Except for Winter, when we buy peanut hay, we feed the goats by moving them around. We can usually leave them in one spot for about three days but there’s been so little grass growing lately that there isn’t even enough food in a paddock to last a day. So we’ve been augmenting with trees and branches. The two strategies involved are 1) to put them in woody areas and 2) to cut trees and branches and toss them in.
Putting them in woody areas means going in with an ax and a machete to clear a path for the electric net. It’s a lot of work and running the net through the woods is a pain because it gets caught up easily. We put them at the edge of the woods, so their area is half in and half out. That leaves a clear spot for the shed. It’s a lot of work but it’s good for a couple of days.
Tossing in small trees and branches is quicker but has to be done every day. We do this when we run out of woody areas that we’re willing let the goats clear-cut. I can go into the woods and select straggly trees and branches to prune.
Either way it’s a lot of work but the fact that I can do it is one of the things that I like about goats.
BnmnG 