[Gator113]

TO: Any goat owners on FR.

I have been thinking about buying two female “meat” goats to use for clearing.

Does this really work all that well?

Will they clear ‘wild black berries’, ‘Canadian thistle’ and ‘Scotch broom’?

[tired1]

I’ve ween this done along highways in Colo. The farmer fences off sections along the road and the goats graze until it’s time to move on.

[smokingfrog]

Ask goatgranny.

http://www.freerepublic.com/~goatgranny/

[AnAmericanMother]

Developing a Weed and Brush Control Program Using Goats

Weed Control Using Goats (Australia)

Lists the most and least palatable weeds for goats. Some of them are unique to Australia, but by no means all:

Scotch broom, sweet briar, blackberry, wild turnip are highly palatable. According to this and other articles, goats LOVE blackberry and will eat it in preference to almost anything.

Illyrian, scotch, variegated, saffron and spear (black) thistle as well as nodding thistle (not in rosette stage) are palatable when in flower but not at other times.

(I'm not a goat owner but I used to have a part-time goat named Leona. It's a long story - we kept her while her actual owner was in and out of hospital. She lived like a queen with us, but even though she was getting first cut alfalfa hay and Goat Chow, she still liked to graze on the kudzu. Another neighbor had a goat that she kept on a stakeout chain, he ate circles out of the kudzu on her place.)

[goat granny]

Hi Gator: Goat herder here: Goats will eat most anything, but not all things...Our goats wouldn't touch wild mustard, they would chomp down a pasture and certain plants would still be standing..Depends on what is growing on your property..(ouchy on meat goats) I loved my Angora's but we did send some neutered males off to the butcher.

If your not familiar with goat meat you might not like the taste...We didn't like it as chops etc. but made great sausage and salami,

Your best bet is contacting someone is your agriculture dept for advice on what they eat in your area.. There are a few plants that can poison them.

If you know the breed you are going to get, google that breed on the internet, you will find breeders and their web sites will usually have information on what to feed or what to not feed. They can be a source of lots of information that could help you out...If your not sure of the breed you will be getting, the information will still be valid...

If you get female milking goats, they have to be milked...Something to consider is getting neutered males..If neutered as kids, they have about the same temperament as females...Are larger, eat a little more and no problem with having to milk them. (unless you like goat milk) It is sweeter than cows milk...