Billy Goat eating bark & sap ??

[mrszlopez]

Is it safe ? He is eating the bark and his face was covered in sap.. Dont know what kind of tree it is though.

 

[Chickencoop1996]

Mine eat maple and oak bark I wouldn't worry to much but try to figure out what kind of tree it is

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

My goats loved to eat pine bark and get their faces covered in sap. I don't think it will hurt them, but they will eventually kill the tree.

 

[tnchickenut]

I was told by a old goat show guy that that is a sign they aren't getting all their minerals. Not saying that is what it is... but something to look into. It is normal for them to eat things to get what their body needs and bark won't kill them. Mine used to love cedar bark. I gave mine to this same guy, though... they were better off with him. He had more goat knowledge and better goat land.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Goats are browsers and love to eat tree bark. Some trees are preferred over others. It won't hurt the goat....it will kill the tree. In some areas, sheep and goats are used for cedar eradication. Eating bark does not mean they are lacking in minerals, they just like bark.

 

[Inkheart]

Mine absolutely LOVE pine bark - they as far as i know get all the minerals they need as they love their mineral blocks too - i think they are just drawn to the bark!

 

[glenolam]

If you don't want them eating the bark (thus killing the tree) you can wrap chicken netting around the base and up the tree several times. They won't be able to chew through the chicken wire to get to the trunk of the tree.

FWIW, my goats get all the minerals they need (plus boluses and BoSe shots) and they still eat bark...it's just something they do.

 

[mrszlopez]

thank you all ! i hadnt ever seen any of my goats do it before so i just wanted to make sure it was safe.
I dont mind at all if they kill the tree

lol

 

[llrumsey]

We cleaned up alot of trees last year after a storm went through our home town, I am still feeding the branches to the goats, they love the bark, willow is their favorite. After the bark has been stripped and the smaller branches eaten I take the longer bigger pieces out of their pen, stack it, let it dry and my companion will either use it for carving or we will use it in the fire place.

They just love the bark and small branches.