Do you gather/harvest for winter goat browse?

[Marianne]

I looked and could not find the thread about this that I saw a long time ago!

In the spirit of being SS, I started gathering leaves and cut orchard grass (for hay), some volunteer alfalfa, shattercane, etc etc for a winter feed suppliment for my little goat herd. All four of them. Three are Dwarf, so they don't eat too much.

We used some pallets to create a storage area under an open hay shed (open on three sides). I hang out with the goats almost daily, so I observed what they liked to eat and harvest those things. I have a nice stash now, but!

Chickens keep getting into it. I don't want chicken plops to create a composting situation in my goat chow. We fenced around the pallets, fenced the top the best we could. Now it's awkward to 'fluff' it (there is dry and green stuff in the same piles) and I can't bag it (plastic bagged things don't last here). I also can't move it this year without moving cords of wood first. Agh. I'm also concerned about rain/snow blowing into it, rotting, etc.

I know there's a better way. How do you store stuff like this?

 

[baymule]

It sounds like you have made a good pallet "box" to contain your goodies. Have you thought about pea vines also? A friend of mine planted peas in his hay field for the nitrogen they put in the soil and then he cut and baled the vines for his goats, just before the vines started blooming.

 

[Wannabefree]

Don't forget acorns. Don't feed the acorns in large quantities, but my goats loved them, and foraged for them for several weeks. Some have said they are not good for goats, but that hasn't been my experience. I had a white oak dropping hundrreds of pounds, and the goats left their food in favor of them, and never got sick I picked some up and out them in onion sacks and hung those in the shed to air dry. Now I am feeding them to my pigs as well. With the cost of feed so high, I'm supplementing anything I can!!

 

[pinkfox]

mine also LOVE acorns!
and dried leaves

 

[Marianne]

Sadly, no acorns here! But we had tons of wild sunflowers this year.
Also, no heavy equipment here, either! LOL

The orchard grass hay was cut with a weed whacker. I let it dry for a few days, then raked it up. I have three areas that total a bit over 5 pallets (ground space). That way I could pick leaves/weeds and dump them in different areas to let them dry without composting. The largest area has raised fencing for a floor so there is air circulation.

Didn't someone here say to harvest this stuff when it was still green as it would have a higher protein level? I also remember reading that someone stored their browse in large, open weave bags...whatever that was. The pallets with fencing around them is working okay, just in a lousy area. Or maybe it's all the dang fencing around and over them!

Regardless, my window of opportunity for gathering is quickly closing. I do know it was a poster here that they saved grass, etc for their goats. After I read that, I knew that I could do that, too. The neighbors think I'm nuts...but I like to be as self sufficient as I can. Even without owning a tractor.

 

[FarmerChick]

tractors and balers uses here

but here is a link about hand mown hay, might help ya

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/x7660e/x7660e06.htm

 

[Marianne]

Holy Cow! There's a lot of info on that link!

It was raining this morning and the goats were hollering. It was good to have something to give them and watch them w/ the pallet feeder that DH made. Got a little adjustment to do on that thing....