I never thought I would say, "Here comes the rain again, and again and again. What is this going to do to the hay crop? Good quality hay is a staple in western Canada for goats. Hay cut now will no doubt be rained on at least a couple of times; this reduces the quality and palatability dramatically. Protein digestibility will be reduced, Vitamin E and Vitamin A will leach out, and mould will reduce palatability. Moulds and bacteria feed on the nutrients of the hay as it lies in the swath decreasing the energy value. If the hay is left uncut waiting for, an opportune time the maturity will increase making it less palatable and the protein and energy levels will decrease. I f the hay growth is lush some of the trace minerals may not be taken up by the plant. The length of the rainfall and the timing of the rain after cutting can affect hay quality. Rain just after cutting is less harmful than a rain just prior to baling. A long steady rain leaches fewer nutrients out than an intense short downpour of equal amounts of rain. One rain shower of about 1 inch on hay during curing can cause yield losses of greater than 5 percent, reduce total digestible nutrients by 5 to 6 percent and reduce dry-matter intake by 8 to 9 percent.
Because of the unpredictable nature of our weather, the future of second cut hay and the green feeds harvested from cereal crops cannot be determined. However, it never hurts to plan ahead. This planning includes calculating the number of goats and groups of goats you anticipate feeding over the winter. With that information and what their nutrient requirements are, you can calculate how much feed plus a percentage you will need for the winter. If you are putting up your own hay or green feed, a nutrient analysis on properly taken and submitted samples is essential. Once this information is collected you can develop a feeding program, and purchase necessary supplements. The key to any successful feeding program is to plan. If you have to purchase forages then now is the time to start looking for them. Hopefully, you will not have to go too far afield and that you can trust the individual you are purchasing them from. Prior to purchasing the forages, you should have information about the quality of the forage and a guarantee from the seller that the forages delivered will be consistent with that information.
The following are links to some excellent Articles on forage quality and preservation:
1) Schroeder J W 2010 Rain can reduce hay quality http://www.farms.com/FarmsPages/ENews/NewsDetails/tabid/189/Default.aspx?NewsID=31868
2) Vough L.R. Evaluating hay quality Fact Sheet 644 Maryland Cooperative Extension. http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs644.pdf
This is an excellent paper on evaluating hay quality
3) Friesen G Using Preservatives and Drying Agents to Improve Hay Quality.
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/forages/bja16s00.html
4) Marketing Hay http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=b15adc61-9839-40d5-808b-bbef7b95f8c5
5) High Quality Hay Management http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/forages/pdf/bjb05s16.pdf
6) Maryland Small Ruminant page http://www.sheepandgoat.com/hay.html
7) Thomas Heather Smith. Hay and Feeding Advise for Livestock http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/hay-feeding-14792.aspx#goats
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