The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: salopman on May 07, 2012, 08:14:20 pm

Title: Ok daft question coming up.......
Post by: salopman on May 07, 2012, 08:14:20 pm

Have often seen goats in the wild both here and in europe and they all look extremely well and healthy, assume they browse on leafs,branches and grass and weeds etc etc - so, reading posts lately with certain animals both thin and run down etc why??
Are wild goats more intelligent and seek out minerals etc or get a wider range of feed? They obviously dont get things like beet and hay and concentrate - discuss?

Title: Re: Ok daft question coming up.......
Post by: little blue on May 07, 2012, 08:26:01 pm

Survival of the fittest - those best adapted to making the most of their environment & available nutrients/food will be the ones that survive to breed & pass on the genes that enable them to do this

Title: Re: Ok daft question coming up.......
Post by: little blue on May 07, 2012, 08:27:15 pm

and the weaker / poorly / older / less able to utilise the available food well won't survive...

Title: Re: Ok daft question coming up.......
Post by: colliewoman on May 07, 2012, 08:29:18 pm

Also the wild nannies aren't being asked to produce as much milk. But take it from me, at this time of year even the wild girls look like hat racks! We live practically at the foot of the Mendips and there are loads of wildies on the gorge and at Burrington Coombe, I love watching them :love:

Title: Re: Ok daft question coming up.......
Post by: jinglejoys on May 08, 2012, 10:33:45 pm

Yep we dropped some new ones off about 4/5 yrs ago from the Cheviots,lovely goats.
    Its the survival of the fittest as said.A lot of domestic nannies are bred because they are female not because they have something to offer.Also wild goats are able to do what many domestic goats can't and that is to browse not just graze :)