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Barnyard Buddies:  lbs. of hay per goat? milking stand?  |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2975 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2975 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 26 2011 : 07:41:36 AM
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Kristina
Here is a good link for goat care (along with all of the gals here) http://fiascofarm.com/
They have a link for a milking stand too, at the bottom
We have 2 goats & they get a flake in the AM & PM, probably about 1 1/2 bales a week. Lucky for us, our next store neighbor has a whole barn full, so we just buy 10 bales at a time, so our whole barn is not full of hay & nothing else.
If you are going to milk your goats, it is best to feed them a good quality grain mix as well. Again, lucky for me, my friend Linda (woolispinner here) gets a custom blend for her herd & lets me buy it from her. Most feed mills will not sell a custom blend only 1 bag at a time & it can spoil if you buy too much, especially in the summer.
I have Nubians. I love them |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2011 : 10:30:14 AM
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Back in the day, we'd put our goats to be milked inside the barn door and I'd sit on an upside down 5 gallon bucket to milk them!
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet--Dr. Kioni
http://www.mynsp.com/rksmith
http://madame1313.wordpress.com/ |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2011 : 12:37:30 PM
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That's what I use to sit on too, Rachel. I have one for each stand. My 2 does have plenty of grass and brush to eat right now. But Fall, Winter and spring, they get a flake of hay each in their hay feeders. Sometimes they don't eat it all. I might fill it back up every few days. But when it's raining and they don't go out, they eat more hay. I give them each a small coffee can, which is a quart, of 16% all grain when I am milking them. Sometimes it takes a little more, depending on how full of milk they are. I have 3 milk stands right now. We built one out of wood we already had. Like the base they stand on was the old pull down stairs for the attic. We used a 4x4 for the legs. And the head part was old flooring boards. And some screws to hold it all together. Pretty much free. And just took about an hour to make. I know I keep saying I am going to get my daughter to get my pictures uploaded, but I really am. I think we found a picture of a stand in Mother Earth News and just copied it as best we could.
I have had 5 Lamanchas and I loved them all. Each had their own personality. And so sweet. I know you will enjoy your goats.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2011 : 5:32:14 PM
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question-what is a "flake" of hay????
Farmgirl # 2139
~*~ counting my pennies and biding my time; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2011 : 7:20:59 PM
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It's just a section of hay that pulls apart when you grab it from the bale. It depends on how much you grab but it's about 6-8" wide maybe. I hope that makes sense. Most of the time it will pull apart but sometimes I have stubborn bales and it will not come off easy.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2011 : 07:33:34 AM
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kris-thank you! thats kindof what i pictured-just wasnt sure!!!!!!!!!!!
Farmgirl # 2139
~*~ counting my pennies and biding my time; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
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therealshari
True Blue Farmgirl
235 Posts
Shari
Beryl
UT
USA
235 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2011 : 09:12:54 AM
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We feed 100% alfalfa and our flakes are anywhere from 2 to 5 inches thick. Our goats get one flake a day. I find they waste less when we feed them 1/2 flake morning and 1/2 flake evening.
We have two little Nubians who will be bred this fall. They were bottle babies that were given to us in exchange for chores.
We plan to milk them and make cheeses... a whole new experience for us. Thankfully, we know how to milk goats from doing the neighbor's chores. We also have a pretty good idea of the setup we don't want.
Since we're still in the "conceptual stage" we're kicking around a lot of ideas. I would like to put up a lean-to type shed that goes up and over our chain link fence, that way we would have a protected area for milking, a wind break for the goats, and not have to sacrifice any pen space.
If you go to Shari's Gone Country! you'll find several pictures of our farm and the animal pens. With no pasture, we have to feed year around. We do put the goats out on lead from time-to-time so they get a change in diet and scenery.
Shari Thomas, back after a 2 year break for heart issues. Ready to get on with life now.Four Country Gals |
Edited by - therealshari on Mar 27 2011 09:13:56 AM |
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2011 : 05:41:48 AM
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I feed my three Nigerian does a flake in the am and one at night. They also get grain, a 1 lb. scoop each twice a day all winter either in their pens or while milking.
I feed the same to my bucks in fall and winter, then knock it down to one graining for bucks once a day in spring, and never in summer [just the hay]. Now my buck pen gets two flakes two times daily, but the llama is in there and the potbellied pig!
I feed my milikng does and bucks a dairy blend, while the kids get a mix of dairy blend and kid grower.
I also offer loose and block salt and minerals, unlimited all year.
I hope this helps.
Good luck and enjoy!
Come visit my blog
http://angieruralliving.blogspot.com/
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
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Barnyard Buddies: lbs. of hay per goat? milking stand? |
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lbs. of hay per goat? milking stand?
