# Not eating Alfalfa



## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

My milking doe Buffy has not been eating her Chaffhaye Alfalfa. I mix it in with her feed. She has never liked Alfalfa pellets, picks right around them. But she doesn't want to eat the Chaffhaye so much she just gives up on picking through it. She'll eat all of her feed and Calf Manna with out the alfalfa in it. Im at a loss because her milk production is dropping. Will she snap out of it? Or will she always not like it anymore?
Thank you for your help!
:grouphug:


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

That is strange. Is it just the one doe who doesn't like it? 

It sounds like she's maybe becoming a bit spoiled....so she's just becoming picky with her food? I would give her plenty of alfalfa only in the mornings and then grain her in the evening...that way she's going to be more inclined to eat that vs. just her grain....see if that doesn't help.

I've never had a goat dislike alfalfa so maybe it's just the chaffhaye that she doesn't like. Maybe she needs the baled stuff instead. Have you tried baled alfalfa? I wish I had more suggestions for ya.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

We can't get straight alfalfa here unless its 3x3x8 bales that cost way too much now.
We do feed really good quality timothy/grass hay that she gobbles up.
She HATES alfalfa pellets, wont touch them.

I can just give her alfalfa pellets in the evening, but in the morning I milk her before I go to school so I don't have time to wait for her to Not eat the alfalfa, lol. She gets 8 cups grain(split into two feedings) so if I take out 4 cups of the grain, will it affect her too much?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Hmmm...well I don't know what to tell ya then. That's a shame she won't eat it. How long have you been milking her? 
You can experiment with taking 4 cups out of her diet and see how that goes. She is a nigerian, correct? 8 cups seems like quite a bit for one feeding.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

She is a saanen, I forgot to mention that in my post.
She kidded on March 19th and we started milking her once a day 2 weeks later by seperating her kid at night. We weaned her buck kid about a month ago, not really wanting to but someone wanted him and he was already eating good. She has been getting milked twice a day. She was giving a half gallon a day but now can barely get 5 cups.
So I guess she is about a month and a half fresh? I'm bad at calculating lol.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

could you fool her .. by spritzing with some molassus? Maybe she'd get a taste for it after a while????


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

Thats an option! I've got plenty of molasses hangin around. Not to find a squirt bottle....if it can even go through! LOL
Thank you!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Yea... what's that saying about "as slow as mollasus in winter"???? you might have to mix it in a bowl... Ha ha


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

:slapfloor: Most likely! Ill try this tonight while I milk her and let you all know.
Thanks! :hug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You can do what I do with the little kids ..that don't like their grain.....

open her mouth and put some Chaffhaye Alfalfa...or the Alfalfa pellets in her mouth ...give it to her a few times....making sure.. she eats just a few...she will spit it out but... she is still getting some down her and she is tasting it... then... let her go....do this periodically through the day....for a while...and each day...this gets her to get the taste for the stuff ....it has worked for me...with the babies to get them started.......... if she starts eating the stuff on her own...it doesn't have to be much.... but that tells... that she will get into eating it for you...good luck... :wink: :greengrin:


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## GoatJoy (Aug 9, 2010)

We are having the same issue. there was someone else that was having the same problem with their doe not eating alfalfa as well. So strange onder: My doe used to eat them all the time and now she wont. She picks through them and spits them out if i mix them with her grain and it takes FOREVER for her to finish picking through her feed. Most of the time she will just leave the feed sitting in the bowl if I mix it. I think I've spoiled her though. I think she will pick it back up in the winter when she doesnt have so much other stuff to eat. I've also been buying them that really really sticky sweet feed...that could be the problem too..but she still wont eat the alfalfa if I hide it in that either.. :shrug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I use a blender to chop the pellets into smaller pieces...I have had does choke on them and this makes them more mamnageable, I also have a doe that won't even touch her grain if theres a pellet in the mix, the smaller pieces as well as the alfalfa dust that comnes from the blender is what I add to her grain, she's getting plenty that way because the dust sticks to the grain mix.


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## GoatJoy (Aug 9, 2010)

liz said:


> I use a blender to chop the pellets into smaller pieces...I have had does choke on them and this makes them more mamnageable, I also have a doe that won't even touch her grain if theres a pellet in the mix, the smaller pieces as well as the alfalfa dust that comnes from the blender is what I add to her grain, she's getting plenty that way because the dust sticks to the grain mix.


 lol I think I read this in the other post about alfalfa. I've been thinking about it ever since..wondering if my blender could take it LOL it's old. Very good idea though! I think I'm going to try it. Do you use just a regular kitchen blender?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

A coffe bean grinder also would work. You can get one for $10 at walmart and some markets have them.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

Thats a good idea liz!

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Oh and GoatJoy, I also got some really sticky sweet feed, and not long after she started slowing down....Maybe the feed is just too hot (to digest) and the warm weather is playing a role?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

A super sticky feed would cause her to not want to eat...you can mix some oats into it to help with the sticky.

Yes...I use a standard kitchen blender, it's at least 12 years old too. Trick is to chop just a cup or 2 at a time, it's quick and it doesn't take it's toll on the motor.


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

She eats all of the sticky grain, but if theres alfalfa or chaffhaye in it, she picks and picks and picks and then just gives up. I am going to see if my little blender will chop up some alfalfa and put it in her feed.


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## MindieRose (Apr 28, 2011)

All of my goats love alfalfa pellets except my lamancha. My lamancha won't eat her feed if there is any sea kelp on it either. She barely chokes down the goat feed from Family Farm and Home, and would rather have the mix she was getting at her previous owners that I have yet to duplicate. What's up with picky goats? According to Loony Tunes, they should eat tin cans and everything!


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## GotmygoatMTJ (Apr 25, 2009)

Maybe I should mix some tin cans in her food! 

She devoured the chaffhaye this evening. I was kinda shocked. Haha. My friend ground the alfalfa pellets with his mortar and pestil (sp?) so I sprinkled that on her feed. She wasn't really impressed but there was still some big chunks in it from earlier, so maybe tomorrow morning. lol


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