The only thing else I can offer is to break up the cubes so they can be more easily eaten. I usually have several types of hay around here; I use grass, 3-grain, alfalfa mixes… and do a jig every feeding hour as I dance from stack to stack. It may be used as a complete pasture, hay replacement or used to supplement existing forage. Straw vs Hay: What is Hay? The rumen is the first stomach compartment (rich in live bacteria) that begins to digest the fiber. Hay is primarily a livestock feed. For that reason, Alfalfa hay is a great choice because of it’s higher protein amounts. Analysis. Alfalfa is extremely drought resistant with a substantial taproot. Hay is particularly important if milk production is the main purpose of your goats. You could also probably get away with a decent first cutting hay, because sometimes it's nice to have coarser hay in winter, but second cut is better if you can only buy … Hay there! Yikes! and all of mine are STILL thin. Never feed moldy hay to goats! Alfalfa contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium compared to … Packaged in 50 lb bags. Alfalfa is a high-quality legume that is commonly grown in the Northwest, Northeast and Midwest. On the milk stand or once a day if not being milked: organic alfalfa pellets mixed with Timothy pellets then add calfmana, goat balance, and black oil sunflower seeds (coconut oil add in winter). In general alfalfa has 120% more energy than oat hay. The Best Hay for Dairy Goats. First cut alfalfa hay has the reputation of having large tough stems, but this is only true if the hay was too mature when cut. Grass hay, such as timothy, orchard, brome, and bluegrass, is a suitable maintenance hay for goats. This product is not fortified with vitamins or trace minerals and should not be used to replace grain. I feed mostly alfalfa hay which I get delivered in 5 - 10 ton lots at a time. The leaf-to-stem ratio is the most important criteria. It is lower in protein and calcium than alfalfa hay, so it makes a better staple for adult rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs. With alfalfa, there will be some variation in protein content between cuttings. Alfalfa. DragonLair, our horse also is fed the stems left by our goats -- she just loves that! Each of these grasses may be found in your hay bale. Cherokee Feed & Seed takes great pride in the quality of our hay. Alfalfa hay and timothy hay are both forage sources commonly used in rabbit and guinea pig diets. Nutritionally speaking, however, they are very different. Timothy Hay Timothy Hay … Alfalfa, Orchard, Timothy, Fescue, or a Mix? A consistent, convenient forage replacement, suitable for low protein rations. See more ideas about alfalfa hay, alfalfa, grass hay. ... “If you had a pile of teff, a pile of timothy, and a pile of alfalfa, the teff tends to have less NSCs—but not always,” she says. The type of hay will directly affect the amount and quality of milk along with the percentages of butterfat found within. Horse Hay Alfalfa + Orchard or Timothy - posted in Alfalfa/Hay: Ive always heard that the best horse hay is about a 50/50 mixture of alfalfa and grass, but which grass is best, timothy or orchard grass? My goats like Timothy. All goats need certain kinds of feed, but they have differing nutritional requirements depending on their gender and what stage of life theyre in. You may hear of types such as timothy hay, orchard grass, canary grass, fescue, etc. Our alfalfa hay is very fine stemmed and weed free with lots of color. Profitable rotation crop for Alfalfa Growers for the premium horse hay market. Low input annual forage grass. - posted in Alfalfa/Hay: I have heard some of yall mention brome hay before but what exactly is it? Legumes can have as much as twice the protein and three times the calcium of grass hays, so they are the preferred hay for goat kids and lactating does. Let’s start with hay. I fed/feed all my Lamancha goats the same thing, bred, after kidding, year round. Crude Protein: (Min) 8% Crude Fiber: (Max) 38% Crude Fat: (Min) 2% Moisture: (Max) 12% INGREDIENTS: Premium grade Timothy hay. A chopped timothy/alfalfa hay blend. Timothy is a meadow grass that is both nutritious and flavorful, and it is highly recommended by veterinarians. If your timothy was cut a bit late, add in a little alfalfa for some extra protein and you will have it made. Teff is a great interim hay crop between alfalfa rotations. If first cut hay is mowed at the pre-bloom stage, the stems will not be coarse and the nutritive value will be high. Unless you live in an area where alfalfa is grown locally, this hay option can be quite expensive. Timothy grass is a good alternative of alfalfa. They're dairy goats so don't bulk up like meat goats. Very coarse hay or forage is not readily digestible by goats, so they prefer not to eat them. Alfalfa hay is also popular for feeding goats and has more protein, vitamins, and minerals than grass hays, typically. I planted my field in straight alfalfa last fall and the field is looking … Although your goats may not find it as tasty as other grasses. Grass hay may contain a blend of different grasses. *from 7.5 kg of hay; 1.5% of 500 kg BW for mature horses or 2.3% of yearling BW of 321 kg) (from NRC, 2009) Cereal hays can be used to good advantage as an excellent source of energy and fiber. Aug 28, 2019 - Explore Premium Quality Product Export's board "Alfalfa Hay" on Pinterest. Grass Hay vs. Alfalfa . Mixed hay assumes a 50:50 grass:legume mix (timothy/clover, etc.) 100% Timothy hay, dehydrated and cubed to preserve nutrients and prevent mold and dust. No sweet feed or additional gain added ever. In 2003 Kerry & Trish Backsen purchased the mill and farm. But you can feed your goats timothy if alfalfa is not available. Come into our store in Ball Ground, Georgia to see and smell the best quality horse hay on the market. Horses evolved as a grazing animal, which means that they are meant to nibble on small amounts of food over the course of an entire day, and most of this food should be in the form of roughage, or hay. Mix in alfalfa pellets, rolled barley, 16 % dairy goat chow (1 pt of each) top dress in milk stand with kelp(1tsp) BOSS 1 tsp at … How does it compare to orchard grass? In 1989 the original feed mill was built to produce alfalfa pellets. For my does in milk and kids: Standlee Timothy grass compressed bale hay. Pelleted alfalfa vs hay -substitution - fiber size - ruminants ? Page 1 of 3 - Brome hay? with 13% crude protein and grass hay assumes 10% crude protein. We take ours our daily for browse of blackberries, willow -- milkers fed alfalfa hay with a flake of grass hay. If you can get timothy hay cubes that would probably be best because the alfalfa may be to rich for every day use. All sizes of animals love our alfalfa hay including rabbits, goats, sheep, horses and cattle. Alfalfa hay refers to average alfalfa with a crude protein content of 17%, while clover hay was assumed to have 15% crude protein. I couldn’t feed alfalfa to the Chia Pet easy keepers, I needed a robust feed for the Mustang, a low fat for the Shetlands and a feed with enough oomph for the TWHs. Good quality forage or "Hay" is not just a weed you let grow it takes a lot of work to make good feed. There are various different types of hay available such as timothy, alfalfa, etc. It can be a good choice for feeding milking goats as it has more protein, energy and calcium. The hay should be green and smell nice and sweet, not musty or off at all. Crude Protein min 16.00%; Crude Fat min 1.50%; Crude Fiber max 32.00%; Moisture max 15.00% . What Type of Hay Are You Looking For? While there appears to be more variability in palatability in cereal hay compared to alfalfa hay, hay that It can cause digestive and respiratory problems, among other things. I have fed Alfalfa cubes to them as treats in addition to regular grass hay. Before you get your goats, you need to make sure you have all the feeding equipment they need, as well as a stockpile of food. Teff Hay for Horses: Pros and Cons. It was a lifesaver last year when she had ketosis and milk fever. The area is known for many specialty crops and quality hays which are grown in the High Desert. I am also buying some local grass hay this week. Don’t settle for anything less! The reason I ask is I picked up a new customer today that bought 300 bales of my oat hay, she mentioned she had been having brome hay … The hay should be soft, not stemmy, and have few seed heads or weeds. ADF is a laboratory analysis that measures the cellulose and lignin levels in plants, and lignin is not digestible, so an acid detergent fiber measure that is low - below … but hay is generally grasses, and also some grains, leaves, and legumes that have been harvested, dried and baled for use as animal fodder (or feed) before the seeds have formed (the formation of the seeds lowers hay… It is suitable for horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. Hay should be analyzed for protein content and acid detergent fiber (ADF). Timothy hay can be as high in protein as Alfalfa. I get 4 - 5 deliveries a year. Suitable for double cropping Good hay or pasture crop when late season plantings are required due to a crop failure. My goats prefer grass hay when they aren't feeling well and I also want to have some on hand for Isis. Id like to hear the pros and cons for each choice. They get alfalfa hay free choice 24/7, a pelleted feed (16% with AC for the wethers), and whatever they can scrounge. 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