Hurray for Hay!

Mmmm…nothing is better than alfalfa hay.  At least for a goat, that is.

So far, my goats are spoiled on 100% alfalfa.  Alfalfa, although dried and compressed, still maintains its greenish color and has little "juicy" leaves interspersed among the straw.  Yummy!  It comes in two or three string bales which weigh between 60-100 pounds each.  And each of those bales have a nice big price.  Around here, the hay is trucked in from Arizona and New Mexico and a small bale is about $16 and a large bale can be about $30!

When I first brought home the goats, I was feeding them out of a hanging hay bag intended for horses.  It had a small hole in the bag where they could eat the hay.  Well, there was soon more than one hole.  The goats tore it apart at the seams and anywhere else they could manage!  I was wasting lots and lots of that alfalfa hay!

So now I am trying the "Health E-Z Hay Feeder."  It was recommended on The Goat Spot forums and I thought I might give it a try!  It finally arrived in the mail today and I am excited to see how it compares to the hay bag!  (It cost about $50, but I am hoping the investment will be worth it!).

It holds a few flakes of hay…

"The Hay Shed" currently consists of the cattle trailer parked next to the goat pen.  I have a tarp over the hay with some pavers to hold the tarp down.  I am also keeping a pitchfork in here so I can easily carry loads of hay to-and-fro!

 Charlotte gets EXTREMELY excited whenever she smells fresh hay!

 Hurray for Hay!  The goats love the new feeder so far!  (Also, notice the rope and carabiner included with the feeder!  Nice!) 

 At least for now, the new feeder has the goats' "seal of approval!"  We will see if it gets my "seal of approval" as well in regards to efficiency, durability, and hay saving!