Newbie here...

[Giggles]

I am new to keeping goats and I am trying to figure out how much hay, and what type is best for my goats. I will have 5 kid (3 wethers to be, 2 females) and 1 adult female. I know makes are not supposed to eat grain, correct?
I am bottle feeding 2 right now because their mother didn’t feed them, they are now 3 weeks old, when do I need to start giving them hay. They do have access to a large area of our yard to browse.

 

[Latestarter]

Many feed their goats just basic grass hay. Others (like myself) go all the way to alfalfa hay (typically the best - horse hay). In my case, it was what they would (and wouldn't) eat. I tried coastal bermuda and Tifton, neither of which they liked, and don't have access to orchard grass hay here, which others use with no issues. I feed all my goats (adults, kids, males, females, wethers) alfalfa hay 24/7 free choice. The kids have been nibbling on it since 1-2 weeks old and now eat it as part of their daily fare (7 weeks tomorrow). Yours should have hay available to them now (at 3 weeks) free choice. I also feed all my goats (all) a 16% pelleted feed. Most do not feed adult bucks or wethers grain/pellets and limit them to just hay. My adult male & his wether companion are just at a year old and still growing. I have found that the pelleted feed helps them to grow better and stronger. And, the does need that extra nutrition while in production of milk. I used to mix an actual grain sweet feed with the pellets but no longer do. I up the ration amount durinmg lactation and decrease it when they are dried off. Body condition/age/growth dictates feeding regimen

The issue you need to be careful of is the calcium to phosphorus ratio. OIt should never be less than ~2:1 as too much phosphorus can lead to urinary calculi (UC) in males and more predominantly in wethers. When the males are banded/castrated at a young age, I guess their urethra doesn't "mature/grow" as well leaving it narrow and more subject to crystals forming and blocking it. A deadly situation if not corrected immediately. The pellet feed I use has AC (ammonium chloride) added to it to help prevent UC. Many goat minerals will also have AC in them for this reason. The AC has no affect on the females. Minerals should also be provided 24/7 free choice.