Why Sheep and Goats MUST Have Hay to Survive!
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- Опубліковано 9 січ 2019
- Sheep and Goats need hay! What you need to know! In this video, Tim talks about why all small ruminants MUST have hay or pasture in order to maintain adequate health.
#sheep #goats #hay
How much do you really understand about feeding sheep and goats hay? Rather you are new to raising sheep and goats, planning on getting them someday, a hobby farmer, or a seasoned professional, this video has something for everyone. Sheep, goats, and other small ruminants require hay and roughage in order to maintain an appropriate pH level in their body. Regardless of how much grain you feed your sheep or goats, they absolutely MUST have hay. In this video you will learn why! Learn something new today with Linessa Farms, LLC!
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Make sure to check out our other videos for great tips regarding sheep, goats, hobby farms, and more! - Навчання та стиль
Great video. Thank you. Very educational.
Thank you for the feedback. If you would like to learn more about pH and small ruminants, we have a great article on our website at www.linessafarms.com
You did a terrific video explaining what, when and how much to feed the goats during winter. Thanks - much appreciated…
Thanks for watching our videos, Dan and thank you for the kind words.
Thanks for the videos. Learning a lot. I have to smaller sheep, maybe 70lb and 50lb. They are on fresh pasture that hasn't been grazed in years. It also rains a lot in my area, one of the rainiest area in the world, and my sheep drink almost no water. I change it everyday and leave them with 2 gallons. Some days it looks like they haven't touched it. Is this because they are eating fresh grass and are getting the water they need from it?
Hello and thanks for watching our videos! This is a great question. More than likely, your assumption is correct. The wetter the forage is, the less water sheep and goats tend to eat. While in your case, they are using very little water… in cases where dry hay is being fed, they will usually go through very high amounts. Thanks for the question!
@@LinessaFarms thanks for the reply!
what about straw? donkeys can live on the stuff thanks for the video
Hello, Joseph. Thank you for watching our videos and thanks for the question. Technically, yes. Sheep and goats could live off wheat or oat straw and some type of grain supplement. They would also need some mineral additives to make up for what they were missing without hay. The reason sheep and goats must have roughage is to keep their rumen at a healthy pH. This could be accomplished with almost any type of roughage, providing they actually eat it. With all this being said, you probably shouldn’t do it. In regard to the donkey, they have very primitive/simple digestive systems and can survive on things most small ruminants could not. On a side note, don’t ever feed a horse or donkey medicated sheep or goat feed. In most cases, the coccidiosis medication in the feed will kill the donkey/horse. Thanks again for watching!
Thx so much master at what age can I start feeding the hay to goats kids
You should offer hay all the time from just a few days of age. The babies start nibbling within the first few weeks of life.
Thx so much bro u have greatly inspired me with your video soon using yo knowledge I will b also educating people in my country God bless da work of your hands
Is alfalfa hay is good for goats as well
Hello and thank you for watching our videos. Alfalfa hay is fine for goats and sheep but tends to be a little “hot”. This means the pH of the hay tends to Be acidic and can cause the animal to become acidotic. Signs and symptoms include spilling their cud/vomiting contents of their rumen. One of the best options regarding hay is to feed a mix of alfalfa and grass. If you only have alfalfa available, you can offer free choice baking soda/sodium hydrogen carbonate.
What types of hay is best to feed my goats?
Hello, Richard. Thank you for watching our videos and thank you for taking the time to ask us a question. The best hay will be dry, green(ish), and without any signs of mold. Some hay will be far greener than others but it shouldn’t look like straw. Mold can be black and slimy and also be dry and powdery. If you open up a bale and you see dust or powder fly everywhere, you are probably dealing with mold. Not only is this bad for your animals, it’s also bad for your health if you breathe this in.
You can ask to cut open a bale and look at the contents. Avoid any hay that is all stems, moldy, wet, smells strange, or is made from some kind of material you are not familiar with such as buckwheat.
While you may hear a lot of people say alfalfa hay is always best, this is not always the case for sheep and goats. Our small ruminants tend to do best on a hay that is either mostly grass or a grass and legume mix. This would be grass and alfalfa, clover, birdsfoot trefoil, or other legumes. Legumes like clover tend to be bloating agents for sheep and goats so you should always introduce new hay slowly.
While cutting can make a big difference in palatability for some species like horses, goats will eat more stemmy hay from first cutting with a lot more enthusiasm.
So, to make a long story short, I would advise a nice grass and clover or grass and alfalfa mix hay of any cutting. We generally feed about 1 flake of hay per head per day.
Hope this helps. Have a nice day.
Would you not require hay if you had a way pasture the sheep all year round?
If you have pasture year round, you should be ok. If you are lucky enough to live in an environment where the climate supports pasture growth and you have a good rotational grazing program in place, you should be ok. The main concern is making sure they have the roughage to keep their rumen healthy through the cud chewing process.
So in the case of good pasture for 6-9 months a year, is 1 lb /head about good to give additional feed like you mix? I have mine on pasture free choice, a little dry grass hay daily to keep them eating dry, and a high protein pellet mix like you make daily. Big issue I have is they are frantic for the pellet feed and I hate the noise and pushing and shoving for it... Any advice?
So just to be clear, ruminants can or cannot be rotationally grazed and eat one flake of hay daily?
Hello. If you are grazing livestock on pasture, you should not need to provide them with supplemental hay. The “1 flake per head” would be for a dry lot animal with no other source of hay or pasture.
@@LinessaFarms ok, thank you.
What is the best hay for goat??
Generally speaking, a majority grass hay with some legumes such as clover, alfalfa, etc... Avoid pure alfalfa hay or pure clover hay as it can be too acidic and cause bloat.
What hay is good to manage parasites?
Hello and thanks for the question! The best hay is usually from a field that has not been used for foraging livestock. As livestock forage on pasture, they tend to drop worms/eggs which can cross contaminate other livestock. Likewise, hay that is made from good grass and legume mix will generally provide a good balance for livestock and help to keep them healthier as compared to a hay made from weeds or other less nutritious mix.
Parasites depend on fecal matter (with the parasite eggs in it) getting into the mouth. Typical ways include dirty or dusty goat feet getting on the feed. No hay will help if it gets contaminated. Haybunk design is the key. Make sure the goats have some kind of a step for their front feet to climb up on, which helps them stand calmly eating. Have the hay behind horizontal rails so the goats put their heads through and reach forward or down for the hay. Most feeders have a slanted plywood behind the hay so it's within reach. The hardest part is something that accommodates small and large goats. Don't use a hay feeder that requires them to pull out the hay because that's how far too much hay gets wasted, and a nice bit on the floor can get dirty as it's going into the mouth of another goat. Even dried manure that has been trampled to powder will be blown around and inhaled. Wish you the best.