# Do I need to soak Alfalfa pellets?



## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I have a doe who is under conditioned. I want to try giving her some alfalfa. So I bought some timothy pellets for her. She's a picky eater, but I let her taste a few pellets and she loved them. However, the cashier at TSC owns several different animals and says I need to soak them before I feed them.

Do I?

Also, I plan to give the alfalfa along with her grain. How much of each should I give? She's a 3 year old LaMancha milker. Right now she's getting 7 yogurt scoops of grain (12% sweet horse feed; she cannot tolerate higher protein levels) per milking with a sprinkle of BOSS. She also gets some decent grass hay twice a day. In fact, in the evening she gets a whole flake to herself.

She is dry lotted, but gets a small bit of grass and/or leaves each day.

She also is getting wheat germ oil with A, D, & E in it - 15 ccs 2X daily. She has flakey skin. I figured the oil would add calories and nutrition.

Sooooo, do I need to soak and how much alfalfa should she get?

Thanks!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I wouldn't soak alfalfa pellets, but I doubt my gals would eat anything whatever (beet pulp, alfalfa) that's soggy


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

There is no need to soak them, if she has no problem eating them.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

No, you don't need to soak them, I've never done that and never had a problem. Some horses you do soak them for as they will eat too fast and choke on them but, not goats. 

Someone gave you a misleading impression, Timothy pellets are low protein grass hay pellets NOT alfalfa.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

goathiker said:


> No, you don't need to soak them, I've never done that and never had a problem. Some horses you do soak them for as they will eat too fast and choke on them but, not goats.
> 
> Someone gave you a misleading impression, Timothy pellets are low protein grass hay pellets NOT alfalfa.


Seriously? I already opened it! And it cost more than the bag of "alfalfa pellets", so I thought it might be better - especially since she doesn't tolerate high protein well.

What should I buy next time?

Oh..and thank you, everyone for saving us extra work!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I would buy the alfala pellets too and mix them half and half. That will lower the protein of the alfalfa and still give her concentrated carbs. That mix will fix the CA/PH ratio as well.


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## mommal (May 18, 2016)

I don't soak them either, but be aware that some goats tend to inhale them and they go down the wrong way. I have had this happen a number of times. But, it may be more due to greedy-eating behavior since there were several together... and eating fast so they would get more. 

I don't think you'll have that problem feeding just one goat alone.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I also feed about 1 cup of shredded beet pulp mixed well into the ration for weight gain - and I don't soak that either. Works well for keeping weight on my milkers.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

goathiker said:


> I would buy the alfala pellets too and mix them half and half. That will lower the protein of the alfalfa and still give her concentrated carbs. That mix will fix the CA/PH ratio as well.


I can do that. Thanks for the tip! So once that's all gone, I need the bag of just "alfalfa" pellets, right? No Timothy?


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## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

We don't soak alfalfa pellets but we do soak shredded beet pulps
I don't think you need to soak the beet pulps necessarily but they take in that much more water
Particularly when you are at a show


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