As the fog lifted this morning I enjoyed the beauty, the quiet, and the cool air. It (the cool air) did not last long, but I am still purposely treasuring summer, despite the drought and the heat. Winter will be on its way before we know it.
I mentioned drought because, as you can see in the photo, between the sidewalk and the trench to the right of it (not quite filled in yet from our well installation last spring), there is no grass, and what is available is brown.
The goats are struggling to find grass to graze on.
The goats are on hay, which is important to their well-being. A good alfalfa blend is fed twice a day on our farm during times when pasture is scarce.
I also feed minerals from a bag, but a truly top-notch mineral for a goat is browse. Goats are browsers in their natural habitats (mountains and hill-sides). A large shrub or tree, a deep-rooted plant, supplies an immense value of natural minerals to a goat.
I made a track around the farm this morning, slicing off branches from various trees such as apple, maple, and spruce.
The goats had a feast, one that was healthy-as-it-could-be.
Fall is a great time to gather up leaves for goats. Have you seen a goat chase after a leaf? Sometimes they catch them as they drift down from a tree, before the leaf has been able to float to the ground. It really is an entertaining sight. Exercise, fun, and minerals combined into one great escapade!
When feeding browse, be aware that certain plants, especially ornamental yard plants, are highly poisonous to a goat. A good reference point is the list of edible and poisonous plants at the Fiasco Farm website.
Enjoy your goating…or even if you don’t have goats, I hope you enjoyed a few tidbits on raising goats!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 