# How to keep goat pen from wasting hay



## eazis1952 (Jul 6, 2015)

tried few things but hay keeps building up


----------



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

That is the eternal question every goat owner from the dawn of goat owning time has asked! How to keep a goat from wasting hay? 

My goats stick their head through head catches ( like cow stanchions) and eat off concrete and they still waste tons of hay and fill the pen with hay. It must be a goat thing!


----------



## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm beginning to think it's hopeless. *sigh*

You can try various methods of limiting how much they can grab in one bite, but will still end up on the ground. ie. You can make it better, but can't make it go away - if you know what I mean.


----------



## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

The hay racks designed by Premier One (building plans offered on their website) have greatly reduced the amount of hay that ends up on my barn floor, especially if I am feeding good quality second cut without coarse parts. 

The 4" x 4" openings are important but the tray beneath is IMPERATIVE. If you feed the right amount, they eat it all through the openings, and then go back and clean up the trays as its not on the ground and all trampled on. If it was on the ground already, they wouldn't touch it.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I use slow feed hay nets and they create almost no waste at all. You can't use hay nets with horned goats however.


----------



## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

Our problem seems to be a TON of hay left in the hay bag. It doesn't get pulled out onto the floor, but they just leave a lot of it sitting there.. I've gotten into the habit of completely emptying it every 2 days or so and refilling, but my question is what to DO with all of this hay :/ I've tried using it as bedding for the ducks and chickens, but it is less than ideal. Any good uses??


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Seems like they pick through the hay by us to get what they like best first! 

Our one buck wastes the most, I swear he loves to rip and tear as much as possible and drops so much on the ground/floor!

Our lambs are also very good at picking and wasting, and the hay is good quality second crop hay! 

But, is that the animals like us, like what they like?

If it gets wet (from a quick rain shower) do you through it out?


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Harriet_and_Hens said:


> Our problem seems to be a TON of hay left in the hay bag. It doesn't get pulled out onto the floor, but they just leave a lot of it sitting there.. I've gotten into the habit of completely emptying it every 2 days or so and refilling, but my question is what to DO with all of this hay :/ I've tried using it as bedding for the ducks and chickens, but it is less than ideal. Any good uses??


They might not be eating it because they don't like it. Might be a good idea to try a different kind of hay.


----------



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I haven't stopped it...and my hay feeders have 4 x 2 fencing!!


----------



## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

Suzanne_Tyler said:


> They might not be eating it because they don't like it. Might be a good idea to try a different kind of hay.


Yeah, I think you're right. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding second cut hay in my area :/ But I'm looking! Thanks for the feedback though - it confirms my suspicions!


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Feeder style*



SalteyLove said:


> The hay racks designed by Premier One (building plans offered on their website) have greatly reduced the amount of hay that ends up on my barn floor, especially if I am feeding good quality second cut without coarse parts.
> 
> The 4" x 4" openings are important but the tray beneath is IMPERATIVE. If you feed the right amount, they eat it all through the openings, and then go back and clean up the trays as its not on the ground and all trampled on. If it was on the ground already, they wouldn't touch it.


We employ several types, at two locations both having and feeding goats and also lambs, and I can say both animals waste hay! :shocked: We have tried several kinds of hay, as well, and often second and third crop hay...still waste exists!:shocked: I have given some of the waste to the pigs, as they will eat anything! However, at the farm we don't have any pigs!

We have premier 1, fleet farm, a metal wall rack small one and large one that were set for goats, and a converted horse rack with tray...all quite similar in what is eaten and all have waste. The catch trays do help, and we try to scoop up dropped and Unselected hay and put it back on top if it is dry and not soiled.


----------



## snrsfarm (Jul 2, 2013)

SalteyLove said:


> The hay racks designed by Premier One (building plans offered on their website) have greatly reduced the amount of hay that ends up on my barn floor, especially if I am feeding good quality second cut without coarse parts.
> 
> The 4" x 4" openings are important but the tray beneath is IMPERATIVE. If you feed the right amount, they eat it all through the openings, and then go back and clean up the trays as its not on the ground and all trampled on. If it was on the ground already, they wouldn't touch it.


We used their building plans but altered ours a bit. We used horse fencing that was 2x4. We toss the entire small square bale into the feeder with strings still on to hold it together then rotate the bale once a day until they have eaten it down till the strings are no longer holding it together. We scoop up all hay in the tray every day (there isn't much) and toss it in the feeder. So far the waste has been cut down to a minimal! Real happy with this process. :wahoo:


----------



## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I made a hay feeder out of a futon frame and chain link fencing. They still waste some, but not as much as before. I scrape up the dropped hay and feed it to the horses.


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Harriet_and_Hens said:


> Our problem seems to be a TON of hay left in the hay bag. It doesn't get pulled out onto the floor, but they just leave a lot of it sitting there.. I've gotten into the habit of completely emptying it every 2 days or so and refilling, but my question is what to DO with all of this hay :/ I've tried using it as bedding for the ducks and chickens, but it is less than ideal. Any good uses??


My does do the exact same thing, especially when I'm feeding really really leafy alfalfa hay. I finally started scooping it out of the tray/bottom of the haybags, sorting through it to make sure it's all pretty much as it was when I removed it from the bale, and giving it to the bucks. They usually only get pasture and haygrazer for their roughage and readily welcomed a treat.  
But, if the does aren't eating the hay because it's musty for some reason or is really really prickly, I use it for mulch.

I have a tray at the bottom of the hay racks to help catch all the leafy bits as well. I usually don't have as much of a problem with spillage when I'm feeding a grass mix (like what my bucks get), though.

Another influencing factor (at least for me) is that I offer hay pretty much everywhere, LOL. I have a major hay rack in each shed, and then two haybags - one with a grass mix and one with alfalfa - out in the general area, on the fence. That way when it rains I can scurry out there and put them up. :lol:


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

Oh, and the hayrack designs mentioned work great.  They did help reduce waste when I first put them out in the pens, both for my does and the up-and-coming bucks.


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Hay racks*



thegoatgirl said:


> Oh, and the hayrack designs mentioned work great.  They did help reduce waste when I first put them out in the pens, both for my does and the up-and-coming bucks.


Can you post a pic of them? Inside and out? So, you can bring the outside ones in? :laugh: Maybe I am misunderstanding, but that sounds cool!


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

odieclark said:


> Can you post a pic of them? Inside and out? So, you can bring the outside ones in? :laugh: Maybe I am misunderstanding, but that sounds cool!


I would love to, but my camera actually choked out its last breath around three weeks ago and I currently have nothing else to use.  I am a techtard to the extreme, LOL.

But, if I manage to fix it of scrape together enough to get a new one, I would be more than happy to do so! I have the double sided feeder (in this link: https://www.premier1supplies.com/img/instruction/127.pdf ), and it's not entirely home-made -- I got a metal hayrack and then inserted a hog panel (like a cattle panel with really small squares) to reduce them pulling giant mouthfuls out and wasting them.
I'll go through my old photos for you too.


----------



## thegoatgirl (Nov 27, 2011)

So, I guess I shouldn't say I have the exact feeder in the link (it's metal and a bit smaller) but it is based off the same design.  I apologize if any of this is confusing or absolute gibberish, I'm running on fumes right now.


----------



## eazis1952 (Jul 6, 2015)

anyone have pictures to show there hay feeder


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I have a picture of mine, but not on the device I'm using. I'll try to remember to post it later. I used these istructions, but changed it up a bit:

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/feeders/feeder.shtml

I find that it wastes a TON of hay. I'm about to built a feeder using Premeir1's instructions that have already been listed. I'm hoping that will reduce the waste at least a little


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

... :lol:


----------



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

lottsagoats1 said:


> I made a hay feeder out of a futon frame and chain link fencing. They still waste some, but not as much as before. I scrape up the dropped hay and feed it to the horses.


Photograph please!!! :think:


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Here we go. This was before I put hay in it for them. I ended up putting a piece of plywood in the bottom because the hay fell out so much, and a piece of plywood on top with some heavy buckets on it to keep the little goats from jumping in and pooping in the hay :?


----------



## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

And also, my previous hay feeding method is pictured in the bottom left corner. That method worked alright, not a whole lot of waste. I just couldn't leave it out free choice because I only had two tubs.


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Hay feeders & reusing dropped hay*



goathiker said:


> ... :lol:


What is the picture of goat hiker? Did I miss something/

Looking forward to some good ideas, this could be helpful. Maybe we can build something over the winter.
:ram:

1.) How do you deal with the hay getting wet/rained on, or snowed on?

2.) Does everyone feed inside during very wet or snowy weather?

3.) What do you do with hay that ends up on the ground, gets wet, gets soiled, or is scooped off of the ground after sitting for a few days/week? I did see that some feed it to horses or use for bedding for the hens, but any other suggestions or safe use/reuse? Can beef cattle or pigs eat it?

Hay Rack suggestions offered here, and links on this thread that I noticed are:

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/feeders/feeder.shtml
https://www.premier1supplies.com/img/instruction/127.pdf

Do the goats or sheep damage the wood? Our goats have been very hard on the wood structure that they have outside.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I only feed inside shelter. My wasted hay is used for bedding.


----------



## GoatMama123 (Sep 9, 2015)

Waste hay = bedding

OR my personal favorite....

You can use it as an excuse to get a cow or a cute mini horse/donkey to eat the waste!


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Inside seems to be the preference!


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The picture is of my hay net :lol:

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/hay-hoops-collapsible-wall-hay-feeder-1


----------



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

I wanted to keep my hay inside as well but really didn't want to lose that much indoor space, so I got a really big doghouse for free from Craigslist & put it up on a few cinder blocks. (The goats like to nap under it.) Then I put 3 or 4 slats a few inches apart across the bottom half of the doghouse door. I can jam over half a bale in there through the top half of the door if I'm careful. It's up off the ground so they have to stand on their hind legs to eat. They put their front feet on the cinder blocks. That way it's harder for them to pull their heads out while they chew & drop hay all over the place. They still waste plenty though! If it's clean I put it back. I tried hay pellets last winter because it's hard to keep my bales dry. Even with less waste it still costed more, & I kind of thought it left the goats with too much spare time. I'm not sure if I'll do it again. I didn't figure in the cost of throwing moldy ruined hay into the compost when I figured out the economics of hay pellets vs. bales, though. I just found a Tractor Supply store & saw those compressed bales--I could keep them in the house in trash bags. Has anyone used those & what did you think? Weight-wise they feel like maybe half a regular bale?


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The 2 feet wide ones are @ 80 lbs. and the one foot wide ones are @ 55 lbs. The stems are crushed so they do eat more and sort less.


----------



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

goathiker said:


> The 2 feet wide ones are @ 80 lbs. and the one foot wide ones are @ 55 lbs. The stems are crushed so they do eat more and sort less.


Cool! I wonder how much a normal bale weighs? I'm definitely going to try those compressed bales when the damp season starts. They will make my husband very happy by not shedding all over the car!


----------



## Harriet_and_Hens (Apr 26, 2015)

catharina said:


> Cool! I wonder how much a normal bale weighs? I'm definitely going to try those compressed bales when the damp season starts. They will make my husband very happy by not shedding all over the car!


Good idea! I think I might give these a go as well, since we've only got 3 goats, maybe it won't cost TOO much! Plus, maybe they will actually like it onder:


----------



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I use compressed bales as well. Both my goats and my donkey waste less. And at $25/50# of hay I gotta keep waste to a minimum.


----------



## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Dayna said:


> I use compressed bales as well. Both my goats and my donkey waste less. And at $25/50# of hay I gotta keep waste to a minimum.


How do they waste less?  Do you just put the whole thing in the feeder & let them gnaw on it? Hay is so expensive here too--some is trucked in from out of state. I try to save on feed costs by bringing home big branches for them as often as I can.


----------



## skip123 (Mar 30, 2016)

I am very new to goats, got them in March. I've come to the conclusion that hay is not their preference though I have it always available to them. It is that last thing mine will eat.

In anticipation of their wastefulness I put an old container from a freezer up high enough that they have to reach up to pull some out. It fits a flake, and after a few days I put the leftover for bedding or feed to other animals.


----------



## GoatMama123 (Sep 9, 2015)

^^^ Genius Skip123.

I made my own feeder with over left over no limb fence. No pretty but does the job.

I use to use a nice horse feeder which a scoop catch (kind of looks like a J shape) but the goats would just jump in it and sleep in in


----------

