In practice, dairy goats are often fed daily with two separate forages in order to organise the daywork, diversify the diet and stimulate intake. According to their preferences, the order of distribution of these forages could affect goat performance. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of the order of distribution of two forages: fresh herbage cut once daily, and a partial mixed ration (PMR) based on maize silage and soyabean meal (ratio 85:15 on a DM basis). Twenty four multiparous Alpine goats in mid lactation were used in a reversal switchback design ABA-BAB with three 14-d periods in spring 2022. The forage fed in the morning was available during 6h30 (09:45 to 16:15), and the forage fed in the evening was available during 15h45 (17:15 to 09:00). The two forages were given ad libitum, with, in both treatments, 12% of refusals for PMR and 14% of refusals for fresh herbage. Each goat also received 400 g/d of a pelleted concentrate based on maize grain (200 g/milking). Feeding behaviour (cameras) and daily intake were measured daily at herd level, and milk production was measured daily at goat level. Fresh herbage and PMR intakes were 1.36 and 0.81 kg DM/d (38% of PMR in forages), respectively, when fresh herbage was fed in the morning. The corresponding figure was 1.70 and 0.39 kg DM/d (19% of PMR in forages) when fresh herbage was fed in the evening. Total DM intake (+0.08 kg DM/d) and milk production (+0.08 kg/d) were greater when fresh herbage was fed in the morning, which is partly a response to the increase in soyabean meal intake (+0.07 kg DM/d). Time spent eating fresh herbage was 235 and 358 min/d when fresh herbage was fed in the morning and in the evening, respectively. The corresponding figure for PMR was 50 and 126 min/d, respectively. In conclusion, the order of distribution affected marginally daily DM intake but more significantly feeding behaviour pattern and diet composition, affecting milk production. Goats showed a clear preference for fresh herbage in both treatments, despite a lower crude protein concentration (102 vs. 128 g/kg DM) and a lower intake rate (292 vs. 423 g DM/h) for fresh herbage than for PMR.