Goats refuse to eat any kind of Hay

[kristal fults]

I have two sweet Nigerian dwarf girls approximately 13 weeks old. They weighed 5&6 pounds when I brought them home at 6 weeks.
They have been weaned from milk and graze, eat lots of browse, get a small handful of Purina kid grower medicated feed, have salt block and free minerals, drinking water, pee and poop normal..... I have offered bagged hay bought at tractor supply ( Bermuda, alfalfa, Timothy, orchard grass, chaffhaye) I see them nibble but otherwise won’t eat it. It is not moldy or dusty, not soiled. They plain ignore it!
They graze well on Bahia in the field, weeds and browse brush and leaves. I keep reading the goats need hay..... but show no interest.
I tried eliminating their small amount of feed and still no interest. They were given cocci treatment at 7 weeks.
They have more than doubled their weight since I got them and seem healthy..... I am just confused they won’t touch hay! FYI spoiled pets!

 

[Mini Horses]

They like the browse & grass better. With no mom to show them hay, at time you got them it wasn't a biggie in their diet. I suspect as seasons change, grass dies out, the hay will be looking better to them.

My adults will scoff at hay (unless it's pouring rain for hours!!) when graze/browse is plentiful. Except the milking ones and they want alfalfa! Goats are selective eaters.

 

[kristal fults]

That makes me feel better! I cut limbs out of their favorite tree and bushes ( property boarders uncleared land) and place in their pasture, we go on nature walks to see what they like to eat from the uncleared land. Luckily in SWLA a lot of this stays alive and green year round! I don’t even have to leash them, they walk with me and never let me out of their sight. I am goat momma!

 

[secuono]

No reason for them to eat dry stuff when good stuff is still available. Sheep do the same.

 

[Baymule]

As long as there is green stuff, to heck with the dry stuff. They will make you crazy! LOL

 

[Kristie]

Mine love peanut hay, but have also adjusted to timothy/alfalfa blend when peanut is not available. The breeder I got them from told me they were used to peanut hay and they scarf it down!

 

[CntryBoy777]

Shoot,....the 3 I had hardly ever ate hay....most of theirs went to the ducks for bedding..........our 12 ducks went thru hay faster than the 3 goats did.....we lived in NW Mississippi and usually thru the winter the honeysuckle will stay green unless it is directly touched by frost....They would eat it like it was candy.....and they will eat sweet gum leaves in any state....fresh, changing, dried, or wilted they will devour them....ya always want to have some available, but I would feed out about a small square bale per month.....I had 2 wethers....they were boer/pygmy crosses....and 1 doe...fb pygmy......I wouldn't be concerned so much....you'd probably do better by getting just a reg bale at TSC and save your $$.....we went on "goat walks" too....we sure learned a ton from them....
.....and ......if all this don't scare ya off, then guess ya will "fit" right in......

 

[Georgia Girl]

In our area, the hay from TSC is very dried out and of poor quality, try to find you a good supplier of horse quality hay, peanut, periennal peanut, alfafa and last costal bermudia.