When rearing animals, one of the biggest expenses is always going to be their food.
When it comes to goats, it can often be difficult to get the right balance.
You may often find that your goats are not eating a lot of the hay you give them, and that it is ultimately going to waste.
I was chatting with a friend the other day who asked me what they could do to reduce the amount of hay that their goats are wasting.
It was a good question, and we both had a few ideas, but I decided to do some research and look into it.
So, how do I keep goats from wasting hay?
There are a couple of essential things you can do: first, don’t give them too much hay at once. Second, don’t put the hay right on the soil. Beyond that, you can employ things like hay feeders and hay nets, or even make the switch to hay pellets.
Hay waste is a fairly common issue with goats, so there are naturally a lot of methods for correcting the problem that have been tried and tested.
The most important thing, I would say, is to make sure you give them the right amounts of hay at the right time.
Let’s look further into this.
How can I waste less hay with my goats?
There are a number of essential ways.
First and foremost, you must ensure that you are not giving them too much hay at once.
If you do, then they will not eat all of it, and much of it will end up going to waste.
Your goats will not want to come back and eat old hay when they are ready to feed again.
So, carefully portion the hay out.
Another common mistake that goat owners make is putting the feeding hay directly on the soil for the goats to eat.
They will still eat it from hay, but a lot more of it is going to end up getting wasted. It will also get dirty, and the goats will not eat any hay that is dirty.
Make sure to feed them from a trough, at least.
So, the vessel they eat the hay from is really important in preventing waste.
A bespoke hay feeder is often the best choice of vessel.
You can place the feeder in a secure location, and the goats can only grab small amounts at a time.
This will mean that they don’t pull it out everywhere, and the hay inside remains fresh for later.
It also means the goats can eat at their leisure.
You can buy hay feeders, but you’ve got to be sure they are right for your goats—otherwise, you could make one yourself.
How do you make a hay feeder for goats?
There are many ways you can make a hay feeder for your goats.
The important thing is that the goats are able to stick their snouts in without getting stuck, such as on their horns.
Depending on how handy you are, you may be able to rig a wooden feeder.
There are many ways to do this, and you can find designs of all kinds online.
You can also use a simple mesh cage and place it over the top of your hay.
Then, the goats will be able to pull small amounts of hay out as they need it.
You can also have something as simple as a barrel with holes cut in it.
As I say, the design can be as simple or as complex as your needs dictate. But having a feeder, one way or another, is perhaps the best way to avoid wasting hay.
How much hay should you feed a goat?
It is going to depend on the size of the goat.
On average, though, goats need around 2-4 pounds of hay per day.
It will be somewhere in the region of 2-3% of their body weight in hay per day.
Obviously, this can be higher and lower for the biggest and smallest of goats, but these figures are the most common ranges.
So, if you feed them much more than this per day, then they are very likely to end up not eating all of it.
Thus, it will end up getting wasted.
Knowing how much they need is the most important part of not wasting hay.
Can goats eat too much hay?
Yes, they can.
As much as most goats will not overgorge, and if you’ve given them too much hay it will just get wasted, some will indeed eat too much hay.
This can make them sick, bloated, and can even cause further health problems.
If your goats have a huge pile of hay just sitting in front of them, they may eat more than they realize.
On the other hand, if the hay is in a feeder, then they will have less of a problem with this.
As I mentioned, pellets can also be a good choice on this front—they are more nutrient rich, so you can give your goat a smaller amount and it will start to feel full and well-fed quicker.
The most important thing you can do is to regulate precisely how much hay your goats need, then.
If you give them too much, then they will end up wasting it.
If you don’t feed them in the correct way, too, then they will also end up wasting a good amount of it.
Carefully planning how and when you will feed your goats, and with what quantity of hay, is essential.
If you do this every time, then you should really never waste any hay.