Goat Hay Rack: Feed Forage Cleanly and Cut Down on Waste
Goats feed selectively and like to pull hay out of the rack. With the right design more forage stays in the rack and less in the bedding.
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Kerbl Feeding Rack for Sheep, Goats, Calves, No Roof
Sale price: €333.58 Regular price: €336.00 (0.72% saved)
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Kerbl Feed-Saving Hay Rack for Horses, Galvanised Metal
Sale price: €63.80 Regular price: €89.99 (29.1% saved)
Goat Hay Rack: Keeping Forage Where It Belongs
Goats need long fibre forage, and they go about it very selectively. They pull hay out, look for the fine leaves and leave the stems behind. The right hay rack steers that behaviour, keeps the feed clean and saves you a slice of work every day when you bed down and muck out.
Designs for every shed
For the corner of a pen there is the galvanised corner hay rack, for the wall the half round rack at 80 x 43 x 67 cm. Where several animals need to feed at once, the Comfort Line ring rack with a diameter of 1.45 m is the calmer answer, because the group spreads out all the way round. For pasture and loafing yard there is the rack for sheep, goats, calves and deer with or without a roof, and the roofed model measures 115 x 81 x 131.5 cm and keeps the hay dry in the rain. Single racks 68 cm wide fill the gaps in existing pens. Which design fits comes down to the number of animals, the space in the pen and whether the rack has to stand out in the weather or under a roof.
Hay saver grilles and slow intake
Most hay is lost when goats take a full mouthful and throw the rest on the floor. A metal hay saver grille only lets small portions through, so the feed stays in the rack and the animals feed more calmly. The galvanised Growi rack with slow hay intake has the same effect and comes in 92 x 52 x 60 cm and 150 x 52 x 60 cm. Longer feeding times do the rumen good as well, because the animals chew the cud better. When you hang the rack, check that horned goats can get back out of the grille comfortably. Clear out the last stalks before you refill, because damp leftovers at the bottom of the rack soon stop the animals eating.
Frequently asked questions
Which rack suits a small group?
For a few animals a corner rack or a half round rack on the wall is enough. From about eight goats on, a ring rack gives more feeding spaces side by side.
What does a hay saver grille do?
It only lets small portions through. Less hay ends up in the bedding, the feed stays clean and feeding time gets noticeably longer.
Do I need a rack with a roof?
On pasture and in an open loafing yard yes, because wet hay quickly turns unappetising. In a closed shed a rack without a roof is fine.
Hay racks for goats: clean feeding, less waste
Hay is the basis of goat feeding, and how much of it actually ends up in the animal is decided by the rack. Goats reach deep in, shake the forage about and leave whatever does not suit them. Models with narrow bar spacing or a hay saver grille only release small portions, so more hay stays in the rack and far less in the bedding. For the pen you will find galvanised corner racks and half round wall racks, for larger groups the ring rack with a diameter of 1.45 m, and for pasture or loafing yard racks with a roof that keep the hay dry in the rain. Racks with slow hay intake stretch feeding time further, which benefits cud chewing and keeps the group settled. When you set one up, choose a height your animals reach into comfortably without being able to climb in.