# Anyone Try or Use ChaffHaye for Goats?



## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Just curious if anyone here has tried or used ChaffHaye for their goats? Thoughts?

Here at home we do not have as much space to store hay and I hate all the waste. Even when our goats get the highest quality, Eastern hay that is beautifully green and gorgeous (they get nice hay all the time anyways) but they still pull out some! :hair: They say that there is no waste at all with the ChaffHaye and it is highly digestible. Sounds great but would love to hear your thoughts.

Here's the website: http://www.chaffhaye.com/index.php?page_name=splash


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## Shelly (Oct 5, 2007)

I haven't used it, But I know two breeder who swear by it. They love the stuff say there is no waste and the goats grow great on it. Shelly


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I use dengi.. i think it's the same as that. I use the alfalfa because they would always waste the alfalfa hay. I give mostly regular hay with some of the dengi.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I have never heard of it. I use an orchard, timothy, brome cross for mine.


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## Firestone Creek Farm (Jul 11, 2008)

I love the idea of the ChaffHaye, but I'm on the east coast and didn't find many dealers. I don't have the storage room, period, and the cost is UP THERE, too! I emailed about becoming a dealer in NC, but i can't afford it.


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## all1965 (Oct 6, 2007)

We use Chaffhaye.
We use the Alfalfa and there is no waste. But we don't use it as our hay source. We mix our grain with it and they eat it as there grain ration. I also feed hay. We are going to have to stop useing it though because there are no dealers that are closer than 5 hrs. We could become a dealer but we would have to order $2,000 worth of Chaffhaye and we can't afford to spend that much at one time. Plus it would take us forever to use that amount up.

One of our Fainter friends uses it as there sole food with a little grain. They don't use much hay if any. They have great results.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm mainly interested in using it over the winter, MUCH easier to store than bales of hay, less space. We have the space to store a ton of hay (I think, it's about 11x6, 8 ft. high) but I just like the idea of ChaffHaye better. Plus, we'll have to take a portion of the hay storage area and make two kidding stalls for the spring.

So, I think we'll get some of this for the winter. Probably 10 or so of the grass and 3 alfalfa. We'll still get some bales of hay and straw. Leave some hay out free-choice. Only thing that I wonder about is how much to feed mini-goats? You don't leave it our free-choice, right? That doesn't sound right. I think it said something about 1-2 lbs. per 100 lbs. body weight. But, do they eat it all at once and that's it, or pick at it throughout the day??


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

A friend of ours is a dealer in VA. He just started using it and loves it, there if no waste to speak of. I think he said they just eat it all at once, but I could be wrong..


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## nigerianmeadows (Dec 12, 2010)

We use 1 bag every 2-3 days (3 in summer, 2 in colder weather) for 7 nigerian dwarfs. Once we added an alpine, we go through 1 bag every day. We love it, but it does get pricey. I think I'm going to become a dealer due to the cost factor. :lovey: 
Jordana
nigerianmeadows.com


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## mommaB (Oct 1, 2009)

I too have seen this. And have seen people with it at shows(portability?). But here is my question? If goats are supposed to "browse" all day, how does that work with feeding in winter when there is no browse. I mean if they eat it all at once what do they munch on the rest of the day? I thought as ruminants they were supposed to have feed available at all times? I dunno?


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

I LOVE it!
except it's $18 a bag...yikes!

no waste and the goats look great!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm going to google this to find out what all of you are talking about... I use alfalfa for their browse, and they do waste alot.. I use it for their bedding mostly.. 
Capriola, will you let me know how this works for you when you switch?? since your climate will be really similar to mine here just north of Seattle.
Thanks
Heidi


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## newtopygmies (May 26, 2010)

I can get bermuda grass in this "neck of the woods" pretty cheap. So I think I will pass on the Chaffhaye. My goats seem to like the cheapest "mulch hay" the best and that is fine with me. I'll just give them a a little sweet feed now and then...they never waste that. Right now any hay that is not eaten serves well as bedding so I don't think any is being wasted right now.

P.S. I mix some sunflower seeds with the sweet feed to up the protien and also to make the coats shiny. Am begining to switch to some goat feed (16%) cause its about as cheap as sweet feed. I think I'll mix the two...plus the sunflower seed.

I give mine feed about every two days...hay all the time = chubby goats.


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## dixiegirl3179 (Jan 20, 2010)

Triple Crown makes that stuff too. I used to feed it to my thoroughbred that was a hard keeper..trying to get some weight on her. It is definitely easier to transport (ie: I could carry it in the backseat of my car, can't do that with a bale of hay without a mess) and store. It's more expensive though. I would love to feed it to my goats but can only imagine how much it would cost to feed it to 10 goats! There are no dealers for this brand near me, but I think I remember the Triple Crown being about the same amount ($18 for 50lbs of Alfalfa). Hmm..if I do the math I would be feeding about 15lbs a day which would be just over 2 bags a week..I guess that wouldn't be too bad especially if I could cut back on grain. May have to see if the feed store will order it for me.


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

> Triple Crown makes that stuff too


The Triple Crown product is not the same as Chaffhaye. The Chaffhaye is fermented and therefore is a "moist" product. The Triple Crown is a dried chopped product that has been misted with molasses to reduce dust, but is a dry product.

Karla


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## dixiegirl3179 (Jan 20, 2010)

icboers said:


> > Triple Crown makes that stuff too
> 
> 
> The Triple Crown product is not the same as Chaffhaye. The Chaffhaye is fermented and therefore is a "moist" product. The Triple Crown is a dried chopped product that has been misted with molasses to reduce dust, but is a dry product.
> ...


I didn't know that. After reading the descriptions on both sites they sound like the same thing. Learn something new every day. I can't get the Chaffhaye where I live . I don't know if the Triple Crown Alfalfa Forage would be just as good.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I tried to check out the chaffhaye locally but they stopped carrying it due to lack of interest ...with only 2 nigies, I didn't know if I could finish a bag before it spoiled...it sure sounded like a good idea though,and compact!


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

We really like the product and the goats love it too. We recently started trying the Grass Chaffhaye and we like it just as well. We feed it to our horses and the bucks who don't really need the alfalfa.

If the Triple Crown stuff is like the TNT Chopped alfalfa from Tractor Supply Co. then no it is not as good. We bought a bag of that once and our girls wouldnt even touch it.

Karla


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## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

I have heard good and bad things about it. The shop I work at deals Chaffhaye. Some people have had problems with storing it, they said it got moldy. But, really, once you open it, it needs to be consumed or it does go moldy. I pretty much just buy Farmer's Best pelleted food. It is dry, and easy for me too keep. And, I am weird about how much molasses my goats get. I don't want to rot their teeth! LOL


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

It actually takes quite a while for it to mold, even in TX. And it almost never molds in the sack, unless the bag has a hole in it. Most people mistake the white stuff as mold and it is really yeast. The goats love it, and the horses dig around to find that first.

Karla


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## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

It is easier to put a hole in the plastic than you think though. And yes, this was mold, you could smell it.


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

Yeah, it is kinda easy and the feed stores can do it easy with a dolly or a forklift. It definitely has a distinct smell when its bad.

Karla


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## cyanne (Jan 7, 2009)

I tried it out for a while but had 2 problems....

First, it was tough to figure out HOW to feed it. Since it is kinda moist and crumbly, I couldn't put it in my regular hay feeders because it would have fallen out of the holes onto the ground and been wasted. So, I would take a couple buckets-full out to the pasture in the evenings and sprinkle it into their grain pans. Some of them loved it, but some were unimpressed, and I often ended up with tubs that were filled with equal parts chaffhaye, dirt, and goat pellets by the time I came out in the morning to feed grain.

Second, I kept getting bags that were molded. Not the fluffy white yeast cultures, but blue and brown nasty mold. All it takes is one tiny hold in the bag to introduce the spores, and it is really easy for that to happen in a big feedstore wharehouse when they are moving the bags around with forklifts and throwing them around and whatnot. Very annoying to pay $13 for a bag, get it home, start feeding a little, then find a bunch of yucky mold. Since we had a fellow breeder lose a very valuable doe last year from moldy hay, I am extra nervous about that.

Mostly now I feed bermuda coastal hay for daily browse, free choice. Then I feed 16% goat feed mixed with high-quality alfalfa pellets and sunflower seeds. They seem to like it and don't waste too much. Once show season starts, though, I will be feeding alfalfa hay again as well.


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

I hear you, I have been bragging on this product and have recently gotten a few bad bags as well as a few that have moldy spots in them. :veryangry: 

I am going to get a few more bags and if I continue to have this problem I will contact the company and find out what they plan to do about it.


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