Very coarse hay or forage is not readily digestible by goats, so they prefer not to eat them. Grass hays with low ADF must be cut early, while the leaves are immature and the stems are very small. As a general rule, stemmier hays have less nutritional value than leafy hays. Some people associate alfalfa hay with urinary calculi in bucks. Inadequate intake of water, along with overfeeding of grain, particularly regarding male goats, are the likely culprits in causing urinary calculi.
Many areas have poor quality or brackish water.
Goats are choosy and will decline to drink foul water. Water that is high in calcium and magnesium salts may also increase the probability of urinary calculi. Alfalfa is very high in protein relative to other hays. Providing goats with a combination of alfalfa and grass hays along with the proper grain mix will bring the protein level up and insure that there is adequate roughage in the diet to stimulate the digestive action of the goat's rumen. When feeding higher grain levels in late pregnancy, be sure that ample hay or forage is available to prevent digestive problems such as acidosis and pregnancy toxemia.