[Penninehillbilly]

Decided to switch from hay to haylage, which we collected today, I made sure all the goat had eaten hay before I gave them the haylage, could I continue with haylage only, or do I need to keep giving hay first for a few days, getting very short of hay which I need to hold some back for reserves or next summer. Don't want upset tums swapping with feed. Thanks

[Buttermilk]

You have to give the rumen bugs time to adapt to the change in diet, so feed both for at least a week, reducing the hay each feed.

[Penninehillbilly]

Oh heck, OH working away, means I'll have to climb up to loft to get a bale down, not good on ladders, might be still up there when he gets home Wed. night :-(, thanks.

[landroverroy]

I would beg to differ slightly here......
Yes - you do need to introduce different classes of foods gradually to allow the digesting microbes to adapt. So if you were now adding concentrates to a diet which previously was only forage, eg grass, hay, haylage, then you would start with a small amount of concentrate and build it up to your optimum amount. This is because the bugs that digest the starch and protein in your concentrates are different to the ones that digest the cellulose in your forage.
But switching between grass/hay/haylage, and even straw does not involve different microbes. They all require the same fibre digesting microbes and therefore do not require a transition period.

[Penninehillbilly]

I would beg to differ slightly here......
Yes - you do need to introduce different classes of foods gradually to allow the digesting microbes to adapt. So if you were now adding concentrates to a diet which previously was only forage, eg grass, hay, haylage, then you would start with a small amount of concentrate and build it up to your optimum amount. This is because the bugs that digest the starch and protein in your concentrates are different to the ones that digest the cellulose in your forage.
But switching between grass/hay/haylage, and even straw does not involve different microbes. They all require the same fibre digesting microbes and therefore do not require a transition period.

Thanks ks I'll go with that  Been feeling sick at the thought of going up those ladders, they've had a bit of hay first this morning, one wouldn't eat it, waited for the haylage  .

[Anke]

If I am running short on hay and have to feed some haylage (normally have a couple of bales of horsehage in during  the winter for emergencies) they go mad for the haylage, and there is no gradual switch-over as I do for concentrates.

Only go gradual when introducing fresh spring grass though...