Can Goats Eat Haylage?

Can Goats Eat Haylage? (Find Out!)

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Yes, goats can safely eat haylage. It’s a great source of forage for them in the winter when they don’t otherwise have access to forage or a green pasture. It’s actually often higher in nutritional value than dry hay, and so is in fact often favored.

 

So, yes, haylage is definitely completely safe for goats.

It provides much the same nutritional backbone to the diet as normal hay would, and while many would say it’s best to have them on normal hay as well, for the most part you should be fine on a haylage diet—at least through the winter.

Before we go any further, let’s talk about what haylage actually is.

Can Goats Eat Haylage?

 

What is haylage?

If hay is long grass that has been cut at a mature point in its life cycle and then left in a silo to dry out and become hay, then haylage is essentially a baby version of this kind of grass.

To make haylage, the process is very similar with a couple of key differences.

The most important is that the grass is cut a much younger stage, when it is much shorter.

Then, it is left simply to wilt, rather than to fully dry out.

This means that haylage has a greater moisture content, and indeed, a higher overall nutritional profile.

Haylage and hay are very similar.

The main reason large-scale farms have favored simple dry hay is that it’s much easier to produce and store on a large scale.

Let’s look further into this.

 

Is haylage good for goats?

Yes, haylage is great for goats!

Some form of forage should make up around 75% of their diet, and in the winter months, this is likely going to have to come from hay of some sort.

When their pasture is cold and dead, they can’t forage.

So, in the winter months, having haylage on hand to provide food is another great idea.

It can act as the staple of their diet.

It’s much higher in moisture content than regular hay, which is good for your goats.

They will be overall more nourished by this hay.

As I said, also, it’s simply higher in nutritional content.

It’s a more concentrated, and less desiccated food.

So, yes, haylage is very good for goats, and makes a perfect substitute for forage in the winter months—or a year-round feed if they don’t forage.

 

Is haylage bad for goats?

Haylage is not inherently bad for goats.

You don’t need to worry about them harming themselves by eating more or less any kind of haylage.

It’s all safe.

That said, there are a couple of things you should be aware of.

Firstly, as I said, part of the reason ordinary hay has been favored by large-scale farms is a simple fact that regular hay is more convenient.

It is easier to produce, first of all, but equally important, easier to store.

Haylage, given its added moisture content, is much more prone to developing mold than regular hay.

This can be a huge problem if you don’t identify the mold, and let your goats have it.

For the most part, they should know to avoid the hay.

But when feeding haylage from a large store, you should always check for mold, and get rid of any moldy haylage.

As long as you keep this in mind, haylage is not bad for goats.

 

Can goats eat ryegrass haylage?

Ryegrass haylage is one of the most common and widely used varieties.

It’s a tasty, fibrous, protein-rich grass that makes great hay for your goats.

So, yes, ryegrass haylage is perfectly safe for your goats and is one of the best options.

You will be able to either buy haylage in bulk, or you can quite easily create some yourself if you have ryegrass growing.

So, yes, ryegrass haylage is perfectly safe.

 

Can goats eat meadow haylage?

Yes, meadow haylage is another great option and one of the most popular.

It’s a more common grass than ryegrass, so, again, if you have meadow grass growing on your property, it’s a great food source as haylage for the winter months.

As to which one is best, there isn’t a tremendous amount of difference between different types of haylage.

Whatever kind, your goats will need to eat a lot of it to get the full benefit.

So, just use whatever is most conveniently available.

 

Haylage is perfectly safe for your goats and is in fact a favorite choice of winter feed by many goat owners.

It’s nutritionally richer than hay, and perhaps a bit more interesting to eat than purely dried plant matter.

Virtually any kind of haylage that you can find will be perfectly safe for your goats, too, so you can feed them any kind you can find.

Haylage is a great winter food source, so consider adding it to your repertoire.

 

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