burdock

[kasilofhome]

Ok pumpkin good for goats but I can easily grow Burdock root and I know they love it... but is good for them as it is easy to store too for me .....I want to be able to grow more and more if not all someday of the feed for the goats.

[marusempai]

I have quite a lot of burdock growing wild along one side of my property. The girls eat the leaves and stems - some seem to like it more than others. If they binge eat on them it does give their milk a funny taste. I don't know if the roots are the same - I've eaten burdock root myself and it is definitely milder than even the smell of the crushed leaves (which I refuse to taste because they smell pretty bad...), so it might not be so bad, but that's my experience.

[Clovers_Clan]

I grow bitter dock in the garden, its deep tap root loosens our hardpan clay and mines minerals deep in the soil. I usually feed the leaves to the chickens, tie it in little bundles and suspended for them. The goats like it too, in their own finicky way. They love it some times of year and barely touch it other times. That's one of the reasons why I like it as a browse plant. It holds up well to browsing/grazing because its deep rooted and they leave it alone long enough to regenerate. You would need to know the nutritional data on the plant to know how much to feed. I would think it would be a good supplement but probably not as a complete diet.

[CJBegins]

I had to look up what burdock looked like. That stuff is hell on horse's manes and tails. I have noticed I have fewer and fewer plants since getting goats.

I couldn't count the number of hours I have spent killing that stuff. Who would have guessed.

[1shotwade]

Ask any trapper or fur handler what they think of burdock. It's not a pleasant venture trying to salvage a $70 fox fur that has been into burdock.

Wade

[kasilofhome]

Burdick lead to Velcro.....I forgot about the burrs.

[kasilofhome]

A Neighbor grows it in a field....being that I do not trespass I never saw it. But they gave me some roots and the goats ate the so fast.

[Skandi]

Roots and stems are lovely for humans.. the Japanese have some really good recipes for them, for goats.. I don't know! I personaly think the roots taste like globe artichokes. It takes two years to flower (here anyway) so you can avoid the burrs by harvesting most at the end of the first year or spring of the second

[JoannaCW]

Our goats love the leaves. I was delighted when I learned that the leaves were also high in protein and various minerals. We dry it and feed it in winter--next year we'll have to dry it in smaller bundles since some of ours got rotten centers. I wonder about relying on it too heavily, though--can it accumulate excessive oxalates as other docks do?

[Skandi]

Originally Posted by JoannaCW

Our goats love the leaves. I was delighted when I learned that the leaves were also high in protein and various minerals. We dry it and feed it in winter--next year we'll have to dry it in smaller bundles since some of ours got rotten centers. I wonder about relying on it too heavily, though--can it accumulate excessive oxalates as other docks do?

It's not actually related to sorrel or other field docks, I've not heard of any issues with it, doesn't mean there isn't something.. but not that I know about.