Author Topic: Do geese eat nettles? (Read 5598 times)

plumseverywhere · « **on:** April 09, 2010, 09:12:33 am »

We are still deliberating whether to buy some geese for our orchard and paddock. the sheep that grazed here before avoided the nettles and other types of green stuff so was wondering if geese might eliminate the nettles? if not geese then maybe you have other ideas of livestock that will enjoy these culinary delights?

jameslindsay · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2010, 09:15:29 am »

I don't know if my geese eat nettles to be honest but I know the goats do from time to time.

whitby_sam · « **Reply #2 on:** April 09, 2010, 09:21:49 am »

Funnily enough I have ordered some geese hoping that they will eat the nettles at one end of my field... Save me a job with the strimmer and I daren't use weed-killer on them just incase one of the dogs, ducks, cats or chickens happen to want to go to that end of the field, and you know they will, the minute you don't want them somewhere, that's the only place they want to be!

Rosemary · « **Reply #3 on:** April 09, 2010, 01:17:09 pm »

Nettles make good liquid fertiliser; if you cut them and put them in a barrel with a lump of chicken wire at the bottom to stop the tap clogging up, leave it and it will turn to liquid. Good added to comfrey leaves in the same way. Maybe worth thinking about if you can't get anything to eat them. Atleast you can tell folk that you are growing them for a purpose and they aren't weeds.

Sylvia · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2010, 03:41:45 pm »

If you cut the nettles right to the ground regularly they will, eventually, give up and die!

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2010, 03:43:22 pm »

Brill. thanks all for the answers

definately *need* goats - 3 of my 4 children are cows milk intollerant so drink goats milk anyway, need some clever hill climbing lawnmowers as our land is on a steep incline (apart from the orchard) and because they are gorgeous and one of my favourite animals!! so if they eat nettles too - perfect.
I think a previous owner used part of the field as a bottle bank, there is loads of glass and the nettles seem to like growing on it. not ideal when children want to play outside.
dont' fancy nettle soup much but that's another alternative I guess!
will keep cutting away at them but there's a vast amount of the things

gavo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 09, 2010, 06:40:05 pm »

Our goats love them devour them with gusto but only for short periods every day they get bored easily and want a new flavour.

little blue · « **Reply #7 on:** April 09, 2010, 06:49:42 pm »

yet our goats wont touch them, fresh nor dried...
love brambles & roses though

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #8 on:** April 09, 2010, 08:04:31 pm »

had a walk to the orchard today with 3 year old daughter and the nettle problem has literally got worse overnight. we are expecting 30 foster sheep (from a sanctuary) to graze our hill soon (hopefully!!) so maybe they will trample the nettles if nothing else.
you've made me think though little blue, we've got several blackberry brambles scattered around the land and we had some jacobs here last year who always ended up wearing trails of bramble where they'd tried to eat their way into the bush. do I need to cut these right back for goats (am thinking more of smooth coated goats rather than angora but dont' want to cause problems whatever the coat)

little blue · « **Reply #9 on:** April 09, 2010, 08:30:55 pm »

well, ours just eat them!
mind you, they aren't 'free range' so we tend to cut the bambles for them, or they are on a collar and lead.
I don't think our shorter haired sanaan & togg would get 'caught up' in the thorns...