Goat bloat?

[TXMissy]

I am new to goats, but to my understanding if goats are bloated, they will not eat or be active and will appear to be in distress. Mine start out sleek and trim in the morning before I put them out in the pasture. When I bring them to their pen in the evening they have big ole fat hay/brush bellies.

Thank you. This is good to know. I am sure this is what is going on with my girl.

 

[TXMissy]

If they are NOT pregnant, and NOT in milk, then no, they don't need any alfalfa.

They do probably need hay free choice.

Timothy or whatever "normal" hay you have in your area.

oh okay. I got alfalfa because that is what the lady I got them from said she was giving them because she didn't have any brush for them to eat. So should I just get a square bale of timothy hay and hang it in their shed? or just throw it outside? Does it matter if it gets rained on? I know hay will mold. I want to make sure I do it right lol. We have a few different types of hay around here but Timothy is probably most common.

 

[Alaskan]

oh okay. I got alfalfa because that is what the lady I got them from said she was giving them because she didn't have any brush for them to eat. So should I just get a square bale of timothy hay and hang it in their shed? or just throw it outside? Does it matter if it gets rained on? I know hay will mold. I want to make sure I do it right lol. We have a few different types of hay around here but Timothy is probably most common.

No idea why she would feed alfalfa pellets instead of hay... unless hay is crazy expensive there.

You need a hay feeder... and it is difficult to figure out a way to feed hay so the silly goats do not waste it.

The hay feeder has to keep the hay dry, and make it so the goats can only pull out a little bite at a time.

If the goats pull the hay onto the ground, they will refuse to eat it.

I have a barn with a hay loft... so I buy hay in bulk, directly from the field on day of bailing. They call me, I drop everything, run over and take as much as I can afford/have space for/ can use in a year.

That is the least expensive way to buy hay.

Google goat hay feeders... people have come up with many ways to try to reduce waste.

I put a pallet up on the wall (high up enough that kids had to stretch to reach, about the level of a doe's back ), tilted out just enough so I could squeeze a few flakes of hay between the wall and the pallet. I sturdily stapled thick rope deep-sea fishnet over the pallet to make the holes even smaller.... that worked pretty well. I was shocked that no goat ever got tangled in it.... but I did routinely check the net for tightness.

 

[TXMissy]

No idea why she would feed alfalfa pellets instead of hay... unless hay is crazy expensive there.

You need a hay feeder... and it is difficult to figure out a way to feed hay so the silly goats do not waste it.

The hay feeder has to keep the hay dry, and make it so the goats can only pull out a little bite at a time.

If the goats pull the hay onto the ground, they will refuse to eat it.

I have a barn with a hay loft... so I buy hay in bulk, directly from the field on day of bailing. They call me, I drop everything, run over and take as much as I can afford/have space for/ can use in a year.

That is the least expensive way to buy hay.

Google goat hay feeders... people have come up with many ways to try to reduce waste.

I put a pallet up on the wall (high up enough that kids had to stretch to reach, about the level of a doe's back ), tilted out just enough so I could squeeze a few flakes of hay between the wall and the pallet. I sturdily stapled thick rope deep-sea fishnet over the pallet to make the holes even smaller.... that worked pretty well. I was shocked that no goat ever got tangled in it.... but I did routinely check the net for tightness.

Thank you!

 

[BarnOwl]

So should I just get a square bale of timothy hay and hang it in their shed? or just throw it outside? Does it matter if it gets rained on? I know hay will mold. I want to make sure I do it right lol.

I splurged on an expensive hay feeder from tractor supply. I thought I was going to love it...and I might eventually. But right now the goats are small enough that they sleep (and poop/pee) in the tray and I have to clean it out everyday. I put a tarp up over it to keep the hay dry. I am hopeful that they will get big enough that they don't fit in the tray anymore. Otherwise, I might sell it.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tarter-dura-tough-mini-feeder-dtsaf

Lots of people in a FB group I'm in say they use a wire clothes hamper (with the liners removed), so I got one to put in the goat shed, and so far it seems to be working pretty well.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-H...hes-Hamper-with-Liner/874516273?selected=true

 

[TXMissy]

I splurged on an expensive hay feeder from tractor supply. I thought I was going to love it...and I might eventually. But right now the goats are small enough that they sleep (and poop/pee) in the tray and I have to clean it out everyday. I put a tarp up over it to keep the hay dry. I am hopeful that they will get big enough that they don't fit in the tray anymore. Otherwise, I might sell it.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tarter-dura-tough-mini-feeder-dtsaf

Lots of people in a FB group I'm in say they use a wire clothes hamper (with the liners removed), so I got one to put in the goat shed, and so far it seems to be working pretty well.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-H...hes-Hamper-with-Liner/874516273?selected=true

Oh that is a good idea. I was thinking of just getting a hay net and hanging it on the fence or their shed.