# Free choice alfalfa pellets?



## still (Apr 20, 2013)

I have seen several threads with people mentioning feeding their goats free-choice alfalfa pellets. I am interested in hearing the pros/cons of this if there are any? :shrug

My goats get fed twice per day and are on 4 acres of forage but would like to maybe try this!


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## hmcintosh (Jan 8, 2013)

I too have wondered the same thing. I have 3 acres for my goats and I feed alfalfa once or twice a day depending on what else they are eating. I would say
the con for me would be cost. Alfalfa pellets here are 13.50 for 50lbs which compared to some that is cheap but it still puts a big dent in my pocket when I 
don't make no money on goats to begin with. Otherwise I would like to try it also.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I'm paying 17.00/50 for alfalfa pellets. No way I can give them free choice. Mine get the alfalfa pellets mixed with their milk stand feed.


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## PrairieTrail45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Mine get pellets twice a day, like Sully mine are about $17/50 lbs, no way I could afford to feed them free choice. I do feed them more alfalfa pellets while they are pregnant so they get plenty of calcium.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

If you can buy them in bulk, free feeding alfalfa pellets can actually be more cost effective than feeding straight alfalfa hay because there is no waste. My friend has calf creep feeders and in the past has filled them with bulk pellets. Right now, they are $250 a ton, sold in bulk and $7 for a 50# bag and hay from the same man is $200 a ton. Depending on the size of the stems and amount of hay dust in the bales, feeding the pellets can be the better deal. If my hay guy were closer and I could run over there frequently, I'd be increasing the pellets and decreasing the hay I feed. As it is, he delivers my hay in big bales and brings me bags of pellets when he does.
My friend grows her own hay, so usually just free feeds the pellets when her hay is running short. When she's done that, she's actually noticed a significant increase in milk production.


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## still (Apr 20, 2013)

I have heard people having issues with UC feeding the alfalfa pellets? Anyone with this problem? I pay $12.99/50lb bag of alfalfa pellets which I think is very cheap but a lot of it is wasted.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

If I could get alfalfa pellets for $250 a ton my feeders would be full 24 x 7 free choice. Unfortunately here they are closer to $700 a ton and at that point $350 a ton (delivered) prime dairy quality alfalfa makes more sense. They waste a lot but not 50 percent.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I don't feed alfalfa pellets free choice but could easily if I had a way since they don't like them anyway so they would not go through much more than they do now. The only ones that eat them are the yearlings. The rest just pick at them or ignore them completely. if I try to mix them into their milkstand feed, they eat around the alfalfa pellets.


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## hmcintosh (Jan 8, 2013)

Where is it that you can get alfalfa pellets by the bulk?


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## still (Apr 20, 2013)

Oops I meant that NOT a lot is wasted! Duh


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## jasonmtapia (Apr 3, 2010)

We give free choice alfalfa pellets at $13.00 a bag from a creep feeder, we also have a big bin I made that can hold a bale, we throw a lot of yard clippings in it. Lots of pepper tree, rose bush prunings, sometimes pine, kale, ice plant, hibiscus, wild mint, and they forage on the hill. They pick and choose what they want. We are three weeks in and our 110 pound mini Nubian, does between 8 and 9 pounds a day, and her FF daughter does between 7 and 8 pound a day. I don't think we even use a bag of alfalfa a week. So if $13.00 buys us around 106 pounds of milk a week that's pretty good in my opinion about .12 a gallon not including all other costs.


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