Goat gardeners

When fallen leaves are a problem in the garden, just send in the goats.   They love eating leaves and consider them a delicacy.   We have plenty of trees at the sanctuary so the goats dash out every morning to ‘hoover’ them up.

Letting goats into the garden is a risky business though, all the trees and bushes get pruned at the same time.   We have to watch out that they don’t get near any poisonous plants such as yew, laburnum or rhodendrons – these are all toxic to the goat and may prove fatal.

Goats like food that is dry and crispy – memories of their desert origins perhaps.   A shower of rain and even the most delicious of leaves are spurned – twiggy branches are favoured on wet days;  goats need plenty of herby hay to be available at all times.   A tummy full of wet grass has potential for disaster.   Cows and sheep can eat wet fodder but the sensitive goat is  likely to bloat up or have digestive upsets with disastrous consequences.   Hay first and grazing later is a golden rule!