Posted by Nat on April 04, 2001 at 17:48:26:
In Reply to: New goat yard posted by Mary on April 04, 2001 at 09:50:20:
Goats love brush filled areas. My only comment is watch for poisonous plants - I believe Cornell has a great poisonous plant - just search on the internet and you can usually find a good page with pictures in case you can't figure out that a huge scientific name is your common Mountain Laurel (poisonous).
The other thing I'd watch out for is bloat. Putting goats on nice lush browse is sure to make their rumens get a little upset. Try to get them usto the new area for a few hrs a day - or throw some brush in their current pen to condition them for the big meal.
My last suggestion is to protect any trees you want to save by wraping them with mesh. Once the goats are done with the brush, no tasty tree is safe and the goats will strip the bark off in no time, killing the tree.
Happy Grazing, and Fencing!
-Nat's Little Bit Farm