Goats

The goats are set with about 11 bales of very weedy hay.  The problem is that I need about 20 bales to get me through until next June.  So, the weedy hay was $6.50 per bale.  The good alfalfa hay is an outrageous $16 per bale this year.  I think that it is high at $12.  Now we are scouting around for a deal on some good hay.  We can feed the weedy stuff once a day and the good stuff for the second feed.  If it gets really cold we want them to have good hay.  Every winter is different.  Last winter wasn't too bad.  The winter before this was very snowy.  A couple of years before that it was well below zero for several weeks and we had pogonip - that is freeezing fog for those of you who aren't American Indians.  It never got above freezing.  We have to be prepared for the worst.

One year it was so wet that I had to change the straw out almost every day.  I ran out of straw and couldn't seem to buy more.  This year we have stocked up and I have 12.  I think I will get a few more since straw can be used from year to year.  The nutrition in hay goes down in value so you want to try to buy the right amount every year.