The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: harry on July 06, 2014, 07:55:57 pm
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ime thinking about getting a couple of goats...... i have a 1 acre plot but its slowly getting more nettles docks etc etc than grass..... i know goats will eat the rough stuff but dont want them eating all the bark off my many trees and laurels.... good secure site with electric fences and more,,, what type would be a good type... ime thinking maybe 2 males.... keep for a couple of years then end up as meat. am i in cloud cuckoo land or what. i tried pigs but ive been eating them for 2 years now and still got some ,,,getting fed up with sausages
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Laurel is highly toxic to goats :o
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I nearly lost a goat after she ate just a small amount of laurel. If the trees and laurels are in the field you would need to fence each one because goats will strip all the bark off. I had a magnolia tree which was soon dead after my goats got at it, even though I thought it was well enough fenced. A two year old goat would be very tough but lovely if you slow cook it.
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If a goat died by eating toxic plants would the meat still be viable??
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I would not trust the meat if the animal had died from poisoning.
If fencing off areas go double the distance that you think that is needed as goat necks can stretch to amazing lengths for tasty morsels.
If you are getting males make sure that they are castrated young as the meat tastes just like the male goat smells.
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Never eat fallen stock and never let them in a paddock of weeds and the like without checking what weeds they are. Laurel, like Rhode and many many others are highly poisonous. If you don't know what's in there get a book and find out, you're responsible as owner.
Also, remember goats can be fussy, they don't just eat anything including items from your washing line - some do, some don't, do your homework or you might end up with mouths to feed because they don't like the green stuff they're supposed to eat.
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If fencing off areas go double the distance that you think that is needed as goat necks can stretch to amazing lengths for tasty morsels.
As I discovered when I fenced my magnolia.
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and I hadn't explained to my girls that just because your head will go through the fence, it doesn't mean it will come back as easy, especially when you have horns ::)
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And do you think they will listen to you if you do explain? I know mine wouldn't. :roflanim:
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:roflanim: :roflanim: Mine didn't listen either. I must have freed them half adozen times in my lunch hour. I just sat down and he screamed! A quick run of electric wiped the smile off his face :excited:
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we've just spent the day fixing the wall where they'd managed to bring down a considerable section but we've now rebuilt it and put up double height rylock on the outside too....... :fc: