# Free choice hay vs hay at night only



## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

We have 5 Nubian does, 3 of which are borderline obese. They have about an acre to roam and around and graze on, but they choose to stay primarily in their barn and chow down on alfalfa. I know they aren't grazers, but we take them out everyday for about an hour to a field and they graze the whole time. So I know they can graze, but it's easier and tastier to eat alfalfa all day. 

We have a 4 acre field that we are going to fence in this spring, and we are wanting to put them out there during the day and make them walk off some of the weight. We've never kept them from hay before, so I don't know how they will fare. This is a last resort, as we have tried everything I know of to make them drop the weight. 

We have to have alfalfa, as one of our milk customers has Down syndrome and severe allergies and our milk is only one of two things he can eat or drink. They only get a handful of grain each day, and I can drop that totally. I just don't think a handful of grain is doing much to a 230 pound goat. 

Any suggestions are welcome.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I only give hay at night. Mine graze in the field all day. It took them a bit to figure it out, since i used to hay in the morning as well. If they have plenty of quality browse I say put them in the pasture. It must cost you a fortune to free feed alfalfa.


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

It does cost a fortune, at $18/bale. I'm excited to move them out to pasture, for that reason too.


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

I give free choice grass hay only. I ration the alfalfa depending on body conditioning. I would cut back so that they get hungry and want to go out and graze.


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## Survey0r (Nov 25, 2014)

thomcarol--- 
How much alfalfa do they consume "free choice"??


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I would feed them only at night as well. I would keep doing the alfalfa because they will get plenty of grass during the day. Goats are very smart and they use that to also be lazy. So if they can get all they want just standing in one spot they will do it. If you can just fill up the feeder and in the morning kick them out of that area and shut the gate. That would be the most easiest way instead of trying to figure out how much they actually eat just for night time. You could also change to alfalfa pellets for their dinner as well. When I turn mine out to graze they actually only get a small amount of grain to bring them in at night, but mine are boers not milkers so I would go with the pellets and it would cut down on waste if your having a problem with that


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## Riverside Fainters (Feb 6, 2013)

I feed my goats hay twice a day morning and night. Granted its not Alfaalfa, but when summer comes the girls usually only get a small amount of hay then they are left to fend for themselves the rest of the time. The boys will be moving out to the farm for the summer and only get hay at night probably and graze the rest of the day.


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

In the winter, my girls go through about 2 1/2 bales a week, summer is about 2 a week. 

Thanks for everyone's advice, I'm going to start giving them less hay in the mornings and make them graze the acre that they already have and once the rest is fenced in, I'll do away with their morning feeding altogether.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

You are feeding about the same as we do on a dry lot at about 1 decent sized flake (16-18 flakes per bale) per goat per day. I would feed only at night and half the amount you have been feeding.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

How are your girls doing? I honestly don't have any problem with obesity! I am trying to figure out how to get my girls to gain wait, but they refuse to eat the alfalfa pellets! 
How are they doing on the pasture?


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

They are doing well. I'm giving them almost half the hay than before. None have lost weight, that I can tell, but I haven't been doing it very long. Mine probably would refuse to eat the pellets, too. They are spoiled, picky eaters!


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

thomcarol said:


> They are doing well. I'm giving them almost half the hay than before. None have lost weight, that I can tell, but I haven't been doing it very long. Mine probably would refuse to eat the pellets, too. They are spoiled, picky eaters!


Thank you! I'd like to hear how they do if you wouldn't mind updating! 
Good luck!


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

Sure thing! I think the true test will come in the spring when we fence our field in so they can graze a lot more.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Goats are smart. Why work for food when they don't have to. 

Went through this last year. I finally just stop giving hay at all. They screamed at me for a few days and then bam they started to eat the weeds and grass.


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## thomcarol (Feb 3, 2012)

I agree, Stacy. When anyone sees my fat goats, they ask when they are due. They look pregnant year round. This year, they are pregnant so I'm curious to see how big they get. Last time they were pregnant, one gave us quads and the other was a ff that kidded triplets.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

thomcarol said:


> They look pregnant year round. This year, they are pregnant so I'm curious to see how big they get. Last time they were pregnant, one gave us *quads* and the other was a *ff that kidded triplets*.


Wow! What are you feeding them? Hee, hee, just kidding!


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