Our goats having been putting on their winter fat...it seems. Which was a bit surprising to Mari & I because, all they are eating is hay and some minerals, ok and the occasional bit of grain (which is their equivalent of crack cocaine). We wondered if they weren't getting some of the nutrients they needed from our hay, so they were eating more. It is true that they get a lot less exercise in the winter, they aren't roaming the hillsides, clearing ski trails and such. But our vet says, no they can get fat on hay, they won't all self regulate. So the goats are on a diet. And they don't like it very much. They get especially vocal when they hear the sound of the pig's grain being poured into their feeder. They know the sound and they want some too.
My horses eat lots more hay when it is below freezing because it stokes their internal furnace and keeps them much warmer. They also get big fat hay bellies. Maybe that's true for goats.
ReplyDeleteMG in VA
Thanks! Keeping them warm was certainly our justification, but it seems we might have overdone it on the not so cold days. They went beyond the hay bellies to adding fat around the backbone. oops.
ReplyDelete