# Our first day with Chaffehay



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You would have thought I was poisoning them. I refilled everyones alfalfa pellets in the bunker feeders, gave the junior does and junior bucks their grain, and then put handfuls of Chaffehay over this. They all backed off, sniffing and snorting boogers, laughed and went out with the dogs. Came back and they were nosing around in it, but mostly trying to get it the heck off their alfalfa pellets and grain! It was gone this morning  but they did a repeat of last night with the snorting and total disgust over this wet, weird smelling saurkraut, I mean alfalfa.

$14.95 for each bail not discount for bulk purchases. Vicki


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

Mine hate chaffhaye, never would eat it. How much are your pellets up to that you are trying this switch? How much do the chaffhaye bales weigh now? Are you figuring they will eat the same poundage as pellets or the same poundage as if they were eating real alfalfa? (I figure 3lbs of pellets = 5 lbs of alfalfa.)


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

$14.95 for 50 pounds of alfalfa pellets local, $12.95 for 40 pounds of Standee at TSC, 25 minutes one way, I could get a 15% crap pellet cheaper but I won't feed it. Chaff is 50 pounds, and is $14.95, with rye grass in the pasture I am going to try it and not feed grass hay this winter, the herd is so small now that I will be able to open all the gates giving the girls access to the woods pens all winter...we shall see. Most of the 'pieces' are as long as the hay pieces in our hay. You can see that it is just alfalfa that has been bailed into short squat bales, sleeved in this thick plastic bag, innoculated and sealed. In dumping it into my trashcan to feed for now (eventually I hope to just open it and spread it out in the bunker feeder), it sheared off in flakes as it fell. Vicki


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

If it is the same price per pound as the pellet, then it definitely is not the same price per pound of dry matter. I'd figure up what the cost per dry feed it is, before deciding it's worth it.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Tomorrow will be day 11 of feeding Chaffhaye & mine are FINALLY on board. 

First few feedings, Kimber & Chaffhaye reccomended I fluff it in a bucket & let it air for about 20 minutes.... They took to it much better & the smell wasn't nearly as strong. First I mixed with their pellets, but by day 3 it was pure Chaffhaye for my grown does.

My March kids took longer to try it, but by day 6 they were gobbling it up & licking the feeder clean. 

My bucks won't try it, and since they are barely touching ANY food at the moment, I'm not changing things up on them.

I pay $12.50 per bag of Chaffhaye, and my dealer meets me with my order in the town I grocery shop 

Our TSC is trying out these 1 ton bulk packages of Standlee alfalfa pellets. They have 4 in stock right now. As long as their inventory shows 4 tons of Standlee pellets, they are not allowed to order more pellets in the 40lb bags  Manager said it's a minimum of 6 weeks before theyll have 40lb bags again. 

My other options are 2 different brands of alfalfa pellets, both are very dusty & grey... One is preserved with animal fat.... These junk pellets are $14.99 & $15.99 for 50lbs & even if I was willing to feed them, mine won't touch them.

So Chaffhaye it is  I like it so far..... Ginger MOANS with huge mouthfuls when I put out their fresh Chaffhaye.

Vickie, are you buying your Chaffhaye from a feed store? Acco is carrying it here, charging $13.99 per bag. I buy from an individual dealer.... A Chaffhaye feeder who decided to buy in bulk to save $$ & now sells it. I got a price quote from Chaffhaye for bulk buying & the price per bag goes down depending on amount you buy. My dealer is charging about $1.25 more per bag than what his cost are after freight. Maybe you could find someone else to buy from & get it cheaper? My dealer will give me a price break if I buy by the pallet.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

And I was surprised by the longer pieces in it.... I thought it would all be tiny, but I've found several bits that were 8"+ long..

I took a picture of mine up close... On right is a chunk with a beneficial yeast colony, left is just plain Chaffhaye.









A few of mine balked at the yeast in big chunks (I've only found one colony so far, but the one I found was huge), so I had to break it up into smaller bits & evenly distribute it between the 3 feeders.... One of my Alpines went crazy over it from the very beginning..... After the others got brave enough to sample the yeasty bits, they loved it too.

I'm still feeding hay, but it's just a weedy mixed round bale my father in law gave me, so I don't know the nutritional value of it...


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

As of tonight only the two March bucks didn't eat theirs, I just poured their feed ontop. I am just going to continue feeding like normal while adding this....grass hay is $10.50 for about a 40 pound loose bail....so even if I just add it with alfalfa pellets for now, plant the rye, the only put out grass hay when it's super cold or rainy for to many days, we will see how it goes. I was happy to see it wasn't chopped, in fact bailed in the field it simply goes into the bags.

I am going to try to find someone local who ships it in, no way do I want to start all that. Vicki


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Yes, I too like that it isn't chopped fine. I bought a bag of chopped, dried alfalfa from TSC under the TNT brand... Chopped so fine some of it was barely more than dust. None of mine would eat it, even when I fed them nothing but grass hay for a day so they'd be hungry enough to try it....

Add to it, we get a lot of wind here & the chopped hay was blowing out of the feeders. 

So I really like the longer cut of the Chaffhaye & you're right, you can kind of get it out in flakes from the bag...

I saw on Chaffhaye's website that it looks like they have a distribution center in Houston...

Chaffhaye, Inc. 
Contact Person: Kimber Davies 713-705-0089 
3714 Lapas Drive Houston, TX, 77023 

Nearest distribution center to me is Fort Worth (3 hours away), & shipping a pallet to me, from there would barely bump my price per bag once freight charges were added in. 

Since you're closer to a distribution center than I am, perhaps you can get a much better price per bag than the $14+ you're paying now if you have a pallet (40 bags) delivered...

That is of course if you can get them to eat it reliably. 

Are your TSC doing the 1 ton packages of Standlee Alfalfa pellets? Here the 1 ton cubes of pellets are $480 which makes them a better buy.... But you'll need a front end loader to unload them, and a place to store that big plastic wrapped cube or take the time to scoop it out into bins or something.....

I don't have a place to store that bulk package, nor a way to unload it after bringing it home 

Perhaps if the Chaffhaye doesn't work you can ask the manager at TSC if those bulk Standlee pellets could be ordered for you?


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

Mine took 2 or 3 days to nibble before they decided it was the greatest thing they'd ever eaten in their lives. Bucks, does, kids... They LOVE it. It's all I can do to get it into the feeder. I am especially happy with how early my kids start eating it in quantity. I don't let it dry, just fluff it up straight from the bag. $14.95 is high, but like anything else maybe it depends on your individual distributor. We buy ours from a rep rather than a feed store. 

Nancy- for me it's not just about the price lb for lb. There are other considerations. I think we are paying just a slightly higher price than if we fed pellets, but it's not by much. We most certainly do not have an unlimited budget, but it's worth the few extra cents per lb on our farm once all other factors that are important here are considered.

Keep us posted Vicki on how it works (or doesn't work) for you!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks for that Crystal. It would be 3 hours round trip into and back to Houston, and honestly I do everything I can not to drive in. I also come home with my asthma kicking in for a few days, it is just horrible air quality there. I skirt the town going to the ship channel for my shea and lye, I will call them and perhaps they won't be IN Houston. We have a forklift for my husbands saw mill which I use for my barrels of oils, so unloading the pellets or pallet is dooable, but it's asking for help and I just hate doing stuff that I have to wait around for one of the guys to show up, because I can't drive that forklift to save my life, it has no brakes and NOBODY wants me to drive it  It's a big one that picks up 6,000 pounds 12 feet high, and of course old which means you have to hold your mouth just right to work parts of it....such is my life.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

LOL I don't blame you.... Houston is terrible! Driving through there had my daughter puffing away at her inhaler...

Would be nice if they could bring it to you, but with the fork lift issues, that could be an issue... I dunno if they can unload for you when they deliver, or if you have to unload it..


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## H Diamond Farms (Jun 3, 2011)

Curious as to how chaffhaye will come out pound per pound for alfalfa. I know what chaffhaye says the conversion rate is, but if any of you guys who are really feeding it can tell me how much chaffhaye you feed compared to regular alfalfa, that would be awesome.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

I stopped free choice alfalfa pellets a long time ago because it was simply too expensive & went to rationed alfalfa pellets. My alpine milker was consuming about 2lbs per day, dry does got less. My milk volume did not drop, & my girls kept the same condition.

I'm playing with the Chaffhaye, and haven't had enough time to really say how things are going yet. But I'm feeding the grown does 2lbs each. Basically I'm using it to replace my alfalfa pellets. No one is loosing condition, and my milker is slightly up on production the past 3 days...(about 3 cups more per day, not a huge increase).

I'm going to be using this for at least the next 6 weeks, so I'll have a better idea of how I like it then.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

I can't really compare it to alfalfa hay because I've never had any luck with it so never fed it consistently. In terms of the pellets we are feeding a similar amount, lb for lb. We too feed a limited amount to bucks and dry does and feed it free choice to milkers. Even without any grain my dry does are putting on weight with the amount we are feeding. I don't push my does with grain and am very happy with how well they maintain condition on it. We've been feeding it consistently since May.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I am interested in the one ton packages of pellets. Are they in a tote bag or what is the packaging and pricing?


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Ziggy, the 1 ton pellets look like they are wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap.... Just a big, plastic wrapped cube. At first I thought it was a pallet of individual bags, but nope, just a ton of pellets in that wrapping. 

If I were to go that route, I'd take a day & scoop it into large barrels for easier handling.

Manager said if they don't have luck selling them, they'll likely get marked down an additional 10%.... If that happens I'll deal with the hassle & try to get them home 

Next time I'm in town, I'll run by & snap a picture of the cube & post it for you to see...

Dunno if all TSC are offering the Standlee pellets in these 1 ton packages, but you could call your local store & see if they'd get one for you.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Too bad you guys don't have bean boxes where you live. They could sell the ton pellets in those. Then again, Standlee is based right here where I live, so they should be able to get them. Probably shipping would be too much, because the suckers are a little heavy. Aren't quite as heavy as they look though; two people can lift them if you try hard enough (though I found out last summer that they hurt like heck and you might end up with stitches if they land on your finger!). Here's a picture...


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Thanks Crystal. What is the pricing ?


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

At my local store the 1 ton package of Standlee pellets was $480.00

The 40lb bags were on sale for a month for $10.49, but regular price is $12.00.

I'm watching them, and am hoping they don't sell well so I can grab one at a mark down price


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

Please tell me if my math is off but I don't see any savings by buying the 1 ton package. My math says it is the same per pound as $12.00/50 lbs.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Well, yes, if the bag was 50 lbs, it would be the same price; but the bag is 40 lbs, so even with the $10.49 per bag price, it would still be $10.49/40 x 2000 = $524.50 per ton, so you save $44.50 buying the pallet vs. the sale price.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

The bags are 40lb bags for $12, not a 50lb bag 

And that *was* the normal price, manager expected a price increase if they got the 40lb bags back in.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

Here they are up to $13.99/40 lb bag last time I checked. Yikes!


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

Aha! Thanks.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

All I need is you guys talking about alfalfa pellet prices to get me to stop bitching about $234/ton for alfalfa here! (Event if I do have to haul it 50 miles home myself with fuel over $4.50 a gallon.) Pellets are over $13 per 50 lbs here, so I guess hay is still my best option, even counting in waste (which mostly goes to the cows now).


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

LOL Michelle, if I could get alfalfa hay for $234 a ton, & had storage space, I wouldn't buy pellets or Chaffhaye 

Heck, in my area, 950lb grass rounds are $100+ ....... If you want GOOD quality, you're looking at $130+ a round.

I found a source for decent alfalfa brought in from NM.... It's actually nice looking, a rarity for alfalfa sold here, and cheaper than the feed stores crummier alfalfa..... But these bales are no more than 50lbs & $16.00 a pop..... If I buy at least 50, I can get them for $15.25.... 

Add in the waste I'd have, Chaffhaye is still my best bet at $12.50 for 50lbs.

Gotta love West Texas hay woes


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

So I phoned my local tractor supply and after 5 minutes of explaining to them what is was enquiring about (and them talking to me like I was an idiot that didn't know the difference between bulk and a pallet of 40 pound bags of alflafa pellets )they agreed to check into it and call me back. At first they told me there was no such packaging and that I wanted they could order me a pallet of bagged pellets. They told me Texas gets different stuff So we shall see if it is available here in Nc too.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Good luck Ziggy.....TSC employees can be nerve wracking!

Our TSC manager is new.... Came in about 5 months ago & I REALLY like her. Helpful & competent. Watched her jump all over 2 HS boys that were employees... They were standing around doing nothing as an elderly customer struggled to get 3 bags of feed out.... She made them tote them out & load them in the ladys car for her 

Hopefully your TSC can do the bulk cube thing.... Did you talk to a manager, or just one of the employees?


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I had to "Ask for the manager " to get anywhere :-( this is a new manager the old one knew me and always donated to shows etc. Will have to see how this one does..


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

Yeah, Michelle if I could get decent alfalfa hay here for $234/ton and had a place to store it where it didn't mildew overnight in this Southern humidity I wouldn't be buying Chaffhaye either. It's why folks need to see more of the overall picture than just the price per lb. All things being equal I'm not looking to spend money where I don't have to, but all things aren't equal. 

That said I'd love to see the price on Chaffhaye and pellets come down again.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Does the chaffehay keep better in that humidity than the pellets too? I love my dry Idaho.


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## lonestrchic23 (Jan 7, 2011)

Dunno about that..... I'm in dry west Texas..... We may have long stretches of 108° + days, but humidity isn't one of our worries.

I opened one bag, used about 1/2, then opened another so I can see what kind of shelf life I get. I cut a flap on my bags so I can close them up tight after opening. Now I'm using an empty chaffhaye bag with slits cut up the sides.... I slide the empty one over my partial one & it fits like a glove, keeping it as closed as I can manage...

My dealer said he's used Chaffhaye from an open bag that had been opened for a lil over 2 weeks & still no mold or spoilage, just some dried bits on top.... 

I don't think anyone with high humidity could leave a bag open, unused that long without mold....


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

I have not had any issues with spoilage with either pellets or Chaffhaye. Just regular alfalfa hay.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

It would be interesting to see a study done in several different parts of the country with nutrient testing on pellets, chaffhaye and baled alfalfa using the same bags & bale over the course of months, stored in a barn...tested once a month, to see how the nutrients actually broke down over time in different climates. Wouldn't it be nice to be independently wealthy and fund research like that? 

I know I have seen (and used) some hay that I would consider nasty by west coast standards- discolored (grayish or brown) and 'weird', that had excellent nutrient testing and practical feeding results.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

It would be interesting, Michelle.


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