Feeding Goats with Hanging Bundles of Forage

• Location: Batangas, Laguna, and Pangasinan, Philippines

Technical Description

Bundles of tree leaves or grasses are hung near walls or shed posts, where the animals can lean for anchor while eating the hanging feed.

Uses and Merits

By nature, goats prefer to eat or browse on dangling foliage or roughage (Fig. 15). Their ability to stand on their hindlegs enables them to reach hanging objects. They also prefer to climb onto elevated and dry places. This practice gives the animals the opportunity to express their natural capability for bipedal stance.

The animals are encouraged to eat more when feed is given in small quantities but with easy access. Hanging the feed also protects it from being trampled on, or soiled with urine and manure.

Reservations on Its Use

The practice is practical when there are only a few animals to feed, as constant pulling of the hanged ration may loosen the bundle and eventually cause it to drop to the ground. The bundles should therefore be attached tightly. Hanging the feed in bundles is added time and labor for farmers.

Expert’s Comments

The practice is recommended when the herd is small and the animals are of the same size. Hanging the forage limits access by weanling or young animals. Also, this must be recommended only when forage is given merely as a supplement. The animals should continue to get the bulk of their daily feed from the pasture.

https://www.pinoybisnes.com/livestock-business/low-cost-feeds-and-feeding-methods-for-livestock/