Weedy Hay?

[Stanb999]

I've been cutting hay myself with my scythe. Some of the fields I have are dang near 30% weeds. I wish to feed this to goats and suppliment for the sow. Do you all think it really matters that it's weedy as they eat all the weeds and stuff the rest of the year? Every thing I read online says to keep the hay weed free. Are they being silly or am I wrong?

P.S. There are no poisoness weeds. Just things like dandolion, ground ive, and other common weeds.

[Summerthyme]

Stan... I call it "mixed salad". The biggest problem with feeding weedy hay is that the weed seeds almost invariably end up in the manure... and then back on your fields, where they produce a new crop.

Weeds may be quite coarse... we have curly dock in some of our good alfalfa fields (we never use herbicides), and it dries down to very stiff "sticks". The cows eat around it... if there is tons of it, it can make it difficult for them to eat the good parts, though.

Goats may actually prefer some of the weeds. And if the hay is off your land, it's not like you're importing "new" weed seeds...


Summerthyme

[Stanb999]

Stan... I call it "mixed salad". The biggest problem with feeding weedy hay is that the weed seeds almost invariably end up in the manure... and then back on your fields, where they produce a new crop.

Weeds may be quite coarse... we have curly dock in some of our good alfalfa fields (we never use herbicides), and it dries down to very stiff "sticks". The cows eat around it... if there is tons of it, it can make it difficult for them to eat the good parts, though.

Goats may actually prefer some of the weeds. And if the hay is off your land, it's not like you're importing "new" weed seeds...


Summerthyme

Thats what I was thinking. that they just might "prefer" it. I'll let you all know how it works out in Feburary. I've been only able to get "OK" quality hay from the local area. They generally cut it late. So it's stawky and corse. So i'm hoping I don't get the weight loss I generally get by feeding them the best/greenest stuff I can.

Wish me luck.

[goatlady]

Actually your goats will most probably "chow down" on that weedy hay as weeds and brush are their FIRST choice of foods, grass is last for a goat which "may" explain their weight loss on boughten stuff.

[momof23goats]

our hay is getting weedy this year. so much rain, just can't get in the fields and get it cut.bad, really bad. It is also so stemy, but when it is raining, 3 or 4 days a week, pretty hard to get in and cut. the ground is wet, every thing here is. I should have planted rice this year. i would have had a bumper crop for sure.

[Stanb999]

our hay is getting weedy this year. so much rain, just can't get in the fields and get it cut.bad, really bad. It is also so stemy, but when it is raining, 3 or 4 days a week, pretty hard to get in and cut. the ground is wet, every thing here is. I should have planted rice this year. i would have had a bumper crop for sure.

I totally agree about the rice. Tho this mountain top drains too well. :-)

Thank goodness we have 3 1/2 days rain free for cast for My area. It's also supposed to be low humidity so I should be able to cut and dry a bunch. I got about 1 acre to cut tonight. Not much with a mower. But with the scythe It will take a while.

[LONER]

I never tried "weedy hay' when I had goats (Angoras), but I have fed rabbits for 2 solid years on nothing but weeds, with a bit of left over fruit and vegetables to rabbits. I "made hay" like you are talking about, but not all that much and fed it to the rabbits in winter until it was gone, themn used fruits and vegetables with sprouts of wheat and oats (the grain was intended for food, but got wet). Also, I have made HUGE batches of oatmeal with sourghum and had my rabbits eat it like pigs!