The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: ScotsGirl on May 04, 2014, 10:17:32 pm
-
I am busy landscaping my garden and want to plant goat friendly plants so I can give them the cuttings when pruning. What are the best things to plant? I'm not a great gardener and despite telling the garden designer I wanted non-toxic plants, he put yew and laurel in the design!!
-
Flowering current, I dont know the real name, only the common one! Its not toxic, and it comes out early in the year so its good for picking bits to tempt a goats appetite at kidding time. Has pretty pink flowers in the spring, they aren't toxic either.
Roses obviously are popular with goats too. Hawthorn is excellent. Ivy is edible, but not the berries, so not sure if you really want to incorporate that.
Might be able to think of others given time.
Beth
-
Cooo - you can afford a garden designer? :-J
how big is the garden?
goat willow?
I think someone mentioned they feed bamboo (trimmings), if my gang get to mine they love it, still leaves the canes for use.
Blackcurrants,
mine like miscanthus even when its dead stems in winter.
I don't know if you know but avoid prunus, wilted leaves can be deadly.
-
Comfrey is good, nice flowers for bees/bumble bees and goats do like the leaves. Also is perennial, just make sure you don't use one that self-seeds everywhere. Willows is good too, as is hazel, beech for hedging.
Other than that, mine normally just refer the weeds...
-
Marjoram/Oregano, mints, including peppermint, sage, raspberry, comfrey, rosemary, wormwood, rue, honeysuckle, horseraddish, horse chestnut, willow, echinacia(spelling?), thyme, wild garlic.
All medicinal herbs I use on my girls....hope that helps! :wave::wave:
-
Wow brilliant thanks. Design want too expensive but had to do something as my creative skills are non existent and it was like a building site. Raised beds and patio going down this week then I just need to plant up the beds. Will go plant hunting next weekend :excited:
-
If you can find it wild raspberry proved very popular with our Pygmy girls and also elder and hazel. They are all easy to grow from cuttings if you can find some in a generous friend's garden. And there could even be a Brucie bonus of some edible fruit for yourself!
-
....and I nearly forgot willowherb, not that you would want to grow it but the goats go mad for it so if you find it in hedgerows etc. take them home a bunch. And I never had any problem with the seeds 'passing through' and re growing. :thumbsup:
-
Native deciduous, basically. Evergreens tend to be poisonous. Holly is an exception, as it does the 'don't eat me' bit by prickles instead.
My goats especially like: hawthorn, rowan, silver birch, willows, holly, a bit of ivy, hazel.