Do goats need hay as a part of their diet?

[Mr chicken dude]

Was thinking about goats but if they need to have hay...Then to make your own hay that's about 40,000 in haymaking equipment and then goats are probably out of the picture then.....Just wondering if the need to have hay as a part of their diet....

Thanks,Collin.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
From what I've been reading they need brush to graze first and foremost. Fresh greens along with dried things. In off seasons then people feed them hay bales from feed stores. All supplemented with mineral. I read somewhere though the pelleted goat feed is okay but can cause issues in wethers - causing deadly stones to block them up - worse yet is if you feed them grains. I could be wrong though, I'm trying to research this stuff too atm

 

[SpringChickens]

Goats won't eat much hay, they much prefer brush. That said, they need some kind of heavy fiber in their diet; you can't just keep them on dry lot and feed them grain.

 

[Skyesrocket]

Yes. After browse and pasture, hay is the most important thing in a goat's diet.
Why not just buy your hay locally? This time of year it can be found for $2 a bale.

 

[Mr chicken dude]

Quote:
I need a big barn to store it in which I don't have......

Well that sucks.....Guess I'll look into getting a hog......

 

[grace6691]

Mine get a flake at night along with their pellets that they don't really eat they just like to pick on, but during the day they go out in a pasture and graze all day

 

[dot n'dave]

I went to a goat farm where the woman was raising her goats in a very wooded area and had to give her goats alot of hay, not having much pasture. She kept her hay in one of those portable car canopy things. You know the ones that have the sides all covered and the front is zippered. As long as its kept dry you'll be fine.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Goats do need hay. You don't have to bale or cut your own hay. You can buy it from local farmers or at a local feed store. You can store hay on pallets to keep it up off the ground and cover it with a tarp. Two goats are not going to eat much hay at all.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

They do much better on pasture than with hay. Ours only get hay and grains in the winter.

 

[rebecky1305]

Get two miniature goats (nigerian dwarf or pygmy). They will eat about 1 bale of hay every week, four bales a month. You can buy them at a local feed store. If you can get ahold of a non working chest freezer, these are great for storing a bale of hay.