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tracylea.henrie
14 Posts
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 Posted - Feb 01 2017 : 10:15:57 AM
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I have been doing some research on Chaffhaye. And am wondering if anyone uses it?
I absolutely HATE the idea of giving my family and of course my cows GMO and chemical sprayed food. I have been feeding my cows alfalfa that I'm sure is of both of the above, due to the fact that I have had no luck in finding it without in my area. Not to mention the waste my cows leave in their "dig" for the good stuff.
Is Chaffhaye a product that you use and would recommend?
If so, I would be on the look out for more people in my area to look into it as well, so we could have it delivered in bulk. Or is there someone close enough already getting it, and would be O.K. with adding someone else to their delivery? I live in Clearwater, ID.
If this product is not that good, or worth the money, does anyone recommend feeding strictly grass hay for milk production and general cow health to get through the rest of the winter? Well at least until it's time for them to be back out on the fields. They do get grain, that we grind ourselves. That is all NON GMO, with added minerals.
Thanks in advance!
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Feb 01 2017 : 12:43:43 PM
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hi tracey. several of us use chaffhaye, i believe it was maryjane that turned us onto it. i just love it - it looks, smells, feels "real". the cows love it. there was some discussion at some point if it was organic and non-GMO as their label or documentation wasn't 100% clear at that time, but I believe calls to them by maryjane cleared all that up.
i actually drive at least one hour to get my chaffhaye, so i buy about 12-15 bags at a time. but i don't go through it like water, it is more a supplement to their diet. i live in east texas so my girls get green pasture 9-10 months a year (more this year, winter missed us) so my feeding will be a bit different than yours. maryjane and janet can pipe in about how much they go through as they have true winters like you do.
i may be different than others, but i strive for all organic and non-GMO but relax a bit for the 5-10% of my life i can't get there. for example, we have been trying to find a good hay supplier. we found one totally organic and non-GMO right by us, and the ground hasn't been sprayed in well over a decade. but the hay isn't as nutritious, the cows dont care for it. it takes 2 bales to do what 1 normal bale does (the rest gets tossed around on the barn stall floor)... but we have a local farmer who is at least 152 years old just down the road farmer that is NOT 100% organic or non-GMO, but this guy farms for a living and tries to do things right. so last year he was getting eaten up by army worm and had to spray once to control it. once. we bought some of his hay. the cows love it, don't waste a bit, and even someone like me can tell the difference between it and the other stuff we tired.
i look at pesticides and such as similar to penicillin - the problem isn't the substance itself, its that we use it 1000 times more than needed. so it is drenching our society. so while some years this farmer doesn't spray at all, some years he does. and he also spreads his cow manure and chicken manure around his fields, and although he doesn't raise them 100% organic he does very little input and adds some grain to their diet to keep them friendly. i try to remember that we can go 100% organic and still kill ourselves on the amount of copper we apply to a crop (or other approved organic non-gmo product). so if i can get 90-95% of it right then i relax about the little i didn't get perfect.
my two cents. i love that everyone around here shares, and i am constantly learning from everyone.
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_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Feb 01 2017 12:45:56 PM |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Feb 02 2017 : 1:44:48 PM
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| Hello Tracy. Like Cindy, we use Chaffhaye too. We feed the cows a little bit each day along with there non-GMO, organic alfalfa/grass and grass hay. No waste with the Chaffhaye. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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tracylea.henrie
14 Posts
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Posted - Feb 02 2017 : 2:51:11 PM
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Thank you both.
So what I am understanding is that you do not use it "in place of" alfalfa but more of an addition to?
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Feb 02 2017 : 3:13:06 PM
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| I don't know about anyone else but I use it in place of. Why? Alfalfa hay bales are HEAVY, the cows search out the smaller pieces (the leaves) and waste the stems and unless it was harvested at the exact right moment (weather permitting), it's often too tough and sometimes moldy in places so you have to sniff every flake before serving. Chaffhaye has plenty of stems in it but because it's fermented, they're soft and consequently NOTHING is ever wasted like with alfalfa hay. I serve Chaffhaye in the mornings, and then in the evenings they get a nice simple grass hay. This year I found a fantastic grass hay that is called meadow foxtail. It's never dusty or full of stickers and it isn't the kind of hay that sticks to your clothes. It's beautiful, soft, green blades of grass and my girls eat every last bite. Love it. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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tracylea.henrie
14 Posts
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Posted - Feb 15 2017 : 10:29:10 AM
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Thanks Maryjane!
Sorry it took so long for me to get back on here and see this.
I think that I am going to try to talk with some other cow and possibly goat owners in my area and see if I can get them to research this and want to try it as well. I had already contacted Chaffhaye and they gave me all the info I asked for, but I wanted to know what people who have actually tried it thought.
I will also keep in mind the meadow foxtail, because it too sounds great.
Thank you all for your input! I always search here first for my info on all things dairy cows!! |
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Chaffhaye
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