# Straw-Does it have to be certified weed free?



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Hi Everyone! I am wondering...regarding bedding for goats....if I buy straw is it really important to have it be weed free certified? Or do you use regular straw with weeds in it? Tansy and ragweed grow in the willamette valley so it is possible that can be in a a bale of straw. Wanted to know what you think about this or whether this is important? I am finding it is difficult to find people who carry the certified weed free straw.

Thank you in advance for your reply.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Hmmm good question. Certified weed free is really expensive. We only bought it once cause they didn't have any regular left.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They don't even offer certified weed free in my area.


----------



## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

I just use regular straw my Mom bales after combining the oats. Some weeds are in it. The goats don't really bother with eating it much.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

farmerjon said:


> Hi Everyone! I am wondering...regarding bedding for goats....if I buy straw is it really important to have it be weed free certified? Or do you use regular straw with weeds in it? Tansy and ragweed grow in the willamette valley so it is possible that can be in a a bale of straw. Wanted to know what you think about this or whether this is important? I am finding it is difficult to find people who carry the certified weed free straw.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your reply.


I just use plain old straw. If weeds germinate, the goats will usually eat them. For that matter, my goats will usually eat most of the weeds in the straw.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

We have a wonderful resource of grass straw here. The straw that's left after they harvest the grass seed. It's usually chopped and is much lighter to clean up than wheat straw.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

I wish we had that resource here. I do have a resource for barley straw which is supposed to be alot less stiff. I just don't know how to find good straw/hay without buying it from a 'middle man'. I'd love to save the cost. So may just get straw from a local guy here that doesn't have certified weed free straw. 

Also is it important that the straw is chemical free?? Or is that just a gimmick that they are trying to sell their straw??

What do you all think?


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Wanted to thank you all for your comments on this issue.....I am a newbie and thought I'd better ask about this.


----------



## SunnydaleBoers (Jul 28, 2012)

farmerjon said:


> I wish we had that resource here. I do have a resource for barley straw which is supposed to be alot less stiff. I just don't know how to find good straw/hay without buying it from a 'middle man'. I'd love to save the cost. So may just get straw from a local guy here that doesn't have certified weed free straw.
> 
> Also is it important that the straw is chemical free?? Or is that just a gimmick that they are trying to sell their straw??
> 
> What do you all think?


No, I wouldn't pay a premium for "chemical free" straw, but I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid it either. The chemical would most likely be a preservative that is used in hay production- it's designed to reduce mold/heating/etc which allows you to bale hay at a higher moisture content without having to worry so much about spoilage. It can be applied to straw as well, but to me that's rather redundant and a waste. If the moisture content of your straw is high enough that you need to apply a preservative you've probably got bigger issues to worry about.

As far as the weeds go, I wouldn't want to buy a bale that has a large amount of weeds, especially if it was something I was going to use to mulch my garden, etc. Bales that have lots of weeds are also going to have lots of weed seeds, so that's something you want to consider when you're deciding what to do with your used straw. Our goats tend to view the weeds in their bedding as being a tasty tasty treat, and we compost the used straw before we spread it on the fields so I don't worry too much about it one way or the other.

Good straw should be clean and bright and the individual straws should flake apart fairly easily once the bale is opened. Usually straw doesnt have much of an odor, or at least I don't notice the good grassy smell that a nice bale of hay has. Try to avoid bales that look grey, or dingy, have an off odor, or that want to remain in big clumps when you try to spread the flakes around.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Have you seen this? http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/4385463987.html


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

farmerjon said:


> Also is it important that the straw is chemical free?? Or is that just a gimmick that they are trying to sell their straw??
> 
> What do you all think?


Personally, I think it's a gimmick. Stop and think about it. Farmers raise crops to, hopefully, make money. Regardless of what type of straw you're buying, that crop is usually fertilized with something at some point in time. It can be something as simple as manure spread on the field prior to planting, or it can be as sophisticated as nitrogen through the irrigation water - either way, 'chemicals' are involved and the crop takes them up through the roots.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Hi Jill: Yes I did see that posting......are shavings better than straw for bedding? Wouldn't it be more difficult to clean up? Another bit of a worry for me would be my babies might eat it? Not sure. Any feedback on wood shavings vs straw for bedding would be appreciated. Thanks for pointing this out Jill! I appreciate any feedback.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

MsScamp I agree! I was asking that because I sort of felt the same way....felt like it was a gimmick to sell you the straw. So....glad I am not the only one seeing it that way. Thanks for commenting!


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Sunnydaleboers: Thank you so much!! This is great feedback! The weeds I am more concerned about (that my friend was concerned about telling me not to buy non certified straw) was more the noxious weeds like tansy and ragweed. I am not sure if they are deadly but they could end up in a straw bale.....as we have them in the NW. But I won't be so concerned....I realize now none of you here really worry about that and your animals are fine so I guess I shouldn't worry about it either! =)

Thanks for your opinion on this! I appreciate it.


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Weed free straw doesn't matter, in my opinion. If there's some weeds it in, the goats might eat it...no biggy. I would never seek out and pay more for certified weed free straw.

You can use shavings or straw, whichever you prefer. Both work. I like straw better, but it's a pain to clean up.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I use both. Shavings on the bottom and a light layer of straw over the top.I prefer cleaning the up the shavings. They are a lot easier to shovel and compost away faster. It doesn't matter if they eat a bit of them, they would eat the tree that the shavings are made from quite happily.


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

certified bedding material? I could see if there was an invasive species weed problem but other then that, Id have to agree. A con to get more money outta it.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

farmerjon said:


> ...are shavings better than straw for bedding?


Don't use shavings for kidding. The shavings stick to the wet kids, can make it difficult for them to breathe, and they are a nightmare for Mom to clean up. As far as easy or difficult to clean up, the only time I've had trouble cleaning up shavings is when I used them as part of my winter manure pack. They were a nightmare because they dried to a concrete-like consistency - I literally had to chip them up the next spring.


----------



## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

I agree on the shavings with kidding... They stick to the gooey kids  the only time I use straw is in my kidding stalls  I hate cleaning it, so it's a rare thing to be used her


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Shavings are nice but never for newborns for reasons already stated.
Straw is much, much more absorbent.
Plus bales can be used as make shift shelter, temporary barriers or a place to sit while waiting for does to kid.
Everybody loves to nibble on it for the first hour or two it's down.
The buck thinks it's a treat & I just throw large piles & let HIM spread it.


----------



## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

What are you guys calling shavings? I am a carpenter and have carpenter buddies we all produce shavings and sawdust. If I could get a picture to see the texture of what you are using that would be great. Plus any info on wood shaving species.


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

the shavings I buy (pine) about paper thin and average the size of a dime to particles.


----------



## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Pine shavings here too 

These are the only decent pics I have right now...


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The shavings need to be kiln dried though. Raw shavings won't soak up any moisture and can cause udder problems in your does.


----------



## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

True dat GH. If they are not dried they will be moist (depending upon how long they have sat) and can harbor some nasty bacteria that can be passed to a milking doe who lays on it.


----------



## audrey (Jul 17, 2012)

Straw rarely has weeds in it, because its just the left over from wheat and seed production, and they can't have contaminated seeds in there. Thats why they do all the field burning and tilling and all that before replanting. Also, a critter has to eat 2% of their body weight before tansy has any ill affects on them.

I don't know where in the valley you are, but I am out in Lacomb, and there is this place about a half mile from me called Zehners, they have EO hay and straw. My goats and bunny love to pick through the fresh straw and eat the good parts. They usually have really good alfalfa and orchard grass too. THere is also venells in corvallis.


----------



## SunnydaleBoers (Jul 28, 2012)

nancy d said:


> The buck thinks it's a treat & I just throw large piles & let HIM spread it.


Haha, yes, ours are the same way- we'll pull the strings off a couple of bales, throw them in the pen, and let them go to town. They have a ball bouncing off the bales, the straw gets spread, and we think it's more entertaining than most of the sitcoms on TV right now. :greengrin:


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Audrey we are in the Portland area of Oregon.....so much further north from you. We do have a source we can get shavings from. And now I know not to worry about the 'no weed' factor in the straw. Now...ya'll are making me think if I should buy straw or shavings!! lol. Sounds like alot of people like shavings vs the straw. I would be using the stuff we clean out of the barn for our garden....so do you think shavings are better for that or straw??

Thank you sooooooo much for all this feedback! I am so thankful for everyone of you!

Tami


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Am I the only one that doesn't even USE straw? I just use the leftover stems from the alfalfa. Granted, I only have a 10x12 "barn" and 3 goats... but a few crappy bales and I've got all the bedding I need! Every once in awhile someone gets a BEAUTIFUL load of alfalfa and there isn't much waste... but more often than not, at least 1/4 of it is stems on the ground. Makes great straw!


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Yes you are right Jen.....that is good too....just thinking to use something as regular bedding. I plan to clean out my barn weekly.....I know alot of people don't do that but we are doing that because I want to use the throw away stuff in my garden. =)

tami


----------



## mayia97420 (Apr 22, 2014)

Shavings take longer to break down than the straw.


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

farmerjon said:


> Yes you are right Jen.....that is good too....just thinking to use something as regular bedding. I plan to clean out my barn weekly.....I know alot of people don't do that but we are doing that because I want to use the throw away stuff in my garden. =)
> 
> tami


I do that too. Depending on how big your garden is, weekly cleanout might be overwhelming. I usually rake all the dry top layer into a pile, then clean out the bottom, wet/starting to decompose/yucky layer and throw it in the compost or in a pile for future compost. I do this every 2-3 months - usually monthly or so in the summer. I find that even though it's saturated with urine, berries, etc, it still needs extra "greens" (grass clippings is what I mostly use) to break down fast in the compost pile. I only have a 10x12 barn, and a pretty big garden (around 20 raised beds averaging about 2'x6' each, plus greenhouse. I have more "barn waste" than I can use, but not much more. Every once in awhile I'll go around and put it at the base of trees, along the fenceline, etc to control grass/weeds. But most of it gets composted.

Where in "the Great PNW" are you? I'm in Skagit County. Havent' yet managed to meet any goat-folks in my area. The one person who's bucks I've been using is semi-nearby... but still quite a drive.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Hi Jen: We are in Oregon.....yes that sounds great what you use the barn cleaning stuff for.....we plan to use it mainly on our garden I think. We only have 5 goats right now so may not have tons of stuff to put out but will see.

We are really looking forward to having them here with us! They are all being boarded right now.

tami


----------

