Post by darbyfamily on Oct 28, 2008 10:20:51 GMT -5
up til now, we've been giving Zella sweet feed and alfalfa pellets during milking time, about two coffee cans full morning and night. At first we were putting it in a trough, but she knocked half of it out and then tried to lick it all up from the ground, so we started dumping it on the ground in a grassy area and she eats til she gets it all and we milk her wherever she is.
SO... now that the cold is here, we brought her in the shop the other day, right up to the hay bale where we store it. She was so happy and stood there forever just grazing hay. She hasnt had much hay out in the yard because there was plenty to graze still, but the yard is getting sparse now so we need to give her more hay, a lot more.
Anyway, we have finally found our niche I think. The shop has a garage door type door on the side, so we feed goats, chickens and calf, then close their pens so they stay in and open the shop. Zella walks right in to the hay bale and starts eating and we milk til we're done, she never moves a muscle with all that hay at her disposal
My question is, does she still need sweet feed? or grain of some sort to supplement the hay?
and what type of hay is best? My dad brought us some alfalfa hay, horse quality, from Oklahoma, but we arent able to find any around here, or havent yet, and what we have seen some distance away is quite expensive. Will orchard grass, brome, or prairie grass hay work? what would be best, or in what order would you look for them, just in case we have to go for second or third 'best'.
Thanks so much... we need to buy a big round bale in the next two wks or so, so Im trying to figure this all out
SO... now that the cold is here, we brought her in the shop the other day, right up to the hay bale where we store it. She was so happy and stood there forever just grazing hay. She hasnt had much hay out in the yard because there was plenty to graze still, but the yard is getting sparse now so we need to give her more hay, a lot more.
Anyway, we have finally found our niche I think. The shop has a garage door type door on the side, so we feed goats, chickens and calf, then close their pens so they stay in and open the shop. Zella walks right in to the hay bale and starts eating and we milk til we're done, she never moves a muscle with all that hay at her disposal
My question is, does she still need sweet feed? or grain of some sort to supplement the hay?
and what type of hay is best? My dad brought us some alfalfa hay, horse quality, from Oklahoma, but we arent able to find any around here, or havent yet, and what we have seen some distance away is quite expensive. Will orchard grass, brome, or prairie grass hay work? what would be best, or in what order would you look for them, just in case we have to go for second or third 'best'.
Thanks so much... we need to buy a big round bale in the next two wks or so, so Im trying to figure this all out