# Another Newbie question please



## kathyg (Jul 28, 2009)

THIS IS FOR 2 BABY PYGMIES which I am getting in the Spring.
Do I use hay or straw for the bedding please ? Someone said that straw doesn't break down so it's difficult to dipose of afterwards. They also said that hay clumps up and isn't very good for bedding.

I prefer to use hay as we get it by the square bales here (Scotland). I get it anyway for the hens, so it would be more convenient than straw.

Also in the day time when I am out at work. 
Would a shed 8' x 6' be big enough. 
Would a daytime pen of 20' x 20' be big enough ? With movement around the garden (in stock fencing) during the afternoon and weekends. 
It would be very nice to have a field or something but I don't. Just a biggish garden.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Those sizes are plenty big enough and as far as bedding,my goats waste enough hay that I just use what they won't eat as bedding. No need to spend extra $ for straw. Now you will likely need something under the hay to absorb the urine, around here most of us have access to pine shavings or the type of wood pellet used in horse stalls. A layer of wasted hay over it helps keep the goats from nibbling the wood.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

pen and shelter sizes sound good>

The bedding I use is also the wasted hay from their feeder -- goats waste a lot of hay!


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## kathyg (Jul 28, 2009)

Thankyou for your helpful replies. I was feeling a bit guilty, thinking that the pen / shed would not be big enough. Husband is going to put concrete flags down on some of it, to stop it getting churned over.
I can get very cheap straw and don't need to buy the full giant bale either. 
The only thing I would have to pay normal price for is the hay. 
Could I put straw under the hay for bedding ? If so, would I still have to use wood shavings underneath ?
Anyone else who uses straw ~ how do you dispose of it ?


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## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

liz said:


> Those sizes are plenty big enough and as far as bedding,my goats waste enough hay that I just use what they won't eat as bedding. No need to spend extra $ for straw. Now you will likely need something under the hay to absorb the urine, around here most of us have access to pine shavings or the type of wood pellet used in horse stalls. A layer of wasted hay over it helps keep the goats from nibbling the wood.


Ditto here. I use to buy straw to put down as bedding and use pine shavings underneath and I always spread out lime on the floor first. However, we've taken to feeding hay completely in the barn now and they waste more than enough for bedding so I don't buy straw for bedding in the barn.

I do buy straw and shavings (don't use cedar shavings) for kidding stalls. Straw is really dusty and so are the shavings so I like to do it when the goats are out of the barn.


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## kathyg (Jul 28, 2009)

Got a price on the hay and straw today.
For square bales.

£1 for straw
£3 for hay.
I think that is cheap but I don't know what this is in dollars.


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## jdgray716 (Aug 8, 2008)

Yea, here I have my pen covered for my girls and basically they are one a foot of hey pretty much from all that they waise. I normally move it out and start fresh moving from place to place but with the winter being here I just let it be. They stay warm and all the waste is doing some good. It also keeps the worms etc down so that is plus too.


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## lupinfarm (Aug 26, 2009)

Your pen and shelter sizes sound fine. My two Pygmy does (2 years and 10 months) share a 6x6 goat shed and will have access to a 30x30 pen when my hand is healed (broke it!). I put down 3 bags of pine pellets in with my goats, the kind that expand. I expanded them only a little, just a light spritz with a spray bottle of water, and they piled the rest up with hay while eating. The pellets soak up the pee, and the hay makes a nice bed.


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## lupinfarm (Aug 26, 2009)

If it helps, It took about 3 months to get through 50 small square bales of hay with my goats, and I used some of that to feed 2 horses as well. Small squares are generally about 40-65lbs each. I know space can be tight in the UK, me and my family are ex-pats, but you might luck out and find a farmer willing to store hay for you if you aren't able to store it at home. For instance, we buy 4x4-500lb round bales for our horses, we don't have storage so the man we buy from stores them for us. We pay for the bales ahead of time, and then pick up at our leisure. With our goat hay, we take 30 bales at a time.


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## kathyg (Jul 28, 2009)

lupinfarm said:


> If it helps, It took about 3 months to get through 50 small square bales of hay with my goats, and I used some of that to feed 2 horses as well. Small squares are generally about 40-65lbs each. I know space can be tight in the UK, me and my family are ex-pats, but you might luck out and find a farmer willing to store hay for you if you aren't able to store it at home. For instance, we buy 4x4-500lb round bales for our horses, we don't have storage so the man we buy from stores them for us. We pay for the bales ahead of time, and then pick up at our leisure. With our goat hay, we take 30 bales at a time.


Okay, thanks. 
The Farmer stores it in his barn until anyone needs 1 or 10 and then we just go and buy one when necessary. Don't need to pay upfront he said. We can store 1 bale each of straw and hay in our other shed. How long would a bale of hay last for 2 pygmies, you reckon ?

Whereabouts in the UK do you come from ?

Thanks everyone for your help. :wave:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

1 bale of hay for 2 pygmies should last at least a week, if you give 1 flake split between them once a day, twice a day if they have no pasture or browse.


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## kathyg (Jul 28, 2009)

Thankyou.

You know, I never thought to give them so much hay every day. I just thought you gave them a small handful. 

Poor (soon to be) neglected goats. Good job I can ask questions on here. :thumbup:

More question (s) :
For the shed ~ 
Do people normally leave the shed door open in the daytime ?
What about if it is raining or snowing, do you even let your goats out or are they clever enough to go back into the shed when it is raining ? Won't the shed get wet from the bad weather if the door is left open.
We were going to put like an hangover / porch bit on the shed to partly shield the door from the weather and also make the door to be top opening (like a stable door). Do other people do this ? How do you prevent inclement weather from entering the shed when the door is open.
Pictures would be good please :type:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

mine is a 4X12 foot opening and there is an overhang that is 4 feet. This keeps the rain out :thumb:


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## lupinfarm (Aug 26, 2009)

kathyg said:


> lupinfarm said:
> 
> 
> > If it helps, It took about 3 months to get through 50 small square bales of hay with my goats, and I used some of that to feed 2 horses as well. Small squares are generally about 40-65lbs each. I know space can be tight in the UK, me and my family are ex-pats, but you might luck out and find a farmer willing to store hay for you if you aren't able to store it at home. For instance, we buy 4x4-500lb round bales for our horses, we don't have storage so the man we buy from stores them for us. We pay for the bales ahead of time, and then pick up at our leisure. With our goat hay, we take 30 bales at a time.
> ...


As liz said, our two don't have any browse right now so we feed about 2 flakes daily.

My family is from the Harlow and Stansted area of Essex 

Have fun with your Pygmies!

Thanks everyone for your help. :wave:[/quote]


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