# Standlee Alfalfa Timothy pellets ok for goats? How much?



## KristiStone

Lately the alfalfa that's available around here is really thick-stemmed and the goats leave a lot of it behind, which causes me to think that they probably aren't getting all of the nutrients that they were before due to the quality of the hay. A few weeks back, we started supplementing with a little bit of Goat Chow, but because the amount that we can give to non-lactating goats is very limited, I decided to add some alfalfa pellets to supplement the alfalfa hay. 

I was able to find Standlee Alfalfa Timothy Pellets, but I noticed that the protein level is only 12%. Do y'all think that this pellet with this protein level would work out if I'm still giving the same amount of alfalfa hay, as well as a daily serving (proportionate to their weight, of course) of Goat Chow?

TIA!


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## KristiStone

Oh--also, these pellets are recommended for horses (which for some reason I didn't notice when I picked them up), so I'm not sure of the recommended amount that I can give to my goats. Can I use the feed calculator on the Standlee website to tell me how much is ok for them?


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## KristiStone

Ugh, nm. The feed calculator isn't going to work I don't think. Does anyone know what the correct amount is for a goat--if they can eat this, I mean.


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## goathiker

They are fine for goats, it's the Timothy hay that brings the protein down. they can have them free choice if you'd like. just work them up to where they are getting all they will eat in a day without digging through and wasting them.


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## cfish001

I have been feeding Standlee alfalfa pellets (not alfalfa/timothy)to my goats for years. I pretty much let them eat that they want. They get that in the milking room, but get alfalfa hay and orchard grass in the barn. In addition, I also give to them free choice baking soda, and flax seed meal along with a goat mineral. Have been looking for kelp to give them free choice but havent found a reasonable priced kelp.

However, recently the Standlee pellets seemed to have gotten lots of powder in the bags. They have also recently removed the label from the bags that they are free of noxious weeds. Dont know why they did this, but I have started to look for a replacement brand. My husband just picked a new brand that he got from Wilco, but I don't remember the brand name. Standlee comes in 40 lb bags. This new brand is in 50lb bags, says they are sun dried and the bags are free of powder so far. Also, they do state it is free of noxious weeds. And the goats seem to like it so far. We have tried other brands and we have gotten looks from our goats like they are saying "really??? what is this stuff - I don't like it!" 

For my own health reasons, I dont grain my goats. 

Carrol


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## KristiStone

goathiker said:


> They are fine for goats, it's the Timothy hay that brings the protein down. they can have them free choice if you'd like. just work them up to where they are getting all they will eat in a day without digging through and wasting them.


Perfect, that totally works for me. Thanks Goathiker!



cfish001 said:


> I have been feeding Standlee alfalfa pellets (not alfalfa/timothy)to my goats for years. I pretty much let them eat that they want. They get that in the milking room, but get alfalfa hay and orchard grass in the barn. In addition, I also give to them free choice baking soda, and flax seed meal along with a goat mineral. Have been looking for kelp to give them free choice but havent found a reasonable priced kelp.
> 
> However, recently the Standlee pellets seemed to have gotten lots of powder in the bags. They have also recently removed the label from the bags that they are free of noxious weeds. Dont know why they did this, but I have started to look for a replacement brand. My husband just picked a new brand that he got from Wilco, but I don't remember the brand name. Standlee comes in 40 lb bags. This new brand is in 50lb bags, says they are sun dried and the bags are free of powder so far. Also, they do state it is free of noxious weeds. And the goats seem to like it so far. We have tried other brands and we have gotten looks from our goats like they are saying "really??? what is this stuff - I don't like it!"
> 
> For my own health reasons, I dont grain my goats.
> 
> Carrol


Thanks for sharing that, Carrol. I have no real idea what the quality of these pellets are yet because I haven't yet opened them. The Standlee was the only brand I saw that was only hay pellets (no molasses or any other additives). Well wait---there was one other brand that didn't have much writing on it at all, it was just a white bag that Tractor Supply had available. I wasn't able to locate the ingredient list right away (no tag with the protein level, etc.) so I passed it up and went to the goat feed section. Ten million options for "sweet feed", but almost no straight pellets. Will definitely keep in mind to look for bags that say "no noxious weeds" in the future.


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## Nullita

Kelp was mentioned here. I offered my goats kelp but mixed it in with their Timothy/ Alfalfa pellets. They didn't like it at all. I really hate to waste the kelp bought, so am open to suggestions.


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## ksalvagno

Did you try feeding the kelp by itself?


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## AncientBlue

Mine get 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets 2x a day with their grain. They LOVE the stuff. If they can get where I store it, they will knock it off the shelf and smash the container with their hooves until it pops open. Then it's a free-for-all.


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## KristiStone

AncientBlue said:


> Mine get 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets 2x a day with their grain. They LOVE the stuff. If they can get where I store it, they will knock it off the shelf and smash the container with their hooves until it pops open. Then it's a free-for-all.


Ha ha--I could TOTALLY see that happening here. My goats couldn't keep their noses out of it when I was trying to scoop it out this morning. Luckily, I was faster and smarter than they are, ha ha. ;-P


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## cfish001

My goats do the same thing - You can hardly pour the alfalfa pellets into the feeding bin at milking time. They love it and it is almost like candy to them. They are almost the same way about alfalfa hay. They absolutely seem to love it. I put orchard grass hay and alfalfa hay together in the hay feeder. The alfalfa is always gone first.


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## KristiStone

Must be some good stuff!


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## Greybird

My goats are the same way about their Standlee alfalfa pellets. They go nuts! I think they would snarf up the entire bag in one sitting if they ever managed to get at it.
I give each one about 1 1/2 cups full of pellets once a day, along with free choice orchard grass hay and Manna Pro goat minerals which are always available. I have baking soda on hand if it's needed, but they don't have access to it. They also have a mineralized salt block to play with. I don't know if they get much benefit out of it but they seem to enjoy it and I figure it won't do them any harm. 
They also have access to plenty of browse in the woods whenever they want it.


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## GoatMama123

Hi all, sorry to high jack this with my own pellet question but if I want to feed alfalfa pellets to my 9 week olds... how much should I start them on? Mine also seems to be intended for horses so the measurements don't go low enough. Same question on BOSS?

I have heard goats will eat grain until they literally die, is this just on grain. I only want to give them a tiny bit on the milking stand while training them.


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## ksalvagno

Start out with half a cup each and slowly build up with the alfalfa pellets. I would only give the 9 week olds like a teaspoon of BOSS. You only give them a little. The oil can coat their intestine and block absorption of minerals and vitamins.


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## GoatMama123

Is BOSS not as good for them as I thought?


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## ksalvagno

Only in small quantities. More is definitely not better in this case. Better to give less than more.


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## cfish001

GoatMama123 said:


> Hi all, sorry to high jack this with my own pellet question but if I want to feed alfalfa pellets to my 9 week olds... how much should I start them on? Mine also seems to be intended for horses so the measurements don't go low enough. Same question on BOSS?
> 
> I have heard goats will eat grain until they literally die, is this just on grain. I only want to give them a tiny bit on the milking stand while training them.


That is why I refuse to grain my goats. In addition, It goes into the milk and becomes a problem for those with celiac disease. I have heard that those that grain their goats get more milk, but I would rather avoid the grain altogether.

I dont give alfalfa pellets to my young kids. I let them eat the alfalfa that is in the hay feeder when they are ready to. They will do that on their own, watching the other goats eat and they will try it and gradually eat more. My goats get alfalfa hay and orchard grass hay. The alfalfa has calcium and the orchard grass has potassium. Both are needed for your goats health.

IMO, the alfalfa pellets just another form of alfalfa. It has been grinded (stems and all) down to powder form and then pressed into pellets using machinery. I have considered getting a pelletizer to cut the cost down because the cost of a bale of alfalfa is still cheaper then the same weight in pellets.

My goats in the milking room get cut alfalfa then pellets on top of it. I started out using alfalfa pellets exclusively (with orchard grass hay in the hay feeder) and now my goats refuse to let us milk unless they have pellets.

I have been investigating putting the alfalfa thru a shredder to get it into smaller pieces to replace the pellets....


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## GoatMama123

The hay I have is from a field down the road, I think it is just a normal grass hay...so I wanted to supplement them with a better quality, I don't have enough storage to buy orchard or alfalfa hay by the ton or even half ton so purchasing them individually I think would get expensive. I though pellets were a good alternative to maybe give it to them as a treat on the milking stand to limit waste and make sure they are eating it.


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## cfish001

GoatMama123 said:


> The hay I have is from a field down the road, I think it is just a normal grass hay...so I wanted to supplement them with a better quality, I don't have enough storage to buy orchard or alfalfa hay by the ton or even half ton so purchasing them individually I think would get expensive. I though pellets were a good alternative to maybe give it to them as a treat on the milking stand to limit waste and make sure they are eating it.


Standlee brand also makes pellets from other hays: I have seen alfalfa, orchard and timothy grass pellets and even beet pellets. They seem to have a wide variety. The brand we have just went to on the alfalfa pellets is "payback" made in Sioux Fall, SD. Standlee is in Idaho.

The only reason we have enough storage is because we purchased 2 40' ocean going container. Much cheaper than building a big barn. But I don't buy by the ton. We purchase them individually from the feed store, so yes it is expensive. For good quality hay, alfalfa or orchard grass, it runs almost $20 a bale in my area.

I am now trying to find a good source of alfalfa and orchard grass to get directly from a grower. The search is on.....


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