[fiestyredhead331]

Just a random thought while I was out winkle picking the other day.......

can the goats eat fresh seaweed? I know you get dried seaweed as a supplement etc so I suppose if I had to I could try and dry it for the winter maybe? But they love licking my hands when I get back but I would probably need to wash it before I fed it to them fresh?

thoughts please 

[Anke]

They will probably lick your hands for the salt rather than the actual seaweed?

I have seen photos in old yearbooks from a lady who kept AN's on Arran, her goats were photographed on the beach/foreshore quite often. So maybe possible, but what about pollution?

[fiestyredhead331]

thats my biggest concern Anke, there is a crofting blog from Craigard and they take seaweed up to their goats but we have a stonky great salmon farm up and down our bit of coast so would be wary about picking any too close them but then our winkles come from the same place and they don't seem to be affected.
More research required methinks

[shygirl]

i collect it during the winter off the beach and give it to the goats and hens but i cant say either give it much interest except the wee nibble peck, but it does give them some variety during the winter.
we have dried it, crushed it and added to all livestocks feed aswell to no ill effect.
i couldnt say what type the seaweed was except - long flat brown stuff, black curly with pods and the bright green grassy stuff.       

[Lesley Silvester]

Are those the technical names for the seaweed, Shygirl? 

[shygirl]

latin ...i think....
im gona have to google seaweed now 

[fiestyredhead331]

i'm just as bad shygirl, I lift tons of the stuff every fortnight and haven;t a scooby whats what 

[tattycat]

Flat brown stuff possibly old kelp. Stuff with pods prob bladerwrack nd green stringy stuff gutweed.....well it'll give you some to eliminate if it's not them.....

[Lesley Silvester]

I was getting excited at this post at the thought of free goat food. Just remember that I live right in the middle of England as far away from the coast as it's possible to be.