hay too - eeeeek!
Smallholding in Worcestershire, making goats milk soap for www.itsbaaathtime.com and mum to 4 girls,  goats, sheep, chickens, dog, cat and garden snails...

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: how much hay
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2012, 10:06:25 pm »
Mine won't eat barley straw except when it's first put down as bedding after mucking out, when they'll munch a bit.  I reckon on a small bale a week for two goats although it can be more.  Mine also have coarse mix, dairy nuts, Just Grass, soaked sugar beet pellets and fruit/vegetables when available.  I would work out what you think you need, then get more than that.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: how much hay
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2012, 11:32:04 pm »
winter 2010-11 my 2 milkers, dried off Nov. + in kid for early April. went thru about a bale a week, that was with letting them out when the weather was reasonable. Also got goat mix, mixed flake, warm soaked sugar beet + some brown bread. + sack of 'pony' carrots per week.
Last year we had a contractor to make hay off our fields, who brought hay in too soon, so difflicult to know how much was eaten and how much ended up as bedding or burnt  >:( .
 

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: how much hay
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2012, 07:14:16 am »
PHB I'm sorry you had wasted hay last year. But I am very interested how you dealt with it.
I've got a barn with about 30 broken bales of mouldy hay, too bad to use as bedding. I just don't know how to get rid of it, so I can have this year's hay delivered.

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: how much hay
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2012, 08:11:22 am »
Burn it Jaykay otherwise you are at risk from farmer's lung from the spores  :fc:

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: how much hay
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2012, 09:10:01 am »
PHB I'm sorry you had wasted hay last year. But I am very interested how you dealt with it.
I've got a barn with about 30 broken bales of mouldy hay, too bad to use as bedding. I just don't know how to get rid of it, so I can have this year's hay delivered.
Won't it eventualy rot down like compost? We did some heaps when in the first year out hay didn't all get baled and we ended up picking the rows up and taking out of the field so not to ruin the field any further. piled up in quiet corner here, all gone three years later... but a lot of work... either way you will have to get it out of the barn I think.
Otherwise - bonfire, smokey one  ;D . outside of the barn of course.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: how much hay
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2012, 01:04:42 am »
PHB I'm sorry you had wasted hay last year. But I am very interested how you dealt with it.
I've got a barn with about 30 broken bales of mouldy hay, too bad to use as bedding. I just don't know how to get rid of it, so I can have this year's hay delivered.
Sorry, started a reply to this then comp crashed and I forgot to come back -
We have about 20 bales against a wall in the barn and 9 in the field shelter, I feel bad because we still haven't paid contractor yet, OH keeps saying he'll go and see him and sort something out, so I don't like to put it outside in case he wants proof of how bad it is (there were some good bales as well). He knew it was too heavy when he brought it in, it took 2 of us to lift bales, I usually manage on my own. I bet he knew they were wet, said something about he thought it would rain. He phoned once for the money and hasn't rung since, so I think he knows it was too wet.
once sorted Ill use them for mulch round trees and shrubs or something?

Mel Rice

  • Joined Sep 2011
Re: how much hay
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2012, 09:12:43 pm »
Rates of eating depends on the animal and temp.
In my very cold winters( highs of -4 for 4/5 weeks) my single horse (dkinny ex-racer) can eat a single roll in a week to ten days

 

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