Cheap Effective Goat Feeder

Reader Contribution by Betty Taylor
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As luck would have it, most of my does are ready to kid this record-cold January — thus all the straw bedding in the picture! One momma has even wallowed out a huge nest in the straw. In addition to bedding and shelter from the wind, they need plenty of clean hay. Keeping goats well fed during cold weather helps them stay warm.

Goats are notorious for wasting hay. They pull it out of the feeder and onto the ground and then refuse to eat what’s on the ground. This plastic barrel hay feeder works extremely well and cuts down on waste. Simply cut three goat-head sized holes about half way up the barrel, put two cement blocks in the bottom to keep the goats from knocking it over, and fill from the top with hay.

As you can see from the picture, I’ve bungeed a piece of wood to the top of mine because the goat in the picture loved to stand on top of the barrel, in the hay, and feed. The top keeps out the little goat “marbles.”

I have these feeders in both goat sheds. I’d like to figure out a way to use them out in the open pasture and still keep the hay dry during wet weather. Any ideas?

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