when you say "browse" or " pasture" in terms of goats...

[jessica_1285]

I've been trying to figure out if my goat area is ok for them. I read a lot about browse and plants and brush ect...but my goat "pasture" is just a fenced in half acre of my yard....not a field just green lawn (and some weeds). Is this ok for them? They get hay and grain of course but don't have anything else to snack on except some grass to munch at. I wish I had a big pasture with lots of plant life like some others do.

 

[marlowmanor]

We have the same type of "pasture" for out goats. Just close to 1/2 acre of our front yard fenced in for them. There are some bushes and all there that would be browse for them but mostly grass.

I think your goats will be fine. Mine were in my backyard for their first year and are just fine. Fat and healthy with no parasite issues.

 

[Southern by choice]

It is fine. Goats just prefer trees, bushes, tall weedy and viney foliage over grass. They are less of a grass grazer than sheep. Cutting branches or neighbors doing pruning can always provide more variety for your goats. Some people with goats dry- lot them and there is nothing but feed and hay.They will do fine either way.

Even if you did have bushes and trees and vines etc...goats will devour them in no time... and then they are gone. This is why they make such good brush clearers.

 

[marlowmanor]

We cut browse for our goats too. Lot of pines around we trim for them and branches too. Had a ton of blackberry bushes we trimmed down and gave to the goats last year too.

 

[OneFineAcre]

You're fine.

I have a wooded lot and mine are basically "dry lot" like Southern said. Mostly hay and grain in that they have long since knocked back the undergrowth. They are working hard on the larger gums now, stripping the bark off and essentialy killing the trees.

they nibble the pine bark as well.

 

[jessica_1285]

OK great! Thanks for the replies
So if they don't eat much grass is it safe to assume that the pasture will stay green? Or will they eventuallykill all the grass?

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

We also have just a section of our back yard fenced in for them. We cut browse and they get garden extras, hay, grain, waste veggies and waste bread.


If you have a small yard you should look up coppicing. Every time you cut the trees grow back with more shoots that can be cut to feed the goats.

 

[Catahoula]

Mine will munch on tall grass too. The goats are keeping the grass over the leach field down. We used to mow that area but not anymore.