Goat proof plants

[freedomfrom4]

We moved into a new house that has lots of flower beds. We like to let the goats out some times but ya know a herd of goats is hard to deter off 100+ feet of yummyness. Right now when the goats get loose they think the flower beds are thier own personal smorgasbord. So I need plants that won't kill the goats, but taste real bad to them. If it gets to be august and the goats devour my hubbys pretty flowers after a seasons long of hard work he might require a sacrifice. I know that when we had lots of deer they wouldn't eat the Daliah's, but loved Calla lilly's so there has to be stuff that the goats won't eat too.

Oh and there are so many plants around. I'm not even able to identify most of them. How do I figure out what is poisonous to the goats and what isn't?

[suzyhomemaker09]

There are lists of plants that are poisonous to goats all over the Internets

As far as something a goat won't eat? I do not think there is such a thing....

you can start your list here



http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/poisonousplants.htm

[motdaugrnds]

You may wind up having to do what we did, i.e. choose a type of fencing that looks good with your house but that a goat will not (cannot) get over or stick its head through.

We let our "small" herd of dairy goats roam over the entire place (parameter completely fenced) and, instead of fencing in the goats, we put fencing around what we don't want them to touch.

[starletblue]

We have Calla Lilies and our goats leave them completely alone. That's about the only thing they don't touch on our property!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Welded metal plants.

[K Epp]

Mine haven't touched the Calla Lilly, Peony, Hosta, Amaryllis, Iris or Day Lilly. Occasionally eat blooms of Petunias. I put chicken wire around the frame that I use on the Peony to keep them from falling over, but that was to keep the chickens from eating the shoots as they come up. I didn't do a lot of planting this year because I didn't want to waste the money on them eating it. I planted several pot and that way I can rotate them. Now they ate every leaf of my hibiscus. I moved out side the gate of my fenced in yard. So now the gate is decorated instead of the porch. I have found I can spray them with the hose and break them from certain areas, but you have to stay on top of it. I wonder if there is a motion censored water source you could use to protect the beds?

[bcadybug]

lol.... Alice..... that made me giggle!

They eat everything at my place...... therefore I have no landscaping to speak of. Gardens are fenced to keep critters out.

Val

[where I want to]

So far they haven't eaten Douglas Iris, big redwood trees (they eat the bark and leaves of the small one) and ................ I'm sure there must have been something else........yes- english daisies.

[Grayson6711]

Mine don't eat the wild calla Lilly's that are all over.

[KSALguy]

if you let the goats out then fence in the plants,

[Alice In TX/MO]

These are goat proof.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Alice I Love that metal Flower Art, so Cool!

I have a lot of flower beds, tons of flowers & bushes & I don't want the goats eating my landscaping because so many of them can make them sick & I like them.
I say put up fencing so the goats can't get to your flower beds.

[Cygnet]

They don't seem to touch the wild chrysanthemums (which look like little daisies) around here, but there's lots of other things to eat.

Bet they'd leave lantana alone -- elk do.

[Whisperwindkat]

Mine won't eat lemon balm, catnip nor peppermint. Everything else is fair game. They completely wiped out my daffodils that grow along the driveway and day lilies were eaten to the ground.