How Much Hay Does a Goat Eat Per Day?
Published: July 30, 2026 · 8 min read
A mature 150-pound goat with no pasture eats about 3 to 5 pounds of hay per day. That works out to roughly 2 to 4 percent of body weight in dry matter — dry does and wethers land near the bottom of that range, while lactating does and fast-growing kids climb to the top. Then add another 10 to 20 percent for what gets pulled out of the feeder, trampled, and refused.
So the practical planning number for one average adult dairy goat is 4 to 6 pounds of hay purchased per day, or about one 50-pound square bale every nine to twelve days. Below, we break that figure down by body weight, production stage, hay type, and season — plus the bale math you actually need at the feed store.
The Rule: 2–4% of Body Weight in Dry Matter
Every university extension small-ruminant program uses the same starting point: goats consume 2 to 4 percent of their body weight in dry matter each day. Because good barn-stored hay is already 85 to 90 percent dry matter, you can treat "pounds of hay" and "pounds of dry matter" as close enough for planning without significant error.
Where a goat falls inside that 2–4 percent window depends almost entirely on what its body is being asked to do:
- Dry does, wethers, and idle bucks (2.0–2.5%) — maintenance only. A 150-lb dry doe needs about 3 to 3.75 lbs of hay daily.
- Late-gestation does (3.0%) — kids take up abdominal space, so intake capacity actually drops in the last two weeks even as needs rise; this is where quality matters more than quantity.
- Lactating does (3.5–4.0%) — a milking doe at 150 lbs needs 5 to 6 lbs of hay, and heavy milkers need concentrate on top of it.
- Growing kids and yearlings (3.5–4.0%) — high intake relative to their small frames, because they are building muscle and skeleton.
- Meat goats on finish (3.0–3.5%) — forage plus grain.
Daily Hay Chart by Goat Size and Stage
Here is the same math applied across the breeds most homesteaders keep. These are hay-only figures — subtract from them if your goats browse.
| Goat Type | Typical Weight | Maintenance (lbs/day) | Lactating or Growing (lbs/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigerian Dwarf | 60–75 lbs | 1.5–1.9 | 2.1–3.0 |
| Pygmy | 50–85 lbs | 1.3–2.1 | 1.8–3.4 |
| LaMancha / Alpine | 130–150 lbs | 3.3–3.8 | 4.6–6.0 |
| Nubian | 135–175 lbs | 3.4–4.4 | 4.7–7.0 |
| Saanen | 145–175 lbs | 3.6–4.4 | 5.1–7.0 |
| Boer doe | 190–230 lbs | 4.8–5.8 | 6.7–9.2 |
| Boer buck | 200–340 lbs | 5.0–8.5 | — |
| Weaned kid (3–6 mo) | 40–70 lbs | — | 1.6–2.8 |
Notice how quickly the numbers scale: two Boer does eat as much hay as five Nigerian Dwarfs. If you are still deciding herd size or breed, run the totals before you buy the animals — the Goat & Sheep Feed Calculator does all of this arithmetic for a mixed herd in one pass, including monthly cost at your local hay price.
Bale Math: What This Means at the Feed Store
Daily pounds are useful for nutrition; bales are what you actually buy and stack. Small square bales typically run 40 to 60 pounds (call it 50 for planning), while large round bales run 800 to 1,200 pounds depending on diameter and density.
| Herd | Hay Eaten Per Day | Per Month | Square Bales / Month | Per Year (with 15% waste) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nigerian Dwarf does | ~4 lbs | ~120 lbs | 2–3 | ~1,680 lbs (0.8 ton) |
| 1 adult dairy doe (dry) | ~3.75 lbs | ~113 lbs | 2–3 | ~1,570 lbs (0.8 ton) |
| 1 adult dairy doe (milking) | ~5.5 lbs | ~165 lbs | 3–4 | ~2,310 lbs (1.2 tons) |
| 5 adult dairy goats | ~20 lbs | ~600 lbs | 12–14 | ~8,400 lbs (4.2 tons) |
| 10 Boer does | ~52 lbs | ~1,560 lbs | 31–35 | ~21,800 lbs (10.9 tons) |
The rule of thumb most goat keepers settle on: plan for about three quarters of a ton to one ton of hay per adult goat per year if you feed hay year-round, and roughly half that if your animals have five or six months of decent browse. For whole-farm hay budgeting across species and storage losses, the Hay & Forage Calculator converts your herd into bale counts and barn space.
Why Waste Is the Hidden Line Item
Goats are notoriously picky and notoriously messy. Hay thrown on the ground, or offered in an open trough they can stand in, routinely sees 25 to 40 percent waste. Goats will not eat forage they have soiled, and once a mouthful hits the bedding it is bedding.
Feeder design fixes most of this:
- Keyhole or slatted wall feeders cut waste to roughly 10 to 15 percent by preventing goats from pulling out mouthfuls and dropping them.
- Slow-feed hay nets with 1.5-inch openings can push waste under 10 percent and extend feeding time, which reduces boredom behaviors.
- Raising the feeder to chest height keeps heads out of the hay and cuts both waste and parasite exposure from fecal contamination.
- Feeding twice daily rather than dumping a day's worth at once reduces the pile they can sort through and abandon.
On a five-goat herd, dropping waste from 30 percent to 12 percent saves roughly 1,300 pounds of hay a year. At typical square-bale pricing that is real money for a $60 feeder.
Hay Type: Grass vs. Alfalfa
Quantity is only half the answer — quality decides whether that quantity is enough.
| Hay Type | Crude Protein | Calcium | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass hay (orchard, timothy, brome) | 8–12% | Low–moderate | Dry does, wethers, bucks — free choice |
| Mixed grass/legume | 12–15% | Moderate | Late gestation, growing kids |
| Alfalfa | 15–20% | High | Lactating does — limit-fed alongside grass |
Free-choice grass hay is the backbone of nearly every healthy goat program: it keeps the rumen working without packing on fat. Alfalfa is the supplement, not the base — its calcium is excellent for milking does but the extra energy will make dry does and wethers overweight. Wethers in particular should stay on grass hay with minimal grain, since high-phosphorus concentrate diets are the main driver of urinary calculi.
Whichever hay you choose, water intake climbs with dry forage: a goat eating hay-only rations drinks 1 to 4 gallons a day, with milking does at the top of the range. Size your troughs and winter heaters with the Livestock Water Calculator before the first hard freeze.
Season, Browse, and Cold Weather Adjustments
Pasture and browse cut hay use dramatically
Goats are browsers, not grazers — given the choice, they will take 60 percent or more of their diet from shrubs, brambles, and tree leaves. On good summer browse, hay consumption can drop by half or disappear entirely, which is why most homesteads only buy serious hay tonnage for the four to six months of dormant season. Stocking rate matters here: overstocked pasture is eaten to dirt by July and you are back on full hay in midsummer. Check your acreage against your herd with the Land Requirement Calculator.
Cold weather raises intake 10–20%
Rumen fermentation is a goat's furnace. Below roughly 30°F, intake rises 10 to 20 percent, and wind or rain on an unclipped coat pushes it further. Budget the extra hay rather than the extra grain — fiber fermentation produces far more body heat than concentrate does.
Order 15% more than you calculate
Storage losses are real. Hay stacked outside under a tarp loses 20 to 30 percent of its feed value to weather; even barn-stored bales lose some leaf shatter over a winter. Buying 15 percent above your calculated need is not padding, it is arithmetic.
A Quick Worked Example
Say you keep three Nubian does — one milking at 160 lbs, two dry at 145 lbs — plus two weaned kids at 55 lbs, with no pasture in winter.
- Milking doe: 160 × 3.75% = 6.0 lbs/day
- Two dry does: 2 × (145 × 2.5%) = 7.3 lbs/day
- Two kids: 2 × (55 × 3.75%) = 4.1 lbs/day
- Subtotal consumed: 17.4 lbs/day
- Plus 15% feeder waste: 20.0 lbs/day purchased
That's 600 pounds a month — about twelve 50-lb square bales, or one round bale every three weeks. Over a six-month winter feeding season you need roughly 3,600 pounds, so buy 1.8 to 2 tons and store it dry. If you are also keeping poultry, the same planning logic applies to grain; see our Chicken Feed Guide for the flock side of the feed budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much hay does a goat eat per day?
A mature 150-lb goat with no pasture eats about 3 to 5 lbs of hay per day — roughly 2 to 4 percent of body weight in dry matter. Dry does and wethers sit near 2.5 percent; lactating does and growing kids reach 3.5 to 4 percent. Add 10 to 20 percent for feeding waste.
How many bales of hay does a goat eat per month?
At 4 lbs per day, one adult goat eats about 120 lbs a month — two to three small square bales at 45 to 60 lbs each. Five adult goats go through roughly 600 lbs a month, or one 800–1,200 lb round bale every six to eight weeks.
How much hay does a goat need per year?
A hay-only adult goat consumes about 1,400 to 1,800 lbs annually — three quarters of a ton to nearly a full ton with waste included. With five or six months of good browse, that drops to roughly 700 to 900 lbs.
Should goats have hay available all the time?
Yes. Goats are ruminants and need near-constant forage to keep the rumen fermenting properly. Free-choice grass hay rarely causes obesity; free-choice alfalfa or grain does. Keep grass hay unlimited and limit the rich feeds.
Do goats eat more hay in winter?
Yes. Below about 30°F, intake rises 10 to 20 percent because rumen fermentation is the goat's main heat source. Wind and wet coats increase it further, so budget extra hay for cold, exposed housing.