[sisterpine]

in the area where your goats live? Mine live in a small barn with an attached coral with 6 ft field fence so they are very secure, finally. But the grass is over my knees (about 2.5 feet) tall and I worry a bit because it is tall enough to hide many bad guys vertebrates and invertebrates . So I got to wondering while I was raking out the barn....do you all mow? sis- who is way new to goats.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes. So I can see the copperhead snakes.

 

[where I want to]

No- too many animals eating it, too little rain and no venomous snake. That last is the only good thing.

 

[sisterpine]

I worry about cutting the grass (which I just finished doing) and the goats not having anything to browse. On the other hand we have had such wet monsoon season the bugs have been horrible and where there are bugs, there are mice and then there are snakes that can bite goats. So I guess I will mow every few months or something during the season and the goats will survive.

 

[paintpony]

No, I have sheep and horse/ponies to do the mowing for me

 

[marusempai]

I don't mow. I've found that when the grass is tall, the goats tend to limit themselves to the area right around their shelter until it's eaten down a bit, then eat out a larger and larger area. They don't like to find out what's hiding in the tall grass, either. :hammer:

 

[billinwv]

In our area if you don't mow the weeds take over. I brush hog twice in the summer and then when it frosts to clean things up a bit.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

My goats have my yard looking like a manicured golf course. Lol

 

[wintrrwolf]

I only mow one side of the house where the roses and other plants are that I don't want them to eat. I open up area's for them to eat when it get a bit long, their pasture area's are normal and almost manicure looking. The parts where I have the horses at look worse when I can I let the goats out there to clean up some of the weedy stuff. But I also seed their area's with goat forage grasses and plants not just plain ole grass...

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

If you have only goats, you'll most likely need to mow. They prefer OTHER food items to grass unless forced.

 

[sisterpine]

Thanks Alice, I am figuring that out since they love the leaves off the apple trees!
Since they are not in a place with access to apple trees their only choices are weeds, grass, pellets...should I get some type of hay to put in some type of hanging hay feeder?

 

[Caprice Acres]

I'd make them eat grass if that's what the pasture is, as long as the growth is adequate. Though they don't prefer it, they'll do fine on it.

I don't mow. No poisonous snake problems, and the taller grass is better from a worms standpoint. However, super tall grass is more mature and less nutritional. If your grass gets tall, you could always find a neighbor to put it up as hay - best of both worlds.

 

[mzgarden]

..... and the taller grass is better from a worms standpoint.......

Help me understand this point? We currently mow but maybe we should stop mowing?

 

[marusempai]

Help me understand this point? We currently mow but maybe we should stop mowing?

The way the worms get back in the goats is that the larvae crawl up the dew-moist grass, and get ingested by grazing goats. The larvae can only crawl so far - I seem to remember four inches? So if your grass is taller than that, the larvae can't crawl up to the ends where the goats are eating.

Mine actually seem to like grass - I lucked out I guess, but the girls have not even eaten a half bale of hay the whole summer. When I put them on a new pasture, they go about a week or so where they won't even eat alfalfa, because they're too busy nomming their favorite weeds. Freaks me out every time they do it because I'm new though.

 

[southerngurl]

If it starts getting real tall and going to seed I like to cut it but cut it high. They won't eat mature stuff, you want it more growthy and leafy.

 

[sammyd]

We usually only mow to top the stuff that doesn't get eaten down. Helps keep undesirable plants from going to seed. Our goats don't have a problem grazing we rotate around the property using electric netting.