They don't seem to like the coastal...

Moody

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I have easy access to coastal. I got 8 bales and they have barely gone through 3-4 flakes in over a month. 4 goats. I got alfalfa hay because nubian wasn't eating well. So occasionally I let the girls have the alfalfa. They love it. I read not to give the boys alfalfa? Anyway that was $18 or so a bale and I am stingy with it.

The Nubians previous owner said she gave Sudan. She said they don't like coastal but I already had it and I would have to drive quite a ways for Sudan square bales (easier to handle at this point). My feeder is a 2x4 mesh surrounded contraption that doesn't allow too much waste.

I feed them all a non med dairy pellet from big v feeds. Dwarf kid gets just a tiny handful cause his tummy is tight by the end of the day. He's going to explode. The girls get 3/4 of a 16oz cup and the buck gets 1/2-3/4 of a 16 oz cup. Every goat gets this 2 times a day. THe nubian might get just a tad more since she is on the thin side. The lamancha and buck are still growing. I also toss on a handful of boss at the evening feeding.

Right now I am spending all the day long cutting branches and trimmings around the property, hurling it over the fence to them and picking them up again after they have been devoured.

Will they eat the coastal better when winter comes and I have no more trees with leaves to trim? I got the alfalfa at a ranch store and can't afford that as a main source. I don't want the boys to be on alfalfa anyway.
 

OneFineAcre

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I don't know the answer because all of mine eat coastal fine. Maybe they aren't eatimg so much because of the fresh browse you are feeding ?
Or maybe they are having a hard time with 2x4 mesh
I buy round bales so I don't worry too much about waste on coastal
 

Moody

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So, if they get hungry enough they will eat it. One day I mixed just a bit of the alfalfa in the feeder and a lot of it disappeared. I need to take a pic of it and those goats to see how you all think they look.

I am wondering if I am feeding too much grain....
 

Southern by choice

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Possibly.
There are some goats that just won't eat hay they don't like. They may nibble when hungry enough but that isn't good for them long term.

Have you tried orchard grass hay?
Sometimes there are mixed hays too.
Mine like orchard, Alfalfa/orchard, and Timothy.

With all the fresh cuttings they will eat less hay. Fresh cuttings are what most goats would prefer so that is great you are cutting for them!
 

Moody

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I would love to fence the 2 acres of woods behind the house so the boys could stay there. As it is I walk them through there a few times a week.

I haven't ever seen orchard grass hay. I believe most areas have to bring in the alfalfa here (texas). I thought I would be able to get peanut hay but I haven't seen any locally for sale. I have no contacts, only craigslist.

So they could starve themselves over the winter....right now I still have lots of oak, some elm, some black walnut or whatever that is and beau d'arc trees still in leaves.
 

Southern by choice

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I don't think they would starve themselves. Until you can find a good source look at local feed stores and see what is available.
I would also contact the breeders you got your goats from, they may be able to help.
 

Pearce Pastures

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If it was me, I'd offer only coastal and water for a few weeks. They will eat it but they have options right now (feed and fresh trimmings). I finally got my goats to eat alfalfa pellets this way and they love them now.
 

Moody

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I realize I'm offering optimal food choice with all the trimmings. Last night some of the coastal was gone. They do look a bit skinnier in the mornings after being locked in a stall with only coastal and water.

Here is a pic of the feeder. Accessible from inside the stall and outside the stall all day.
image.jpg
 

Southern by choice

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Finding hay that works for the goats is a fine line.
I have dairy goats and I want milk... if they will not eat certain kinds of hay I lose production. I have always had my goats on local grown hay from my neighbor. We had a drought this year in our little pocket and he needs all the hay he did get for his cattle...left us in a bit of a bind. Our goats have done great on our local hay. It has been a lot of trying different hays from different places and I have seen milk production go up and down depending on what they would and wouldn't eat. Problem is if they start losing too much production than they cannot always recuperate and get that milk back up.
If they weren't in milk than I would make them "suck it up". :p
 

OneFineAcre

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I drove my pickup and pulled my trailer to work with me today. On my lunch break I'm picking up 2 round bales of peanut hay from the field.
 

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