[Azzdodd]

Due to my goats being naughty naughty goats they keep getting out so I have had to pen them in a smaller pen they had loads of bushes and hedges to much before but now only have a small section I want to plant more in there pen? Thinking gorse as the look through the hedges for that!!

[Dogwalker]

Do you mean stuff for them to eat?
Whatever you plant in the pen wont survive long enough to be a hedge.
Mine love hazel, willow, elderberry and anything they're not supposed to reach.
 
 

[ScotsGirl]

On this subject, if I plant and protect over summer will the goats destroy an established hedge or only saplings? I want to plant some willow which is now taking root in a bucket indoors.

[Anke]

On this subject, if I plant and protect over summer will the goats destroy an established hedge or only saplings? I want to plant some willow which is now taking root in a bucket indoors.

Yes, they will.

[tizaala]

We have some 40 foot tall ash trees with no bark from the ground to 7 foot up , they will kill anything with smooth bark, even a spiky old burberis won't be safe .

[ScotsGirl]

Damn! I had hoped planting would serve three purposes, stop them getting caught in fence, act as a windbreak  and provide something to browse on. Back to the drawing board then!

[clydesdaleclopper]

What I am doing is putting a fence 4 ft in from my fence line and planting in the gap. I reckon that once the hedges are established the beasties can browse on the shoots that poke through the wire but they won't be able to destroy anything. It does mean that you still need to do fencing though.

[Dogwalker]

You might need to make the gap wider. 
My newly laid hedge has been refenced about 6 foot gap so hopefully the goats can't reach and kill the trunks. 
They trimmed the hedges very effectively last year, my neighbour only had to do the tops with the tractor.  Complained they were doing him out of a job.

[clydesdaleclopper]

They shouldn't be able to reach the trunks as it is stock fence with a line of electric wire above that.