Table of Contents
Excellent quality Bermudagrass hay is much better goat feed than poor quality alfalfa hay. And the only way to accurately determine nutritional quality is through a forage analysis test.
What cut of hay is best for goats?
Second cutting is generally the preferred hay for goats. It has less weeds, is finer-stemmed, fertilized, and grown during the optimal growing season. In areas with longer growing seasons, a third cutting or even higher may be available. Late season cuttings have the highest leaf to stem ratio.4 days ago.
What hay can goats not have?
Hay for Goats Mature goats do very well on a grass-legume mix and some grass hays, but generally do not eat coarse grass hay; having small mouths, goats do not like it.
What is the best feed for goats?
Hay is grass that has been cut and dried, then baled or collected to use as animal feed. Much of the nutrition in the grass is preserved in the hay, and it makes great feed for goats. Think of it as dehydrated pasture. It’s usually grayish green and dull in color.
Can goats have timothy hay?
Timothy hay is also an option for both wethers and does. In winter months, goats should always have hay available to them in their shelter. Even if there is lots of browse left in their pasture, winter browse does not contain enough nutrients to sustain goats for the long winter months.
Do goats need hay in summer?
Goats need the extra nutrition that comes from feeding hay. They get a good deal of protein and energy from hay, especially in the winter months. You will use less hay in the summer than you do in the winter months if your goats have access to pasture and a lot of forage.
How many goats can you have per acre?
How Many Goats Per Acre? Goats are similar to sheep in that you can support about six to eight goats on an acre of land. Because goats are browsers, not grazers, it will be important that the land you have will supply them with the sort of forage they like to eat—see below.
Can goats eat first cut hay?
Since most goats prefer the second cut to first cut hay this will encourage them to eat more and help them to establish a better weight. More often than not most meat goats will thrive on first cut hay as long as the quality is good and the nutrients are intact.
Can goats live on hay alone?
Grain – (0-10% of their diet) – Goats don’t need grain to survive, in fact, they can live happily on pasture or hay, or a combination of both.
Is Coastal hay good for goats?
Coastal is a good, maintenance grass hay that gives all of the additional nutrients horses need. Sheep and goats can eat every type of hay. Coastal or hay-grazer will be the most sufficient types of hay as a maintenance. Alfalfa is a good forage if they need additional protein added to their diet.
Can goats eat hay pellets?
Hay pellets are pulverized, so goats really don’t have to chew much at all when they eat pellets. As long as your goats are eating some long-stemmed hay, either in the form of pasture, browse or baled hay, they can eat as much as they want of hay pellets.
Can goats eat too much hay?
Goats can get something called bloat if overfed, and it can kill a goat in less than 24 hours. Goats eat hay, sweet feed, and goat food. You can graze goats, but make sure they don’t eat too much grass. Goats are very curious and smart.
Is corn good for goats?
Corn is safe for goats in small amounts. While corn is relatively low in protein (8% CP), it does contain a certain amount of calcium, which, in excess, can contribute to the onset of urinary calculi in bucks.
Is Tifton hay good for goats?
Bermudagrass is a fast growing, hearty species of warm-season perennial grass found extensively in the Southeast. Improved hybrid varieties of bermudagrass are well suited for hay production. Common varieties include Coastal, Tifton 44, Tifton 85 and Tifton 78. Many goats do quite well on bermudagrass pastures and hay.
Can goats eat Tifton hay?
As another result of Tifton 85’s higher digestibility, the goats ate more Tifton 85 hay than Coastal hay in both the digestibility and the intake trials. The animals receiving Tifton 85 hay ate on average 1.25 pounds of hay DM, while the animals receiving Coastal hay only ate 1.0 pounds of dry matter.
Can goats eat hay cubes?
Cubes are made for horses and cattle, and because the hay has not been completely pulverized, it does require more chewing than pellets do. However, the cubes are too big and hard for goats and sheep to eat.
Do goats need a salt block?
Goats, like all mammals, crave salt. They will consume more salt than they actually need for nutritional purposes. Therefore, remove all white, yellow and trace mineral salt blocks because these high-salt blocks will interfere with proper consumption of a complete mineral and vitamin supplement.
What do goats need in their pen?
Your goats will need to be protected from extreme temperatures, both heat, and cold. They need shelters that will get them out of the heat and warm in the cold. Goats also hate to be wet, so they also need a place to get out of the rain, hail, and wind.
How many bales of hay does a goat need?
One rule of thumb says 1 square bale per goat per week. Again, there are a lot of factors, but if you have absolutely no idea how much hay you need, start there and keep track. I’ve said it before, write it all down, because you will forget how many bales you had and how long they lasted.
