# Who feeds chaffhaye?



## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

I've been feeding it for almost two months and my goats absolutely love it. Questions are:
1. How much can they really have? I've been giving each a handful twice a day 
2. Does it completely replace hay?
3. If not, can I feed grass hay and chaffhaye instead of alfalfa and grass hay?

Thanks! 


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I can't be of much help - I don't believe we have "chaffehay" available here in New England but if I remember right it is all alfalfa correct?

If it is alfalfa then I think mixing it with grass hay would be okay. The important thing is your calciumhosphorous ratio. Ideally, you want that at 2:1. Grass is hay is closed to 1:1 typically. Alfalfa is like 5:1. So to balance the ratio you would feed more grass than alfalfa. 

Hopefully someone that actually feeds chaffehay will jump in!


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

Yeah I think it's molasses sprayed alfalfa. They absolutely love it! Just want to make sure it's okay for them to have it all the time


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

The closest dealer I found for me was a 2hr drive into MA or 5hrs into NJ or a few hours into NY... I gave up on trying to get my hands on it at this point 
I have been buying the Lucerine Farm Alfa Supreme and they seem to like it  it doesn't have all the same benefits that the Chaffhaye does, but it seems to be pretty good other wise..
I know some breeders who feed just the chaffhaye and no hay or very limited hay..


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## still (Mar 16, 2013)

I'm curious too? I have availability but just haven't bought any yet. :think:


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

When I was a freshman in high school (can't believe it's been 5 yrs!) a girl at our school barn fed it. So I got done and my goat hated it. On a side note: I still have the same goat and he's picky about everything! But I kinda forgot about it until a couple months ago so I bought a bag and they love it. They would kill me to get to it! 


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

Chaffhaye is not molasses sprayed alfalfa. It is 100% alfalfa that was innoculated with bacteria then sealed in an airtight bag. It's silage. It's excellent feed for any livestock animal. I fed it for several months, but just couldn't afford to feed it any longer. Lucerne Farms/Dengie is the packaged feed that has been kiln dried and then sprayed with molasses before packaging. 

It can be fed as a total hay replacement or you can feed it along with hay. You have to be careful feeding over what the directions say because your animals will get fat quickly. (I think it was 1 pound of Chaffhaye per 100 pounds of body weight?) It is very easily digested due to the innoculant it was sprayed with (probiotics) that start to break down the fibrous cellulose in the alfalfa. You can find colonies of the innoculant in the bags-looks like white mold but it is not mold.

.


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh okay that's just what someone told me. I set out 1 handful for each goat, plus they graze/browse 


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Yes 2lbs per day per 100# of goat according to chaffhaye, for all chaffhaye diet, but most agree they really still need to have a good amount of browse and roughage too so find a ratio that works best for your goats.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

No it really is molasses that they spray on, the molasses starts a fermentation process that provides beneficial bacteria, but it all starts with the sugar fermentation process. Plus the fermentation process eats all the oxygen giving it the long shelf life. That being said if you poke a hole in the bag you introduce oxygen and cut the shelf life quite a bit.


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

So with ^ being said, how long is it good to use after opening a bag? I keep it in a trash can with the lid on


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## dusty205 (Mar 17, 2014)

I LOVE Chaffhaye. My goats look much better on it. I feed quite a bit of it, but I also give them free choice grass hay.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

I think the rep I talked to said around two weeks after opening but that can change with weather. You can freeze any amount that you think you will not use in that period and not loose nutritional value


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Un opened will last 16 months just don't put in direct sun or tarp it so it won't get hot under tarp


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

Mine lasts like 3 ish weeks, it still seems okay and doesn't dry out


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Cool! Dry out is not terrible, keep an eye for mold


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## still (Mar 16, 2013)

You can freeze it? Hhhmmmmm that's a great idea!


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Yeah especially for small herds, you can freeze ration bags that last 2 weeks or so, just don't forget to thaw the next ration!!!


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

That's awesome I'll have to do that! 


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I use it but I also give a small small amount of grass hay. Basically the grass hay is there to keep them munching happily. But I feed almost 2 gallons twice a day for 5 goats. So one bag lasts 9 -10 days. In the summer I'm told it spoils faster in our humidity here in NJ so I may have to bring it into the basement after opening if it starts to mold on me 

Yes it can be a complete hay replacement but I choose not to because I can't afford to. But I know of farms that do.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

They changed it then. Before I started feeding it, I spoke to the company and was told they do not use molasses at all.

Mine used to freeze solid in the winter but thawed out just fine. A bag only lasted 3 days at the most, so I never got to see how long an open bag would last.

Would love to be able to feed it again (but only if it dodn't have molasses on it) but it has to be specially ordered up here and just way too expensive. I use alfalfa pellets instead as a next best option. Can't get alfalfa hay up here either.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

They are spreading out in the east coast, you can call and see if there is a dealer near you! There is one just west of pittsburgh


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

It still has the beneficial yeast and other probios


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## wildegoats0426 (Aug 30, 2013)

I froze some so we'll see how it goes. Our bags sell for $13.50. All of my goats hate alfalfa pellets and the girls don't like alfalfa hay but everyone loves chaffhaye! 


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## Amyhis (May 4, 2013)

Does anyone notice an off-flavor to milk when they are on Chaffhaye? For the life of me, I can't figure out why my girls are having this strong, off flavor to their milk. The freshened about 3 weeks ago, been on pasture, their grain and chaffhaye. The Chaffhaye is the only new thing introduced since last milking season. I tested each goat's individual milk, and they both have the same flavor. (ruling out possible mastitis in one of the goats)onder:


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Are they getting their copper needs met?


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

Chadwick, you're starting to sound like an expert!  . How'd you learn so much about goats?  lol


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## Amyhis (May 4, 2013)

They have loose minerals sprinkled in their chaffhaye, and a vita mineral bucket that they love. At first I thought it was the vita bucket, so I took it away for a few days, but the taste remains.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

I learned it here!!!

Hmmmm.....


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Technically chaffhaye is just alfalfa molasses and some beneficial bacteria, common sense says probably not, but it may be worth it to try taking them off it.

It is a rich feed so change them to a new hay slowly over a couple of weeks. It will be a long term experiment to see if that is causing it.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I won a pkg of it at a raffle. So Im playing with it.
For the last few introduction days two of them really go for it. 
Im not near completely sold on it yet.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I've noticed a funny flavor too in my goats. But not willing to take them off it since the grass hay I have isn't nutritious enough. But they get all different things to eat then they did before with our new property so I'm not convinced the flavor is from the chaffhaye. Also before my goats were on straight alfalfa and their milk was sweet. So I'm leaning toward the ivy they eat as being the cause. Or maybe the pine.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Chadwick said:


> Technically chaffhaye is just alfalfa molasses and some beneficial bacteria, common sense says probably not, but it may be worth it to try taking them off it.
> 
> It is a rich feed so change them to a new hay slowly over a couple of weeks. It will be a long term experiment to see if that is causing it.


Chadwick! I'm impressed!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

We fed it for a while , but not really knowing how to feed it , i think we went through it faster then we should've. We were thinking of using it almost exclusively instead of hay. But i did offer them hay as well , just not nearly as much as before. I was looking for less waste and that definitely did it. None of them wasted any of it  I even have a dealer here on the Island , surprisingly enough  I need to get back to it and really figure out how much my girls and boys need. Im afraid to feed too much and of course too little. And , with the warm weather finally here now , I'm concerned about mold. My goats LOVED it though


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

Not sure if it is considered "chaffe hay" or not, but this, http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/lucerne-farmsreg%3B-hi-fibertrade%3B-horse-feed-40-lb, is what I used last winter when hay was getting scarce. They loved it and there was NO waste.

I gave them about a double handful each, morning and night. That stuff is really packed in the bag, so each 40 lb "bale" lasted almost a week while feeding 10 goats. This allowed me to cut the regular hay needed by almost half.

ETA: Forgot to mention, there was NO change in the flavor of the milk when feeding this product.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Laura I feed 2 gallon bucket of chaffhaye for my crew. (8 goats total)


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Thanks Stacy


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Ok I do feed a little extra grass hay (but less then a flake) or they get out to eat in the yard

1 bag of chaffhaye lasts me 9-10 days.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

That's good to know Stacy  When hay was real iffy I was so upset and i wanted to switch over to the chaff , but i really wasn't sure what was a correct amount for them. I usually need someone to "show" me and mentor me once then it sinks in , lol. The dealer out here feeds his Islandics almost solely the chaff and grass hay. In conversation he was saying numbers and whatever on how to figure out my herds feedings but at the time i was bug eyed over his beautiful barn and animals it sorta went in one ear out the other , lol. 
I would love to be able to feed my herd mainly the chaff and a lot less hay then i am now. The waste is ridiculous. I want to make it cost effective at some point. But , when we move I may not be lucky enough to find a dealer of chaff , so we will see


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

StaceyRosado said:


> Ok I do feed a little extra grass hay (but less then a flake) or they get out to eat in the yard
> 
> 1 bag of chaffhaye lasts me 9-10 days.


At least i have my Nigerians figured out now


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

CritterCarnival said:


> Not sure if it is considered "chaffe hay" or not, but this, http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/lucerne-farmsreg;-hi-fibertrade;-horse-feed-40-lb, is what I used last winter when hay was getting scarce. They loved it and there was NO waste.
> 
> I gave them about a double handful each, morning and night. That stuff is really packed in the bag, so each 40 lb "bale" lasted almost a week while feeding 10 goats. This allowed me to cut the regular hay needed by almost half.
> 
> ETA: Forgot to mention, there was NO change in the flavor of the milk when feeding this product.


I feed the 'Alfa Supreme' of this.  I like it and the goats all love it  it doesn't have the beneficial yeasts and probiotics that the Chaffhay has, but is similar to it otherwise  
I don't have a Chaffhay dealer close by so have to use that. I also like the Triple Crown brand.. But it's more expensive and my feed store special orders this for me..

I don't drink the milk (I don't like milk) but my family does and they haven't said anything about the taste.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

When I was figuring it out per the bags suggestion it says 2lbs per goat. And 2lbs comes out to what I'm feeding all of mine! But they were leaving the chaffhaye behind or some grass hay in the feeders so I knew I was feeding enough. 2lbs per goat is way more then they need.


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## FourCountryGals (Sep 16, 2012)

Would you believe we can't get 3 string bales of alfalfa? We're surrounded by close to 100 circles, and all the farmers are now producing only the big squares. We used the squares last year, but had an incredible amount of waste, between what blew away, what got covered in sand when the wind blew, and what spoiled because of moisture. 

This year, we have become regional distributors for Chaffhaye. We cover Utah, and Nevada.

We're feeding it to all our sheep and goats. The sheep get fed at about 3 lbs per 100 lb of weight, while we're feeding the goats about 2 lb per 100 lb of weight. 

We're located about 50 mi west of Cedar City, Utah and would love to hear from anyone in the area who want's to try out the Chaffhaye.


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