# Anyone ever feed oat hay?



## susie (Oct 28, 2007)

Will goats eat it? All of it or just the oat seeds? It seems really stemmy to me other than the nice liottle bits of oats on it.
I thought I read something about it not keeping it's nutritional value?

my neighbor has some for sale-- 

thanks!

susie


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

I did one year, it was mostly oats, little bit of alfalfa and grass. They loved picking out the oats but wasted most of it.


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

Yes, I did one time at a show. Well, actually the does were hanging over the fence to steal it from another breeder! :blush And they had top quality alfalfa in their dang feeders!

I'm going back to that show next week and have made room in my trailer for about 20 bales...just in case it's there! They absolutely loved it...and I did buy the breeder two more bales to replace what my does were stealing. :sigh
Kaye


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## susie (Oct 28, 2007)

Kaye--
did your goats eat the stems too?
maybe I'll buy a bale and see--

thanks--
susie


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2008)

We grow our own oat hay and the goats LOVE it! They clean everything up completely... the stems and all.

Sara


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## Rambar Ranch (Oct 25, 2007)

Sara, at what stage do you bale your oat hay at boot stage or before? I'm planning on growing some this winter with rye and clover for our goats but just wonder if I can get away with the combination due to the different maturation times.

Thanks,
Ray


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## Jo~* (Oct 26, 2007)

Kaye White said:


> Yes, I did one time at a show. Well, actually the does were hanging over the fence to steal it from another breeder! :blush And they had top quality alfalfa in their dang feeders!
> 
> I'm going back to that show next week and have made room in my trailer for about 20 bales...just in case it's there! They absolutely loved it...and I did buy the breeder two more bales to replace what my does were stealing. :sigh
> Kaye


Do you know what kind of oat hay it was? Back when I had horses my horses would like some kinds of oats but not others. They hated the bales that were kind of green, well they would eat the oats then get the poops but leave the stems. They liked the red oats I think it was called and also the oats that were a golden color. I don't have much to choose from here but I'm going to take a short trip soon and will look for other hay.
Thanks.


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## susie (Oct 28, 2007)

should oat hay have small hard oat kernels in it, or does this mean that it was harvested too late? The stems are like straw but sifter-- same color and thickness as straw.

thanks!


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2008)

It should be cut in the milk stage before the kernels get hard to get your optimum protein out of it. If you cut it too late your protein levels go down and your hay is stemmy. Basically you have straw.


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## susie (Oct 28, 2007)

well I think this hay is past it's prime them-- Thanks!


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

The hay that mine "stole" was green colored. It was definately dry and had a few heads in it but not many. They ate stems and all.

Waiting on Sara to reply??? Since she actually does her own.
Kaye


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## Frank F (12 mo ago)

Red oat hay is the ONLY thing I miss about leaving California. Had 30 head of nubians and alpines. Fed alfalfa in the evenings. Oat hay in mornings. Goats don't eat stems anyhow. So, get over that or feed them less to make them eat 'em. If you do that, however, milk production will wane. I found the rotation to be perfect. And if any grass eater on your ranch has loose stools, switch them over to oat hay exclusively and give 'em 1cc of penicillin per 100lbs. The only animal I lost with this method had a wasting disease that I wasn't going to be able to cure anyhow. All others fixed within 24-48hrs!


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