My husband has just been out strimming (again) to try and kill the blighters and come the spring the 'round-up' will come out.
But the point of this post is that we have been offered the loan of a couple of goats if we want them to clear the ground. o/h is very tempted (largely I think because he is sick of strimming it
) but the people who offered them have said that we could have them permanently if we wanted them and he is tempted to get them as a permanent fixture (which I would like as I like have always liked goats)...however -They could be out on the paddock all spring/summer/early autumn (saving grazing is not an issue for the horses on this paddock as they will churn it up instantly so they will mostly be on the large area of hard standing on the bottom section with ad-lib hay - it is more for fresh air and exercise than grass) but the goats will not have winter grazing. So during the winter the goats would be in the byre, they could come out during the day but it would be more for fresh air than grazing as they would have to be either tethered in a sectioned off area of the paddock (in which case they would have a little grazing but not much) with the horses or on the horses' yard while the horses were in the paddock. Byre space is not an issue, there is bucket loads of room for a goat stable! Grass is not an issue as the paddock will be standing empty 3/4 of the year. We are buying in round bales of hay every week for the horses so forage not an issue but I know nothing else about goat requirements
apart from that they are escape artists...oh and I assume you need a DEFRA holding no for them? Daft idea? Practical idea? I realise they will not be a money saving exercise and will basically be pets, but does this sound like a sensible plan, since we like them anyway? Ideally we would have a couple of nannies who could be put into kid and milked (we do like goats milk and accept that billy kids and any nannies we can't find homes for would be going for meat)
