Goats and trees

[Stereo]

Got an area of hazel and thorn which I coppiced a couple winters back. Lots of wood but didn't extract it all so much is left in heaps and the bramble and weed has become well established. I could go in with a strimmer and spend a few days hacking away. Or I could pen my goats in there and they would clear it very nicely and get fed too. Problem is the hazel coppice is just established and coming back very nicely. I think they would trash it this time of year.

 

So I'm wondering when would be a 'safe' time to let them in there. There is no doubt they will nip leaves off trees but is there a time later in Autumn when this will not hurt the tree as much?

[matelot]

is there any gorse or branch material you could put round your trees? in the past I've used gorse as a fence to protect trees from deer.

 

maybe the goats would prefer to eat the weeds compared to the trees? maybe put the goats in and see what they eat? pull them out if they start on the trees.

[Stereo]

They'll be right up the trees. They do a damned good job of clearing weed but the do clear everything and they prefer to browse higher up than eat from the ground.

[matelot]

is there something you can spray on trees to make them taste rubbish to herbivores?

[peatff]

They'll be right up the trees. They do a damned good job of clearing weed but the do clear everything and they prefer to browse higher up than eat from the ground.

 

They won't eat horseradish plants I went with a mate to pick a car up and the woman there said she didn't know what they were but they were the only thing the goats didn't touch. I told here what they were and to dig up the roots late in the year to use them. She felt better about them after as she had thought they might be poisonous. I think your trees would be at risk if you kept the goats in there.

[ame]

[/ame] Edited May 26, 2017 by peatff

[Daniël Bos]

Goats will only eat trees if they have a mineral deficiency.

For a goat to realise it's full potential it needs the perfect balance of minerals, vitamins, trace elements etc. But due to the fact they are goats they're not getting what they need.

Tree-eating in goats can be cured fully and permanently by a single (high velocity) injection of lead.

 

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[Goaty]

Goats will only eat trees if they have a mineral deficiency.

For a goat to realise it's full potential it needs the perfect balance of minerals, vitamins, trace elements etc. But due to the fact they are goats they're not getting what they need.

Tree-eating in goats can be cured fully and permanently by a single (high velocity) injection of lead.

 

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Whilst this above is in jest maybe. Its all nonsense.

Unlike sheep goats are a diverse bunch of characters. They can be really fussy. By choice they would rather not eat at ground level. Contained in an area they will strip most vegetation to nothing. They thrive on debarking woody plants with their single row of bottom teeth and bashing with horns.

When i kept goats they often went on clearance jobs.

However due to their indivdual characters you will get some that have little interest in trees. I wouldnt leave any goat unattended with trees as 1/2 hr is alot of destruction time for one goat.

 

As for the lead comment. Im not bothered. It is insensitive and could start petty debates which isnt good on a proffesional forum.

 

Peace[emoji114] [emoji106]

 

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[Daniël Bos]

Whilst this above is in jest maybe. Its all nonsense.

Unlike sheep goats are a diverse bunch of characters. They can be really fussy. By choice they would rather not eat at ground level. Contained in an area they will strip most vegetation to nothing. They thrive on debarking woody plants with their single row of bottom teeth and bashing with horns.

When i kept goats they often went on clearance jobs.

However due to their indivdual characters you will get some that have little interest in trees. I wouldnt leave any goat unattended with trees as 1/2 hr is alot of destruction time for one goat.

 

As for the lead comment. Im not bothered. It is insensitive and could start petty debates which isnt good on a proffesional forum.

 

Peace[emoji114] [emoji106]

 

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My post was entirely in jest.

I've had goats for over 30 years, I'd not trust any of them (I've had hundreds) not to harm a tree for any amount of time.

On my family farm we keep a small flock of about 50 of feral-ish goats specifically for tree removal and control

Edited May 26, 2017 by Daniël Bos

[GreenGui]

Whilst this above is in jest maybe. Its all nonsense.

Unlike sheep goats are a diverse bunch of characters. They can be really fussy. By choice they would rather not eat at ground level. Contained in an area they will strip most vegetation to nothing. They thrive on debarking woody plants with their single row of bottom teeth and bashing with horns.

When i kept goats they often went on clearance jobs.

However due to their indivdual characters you will get some that have little interest in trees. I wouldnt leave any goat unattended with trees as 1/2 hr is alot of destruction time for one goat.

 

As for the lead comment. Im not bothered. It is insensitive and could start petty debates which isnt good on a proffesional forum.

Peace[emoji114] [emoji106]

 

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I keep goats and would agree with all you have posted regarding the animals themselves.

 

As for the bit in bold, this forum has sadly long since moved on to being something else, professional it is most certainly NOT. If suggestions of putting a goat down with a bullet might cause offense, what about killing masses of innocent Muslim people with "Mr 9mm, rounding up the maggots (muslims) and detaining without trial until they rot, putting them all (Muslims) on a remote british island and let them starve" and finally the coup de gras; "cutting off the sons testicles (who's son we don't know), stuffing them in his mouth and sending the body back to his father"!!

 

All this has been stated on another Arbtalk thread regarding people, people not proved guilty of anything other than being of a certain faith but you are concerned by talk of killing a goat with a bullet being unprofessional.

 

News for you; this site has long since moved on and not in a good way.

[Goaty]

I tend to only read whats of interest to me and avoid round and round tail chasing of politics and opinions.

So im oblivous to such.

Ive just seen what is typed taken not as well as if spoken due to the tone and other subtle features of spoken words.

 

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