# Pros and cons of free choice alfalfa pellets?



## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

I have three goats, a doe in milk, her doeling, and a wether. I'd like to offer free choice alfalfa pellets, but I'm worried my wether would get stones from it. 

My ND doe gets 6 cups of 17% sweet feed and 2 cups of sprouted lentils a day. She has free choice hay and minerals. I've attempted to give her alfalfa pellets mixed with her sweet feed and she flat out refuses to eat it. My wether thinks any kind of food is great and will eat as much as he can. 

We don't have a large area for them so they don't get much forage. 

Thoughts?


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Six cups of grain?!?! Wow!! 

Following because I've been considering free choice alfalfa pellets at some point.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

I have four wethers and have always fed alfala pellets. They get about a half cup each because they are on diets right now. I feed a grain called Nutrena which has ammonium Chloride in it for the wethers. I also put Ammonium chloride it their drinking water every day and never had any issue with stones.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Six cups of grain for the doe in milk is totally fine, it's probably less than 2 lbs. Some heavy producing milking does eat three times that.

Here is a good read on alfalfa feeding and wethers: http://adkgoats.blogspot.com/2013/02/calcium-phosphorus-ratio-why-alfalfa-is.html

Here are a few threads on the topic: http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f217/question-about-alf-pellets-free-choice-177992/

http://www.thegoatspot.net/forum/f217/free-choice-alfalfa-pellets-146999/

In my personal opinion, I think it would be fine to offer free choice grass hay, free choice alfalfa pellets, and then feed the wether a ration of pelleted grain with AC in it each day to increase phosphorus (balance the alfalfa calcium). In most cased, Urinary Calculi is caused by high phosphorous, but it is possible that high calcium can cause it as well. So the balance is important.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Thank you for the links! 

She gives 2.25-2.5lbs of milk a day, but I'm also trying to get weight on her as she looks skinny to me.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Is this a ND? Or a standard doe?


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

My goats didn't like alfalfa pellets either when I started mixing some in with their grain - they would actually eat around the pellets, or even spit the alfalfa out!  I guess they developed a liking for them, though, and now all of my goats will eat the pellets.


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

She is a ND


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## TeyluFarm (Feb 24, 2016)

Just as an update, I've been offering free choice alfalfa pellets and they are thriving now. My doe, Nala, has always been laid back and quiet but after a few weeks of the free choice pellets she's turned into a rambunctious goat again. I laughed myself silly last night watching her evade my husbands attempts to catch her. Her milk production has gone up as well.

They also act like the pellets are the greatest thing ever , as long as I don't attempt to mix it with their sweet feed. 

Over all I'm very happy I've given them free choice pellets.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad they are doing well.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I might try the same...


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