Bale grazing Goats and sheep

There are several methods of winter feeding. Some of it depends on where you are situated, how mild or severe your winters are, etc. A lot depends on the scale of your farm too. Someone with just 5 goats, might be feeding differently than someone with 500.
Conventionally, animals are kept in a corral (or inside a barn) over winter. Hay is put into feeders to minimize waste, and straw is provided as bedding. But what goes in, must come out. It is amazing how bedding and manure and feed waste can add up over the winter into several feet of glorious compost - but it does no one any good being left in the corral or barn! . The concentrated waste can spread disease if the animals are confined too long and it is not cleaned up. Cleanup is labor and equipment intensive and costs $$.

Feeding in corrals with feeders - with snow and waste, the feeders get packed down pretty quick, and you would have to chip at the ice to free them to move them around, or eventually they will get buried in wasted feed and compacted snow.

So what are the alternatives? Through Holistic Management, I know that 'bale grazing' is an excellent option for cows, I just wasn't sure how it would work with goats.

Cows bale grazing Spring 2012 next to the Spring flooding creek. Lucky cows, beach front dining for a few weeks in Spring! 

Remus finding a comfy spot on some rolled out hay, with goats and sheep in background

Let me explain what bale grazing is:
Generally, ranchers would pick a spot that could do with a fertility boost, a piece of poorer pasture or hilltop would be good, but any area will do. Shelter can be a factor here - some ranchers put up artificial windbreaks (for those of us in the Prairies with not a lot of natural shrub and trees, this is an option.)

The bales are placed 10-20 feet apart on end. Strings are removed, and the cows are rationed according to their needs and the ranchers goals. Rationing is done by separating the animals from their feed with a portable electric fence. The fence is moved daily, every other day, or once every week or 2, depending on how you like to do it. The bales are weighed, ruminants (cattle, goats, sheep) generally consume 3% of their bodyweight in feed a day. We calculate 10% for 'waste' on top of that, and then ration.

The bales themselves kinda act as windbreaks, so if you have a whole supply set out and start feeding from the South, the bales to the North are a natural windbreak.

The 'wasted' feed and manure and urine stay on the land. When Spring comes, it is a wonderful fertilizer. The 'wasted' feed bits are like a mulch, insulating the soil and retaining moisture. Over time, it breaks down into humus and becomes food for the teeming bacteria that keep our soils healthy. Healthy soils grow healthy plants, that in turn grow healthy animals. It is a long term investment in your pasture, and takes about 5 years to see the full benefit.

With Bale Grazing, you do not have to haul manure. The 'wasted' feed become bedding, so no need to use straw. The animals move to a fresh spot everytime the electric fence is moved, meaning there is no buildup of manure and decreased risk of disease causing  bacteria.

When I started building my herd of goats, I wondered about bale grazing them and did a google search. I didn't find anything on bale grazing goats and found ONE link to bale grazing sheep- from Ranching With Sheep. I started communicating with Arlette from Dog Tale Ranch and even got my first sheep from there.

We find that rolling out the bales creates a thinner layer of 'waste'. But this winter with our strong winds and unpredictable heavy snowfalls, I started leaving bales on end so that feed is easier to find.

A half-eaten bale. The wind had carved snow around it, creating an extra bit of windbreak for animals laying down on the 'wasted' feed

Sheep finishing off a bale

Sheep at a fresh bale

Goats at a fresh bale

Goats bale grazing

So far it has worked well. I had one goat get stuck - goats have horns that curve back and they get their heads stuck everywhere. But much more so in feeders, so feeding without the use of steel feeders, is actually a goat life saver :) 

Next winter I plan to stage all the bales in the Fall, to minimize having to run the tractor. Right now we feed every 4 or 5 days, but sometimes the snow makes it hard to get in. Having the bales placed before winter would be a great labor saving.