[carlidoe]

I have a really good source for wheat hay. The wheat is fully matured, cut, then baled so the seeds and seed head are in the hay. I want to feed this to my milkers along with alfalfa pellets. The last load of alfalfa I have been feeding is total crap- all stems. Tons of waste. Do any of you feed wheat hay?

 

[Tracy in Idaho]

I can tell you that it is a mouse's paradise If it is fully cured and not still green, then it is wheat straw with grain attached ;-) No nutritional value in the stem other than just roughage.

t

 

[NWgoats]

I don't know about wheat, but one gal I know feeds her goats what she calls
"oat hay". It is basically what Tracy said, straw with the heads attached. Her
goats look like crap, they don't milk worth a darn and she loses several each
winter. Soooo not worth it in my opinion.
Will say I tried a feed with whole wheat in it and had a couple of girls bloat
up. Stopped that feed and everyone was fine. :shrug I myself wouldn't use
the "wheat hay". JMO

 

[skeeter]

I wouldn't bother with it. I've seen good wheat hay, it's soft and green and all blade without any grain heads in it.

 

[hsmomof4]

Yup. Wheat hay is going to be harvested before maturity, otherwise, you would be calling it straw. And there's no point in feeding straw to your goats. But if you get some and use it for mulch in your garden, you can have a mini wheat crop of your own next year. :lol

 

[gamefowl00]

Wheat hay is very good for cattle, not sure about goats, I am wondering the same thing, cows milk better on it, then they do on alfalfa. I know this because we use to milk and feed both. We are now feeding wrapped wheat hay to beef cattle because we ran low on fescue and grass hay. I would also like to know if its safe for goats.

 

[djc09141965]

I had my veterinarian tell me not to use wheat hay. No nutritional value. My milk goats as well as my meat did vary poorly on it. I switched out to a fescue and orchard mix.

Wheat hay is very good for cattle, not sure about goats, I am wondering the same thing, cows milk better on it, then they do on alfalfa. I know this because we use to milk and feed both. We are now feeding wrapped wheat hay to beef cattle because we ran low on fescue and grass hay. I would also like to know if its safe for goats.