Author Topic: First goats - two options. Which one to choose? (Read 4463 times)

Goatmamma · « **Reply #15 on:** March 31, 2017, 07:22:58 pm »

Great news, welcome to the world of goat keeping. My pygmys love willow, beech etc but just a word of warning it can be too much of a good thing. I have had a couple of vet call outs after one of my goats stopped eating and was grinding his teeth, stretching out and obviously in pain. The vet reckoned it was just too much willow in one go. It took a few days for him to recover, and several drenches of rumen stimulant (most of which drenched me!).
Enjoy your goatlings, they are the most engaging creatures!

Steph Hen · « **Reply #16 on:** March 31, 2017, 07:48:01 pm »

Congratulations! They are fun to have around! I feed mine lots of cut branches in summer and winter, but try to mix species up and alongside hay. Wishing you all the best with them!

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2017, 09:52:52 pm »

Congratulations Macgro7, you've thought long and hard about this, asking all the questions in advance, feels like we've been on the journey with you, ?.
Just a word a of warning about your trimmings, please be sure of what you are bringing back for them, check out some online lists of poisonous plants, for instance the prunus family can be fatal if fed wilted. (Without going back and checking I think they start to convert to cyanide, I'm sure someone will put me right)

big soft moose · « **Reply #18 on:** April 04, 2017, 10:05:13 pm »

I think the cyanide thing is only in cherry laurel Prunus laureus (thats the big green waxy thing that basically looks like a laurel). I know next to bugger all about goats, but I've been in countryside roles my whole career and i've never encountered an issue with English cherries or Bird Cherry (other than stock eating the fruit and giving themselves stomach issues)

the other big no no on the cyanide front is Rhododendron , while I suspect Yew (Taxus baccata) will be a bad idea due to the taxine content in the needles and berries (taxine is used in chemotherapy, its seriously unpleasant stuff)

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #19 on:** April 04, 2017, 10:11:26 pm »

http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/livestock/goats/poisonous-plants-for-goats/

Steph Hen · « **Reply #20 on:** April 05, 2017, 08:14:19 am »

I have definitely read and been told it is cherry that cannot be fed wilted (fine fresh and dry).

macgro7 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 05, 2017, 11:53:46 am »

Yes yes. Thank you! I know, I don't feed any cherry or plum or laurel leaves or branches. At the moment only bits of willow, sycamore, brambles, budleia