We are Getting GOATS!

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

Quote:
Mine eats certain things, but she don't eat just everything. She'll have a bite of clover, maybe some grass, she loves the fire weed, and mainly trees, (Birch, cottonwood, and alder. I read somewhere that they don't eat alder, but mine likes it. She loves corn chips, and wheat toast. nothing on it, she won't eat it. just dry toast

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

I have yet to find anything my goats or sheep won't eat. Let alone the horses, llamas or pigs...

Even my chickens, ducks, geese, giuneas, and peacocks will eat any and everything I throw out to them. And they are all free ranging. No starving animals here. They are all nice and healthy.
Our goats love bread....plain or loaded with stuff on it.
The peppermint candy's are a real big treat here.
Everyone loves oatmeal and will even eat a sucker off the stick...

Of course they don't always get sweets. Those are just special little treats once in awhile.
The goats and sheep litterally run through the pasture to get to the thistles and nettles. They love them. But not when they have the purple heads on them. The heads have to dry up first.

 

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

I know mine don't like stuffing, like stove top. She always runs to the bucket to see what treat i have in there. I had a bowl of left over stuffing that i was going to give to the birds. Baby yanks her a big ol bite, spit it all out, and even wiped her lips off on the post. i laughed till I almost cried. We're still learning. Baby also likes gummy bears. but that's only for a special treat. And cold french fries...with out ketchup. She'll eat lettuce, but she'd prefer crunching the dried leaves off the alder my hubby cut down. the drier, the better.

 

[TeaLady]

Mine are living mostly on blackberry & salmonberry bushes. They tend to take over around here & I had about 1/4 acre of nothing but, high as my head. They also enjoy the nettles, maples, etc. Mine were trained to tether when I got them. I clip the tether to a stout bramble, a tree, or a stake where I want them work.

They get one small handful of grain per day -- no more! For their digestive system to work right they need mostly roughage. Plenty of water always, and a salt block. When it is rainy the water on the bushes is enough, and I hold the salt for them under cover.

Bad for them:

Rhododendron -- poisonous to goats, and they seem to be attracted to them.

Azaleas -- same as Rhodys

Wilting cherry leaves -- Fresh from the tree is fine, but as the leaves wilt they produce a cyanide compound. Who'da thunk?

Dry leaves -- Blocks up the digestive system. Without the moisture that they have in the green stuff they cannot regurgitate the cud. Then they are down with bloat & you have an emergency.

 

[pokachix]

My goats always love my roses & anything else I don't want em to eat. Won't eat nettles fresh but will after I whack em & let em dry for a couple of days. Your Buck will get out of almost anything you try & build & during the fall give off the worst smell you can imagine. It will stay on the Nanny & kiddlin, barn, trees, bushes, anything he touches. Will most definately make the milk gross..

. My girls always were very picky, not eating anything that was wilted or touched the ground, or had anyone elses lips on it. Chevy the wether will eat much more! Funny story, we had a bee-get together a couple of weeks ago. NONE of the men could smell the buck!!! They were petting & letting it rub on them..eewww us girls could smell him driving up the road! Grossed us out. The other ladies made their men wash their clothes & scrub down! Anyone else notice that weird phenom?? Jody