[BenHunt1985]

So, I'm now four months into being a pygmy goat owner. Norris and Dave are happy and settled and very friendly, one more friendly than the other.

They have a yellow salt lick at their disposal, fresh hay constantly and a goat mix they have in the mornings too.

Where I live there are loads of fields with in a three minute walk from my house. There are loads of hedges, brambles, lots of tall fresh grass etc I was wondering if it's good way to add a bit of fresh into their diet for free and it being more natural than other options.

What's your opinion on this and what plants should I avoid?

[devonlady]

Unless they are starving goats will ignore anything bad for them. Are the fields yours and, if not, do you have permission to take your little men on to them? Goats are browsers rather than grazers and much prefer to munch the hedgerows rather than eat grass.

[fsmnutter]

Are the fields yours and, if not, do you have permission to take your little men on to them?

Bearing in mind if moving off your own holding, they would need to be moving onto another CPH, and you would need to fill in movement documents and there would be standstills imposed of a period of time (13 days in Scotland) before they came back.
There is nothing stopping you taking some hedge cuttings/browse to feed to your goats, bear in mind that after grass has started to wilt, but before it has dried out into hay, it will be rich and can cause stomach upsets so it has to be very fresh or properly dried. There are many plants which are poisonous to goats, and they may well still eat them, particularly once they are cut, so I would recommend thoroughly researching anything you pick/cut before feeding it to them. There is an "identification" thread in here, and if you post something you do not recognise, members are very quick to help you out in identifying it.

[Steph Hen]

Most native hedgerow woody plants are fine, don't think I've read of any native trees/shrubs that are bad. Hawthorn, blackthorn, bramble, ash, willow, sycamore, beech, etc., we have elm hedges here, and Rowan too. Rosebay willow herb is great too.
Woody (or is it deadly?) nightshade sometimes grows as a vine through hedges, think it's toxic, but don't know how much they'd need before it is harmful. Same with ragwort, sometimes grows through hedges, but they need quite a bit before it hurts them, something like 5-10%body weight or more (so avoid, but don't panic if you accidentally pick up a few leaves with whatever branches you collected.

An important one to avoid is cherry - it's fine fresh, or dry, but wilted has toxins. I imagine it would count as fresh if you cut it and goats ate it within half an hour (?) but I don't know how long it takes for the toxins to develop, and subsequently leave the leaves and would hate to think of you sneaking branches over the fence for them to find and enjoy later and get sick.

I'm cutting and drying bunches of branches for wintertime forage for my goats, you might like to think about this as they love green stuff and variety come January.

[Fleecewife]

Blackthorn is vicious stuff.  I have had a scratch which took over a year to heal.

[Anke]

Moderation.... but absolutely NO Rhododendron or any other evergreen plants from that family! One leaf can kill! (and yes they will eat it!)

Wrt evergreens - the only one safe to eat is Ivy, no berries or flowers. All others best to not even think about feeding.

Hawthorn can not only cause bad abcesses in human hands, but also in goats' mouths and feet... so only fed if nothing else is around and maybe only the soft new shoots in spring (when nothing much else is in leaf).

vegetable peelings/garden waste ok too - esp cabbage stalks, kale, apples and bananas (no citrus fruit and no raw potatoes, no potato or tomato leaves either)

[BenHunt1985]

Cheers for getting back to me. I know I'm not allowed to take them off my land with out the right forms filled or permission from a land owner to take the goats on to his/her land. I meant for me to pick when I'm out walking.

I live in the heart of the national forrest in a place called moira (derbyshire) there is so much growing wild esp right now I wanted to pick as I walk to give them some real food.

Acorns and conkers are growing now.  I know they're ok for pigs what about goats?

Really grateful for the tips. Thank you

[Anke]

Acorns and conkers are growing now.  I know they're ok for pigs what about goats?

Really grateful for the tips. Thank you

No. Even the leaves of Horse chestnut are not recommended. On the goatyfriends Facebook page there is a list of poisonous plants.

[Steph Hen]

Hawthorn can not only cause bad abcesses in human hands, but also in goats' mouths and feet... so only fed if nothing else is around and maybe only the soft new shoots in spring (when nothing much else is in leaf).

The tops of hedges are often prickle free and easily gathered and tied in bunches - Although you don't get a lot of leaf mass per branch compared with something like ash, and it's more fiddly to handle, but the goats do eat most of the stems as well so maybe edible mass isn't so different.

[Talana]

I often gather rosebay willowherb, vetches, sticky willy, willow, hazel, beech,silver birch, rowan, ash(not keys) around where I am.They usually get small quantity's as they have grazing, hay. winter mine love carrots and swedes

[Lesley Silvester]

I never take the dogs for a walk in woodland without a pair of secateurs in my hand - just in case the branches are overhanging the path and might poke someone's eye out, you understand. 

[Penninehillbilly]

Also in goaty friends, in the files there is a copy of an old BGS leaflet on 'wild food', very useful.

[mart6]

Do not forget Brambles they love it.
Wood next door was 6ft high a year ago its totally clear now they  are well pleased.
Never seemed to cause them problems even with the large thorns.
Also my property is surrounded by hawthorn hedges they love it and are quite apt at dealing with thorns
if you just cut the ends of fresh growth very few thorns
As for brambles just cut the bunches of leaves