# Goats grazing



## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

Hey everyone this spring a made a small pasture for my goats. I have 2 mini lamancha does in the small pasture I built and they never graze or browse. 

They hangout in the shed all day and beg for hay. The weeds and vegetation are over grown and they won't touch it. 

What do I do to get them to graze or browse? 

Should I cut off their hay supply?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would cut it off during the day. Just give a little at night. If it is too high, you may need to mow.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

I've been told goats prefer browse over hay. Maybe my goats are just lazy.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Not really. That isn't really true.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

I have never owned sheep before. Would sheep eat up all that vegetation in my pasture?


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

If the grass is really tall you should mow it to start off. Goats are very Leary of tall grass at least mine are. So I mow around the sides and leave a decent amount in the middle for them that's longer grass. If they can see around the sides they don't seem so scared. I don't have guardian animals so they just tend to be cautious when they go out in pasture if it's too long and they can't see over the grass. 

They will eat it. But Karen gave good advice. Feed once a day. 
I like to feed a bit in the morning. And a bit at night. Just give them enough for a snack in the am. Then they will go out. Or they should once you mow. 

You can use a weed wacker if that's easier for you too. Wack around the whole side of the pasture so they just have grass in the middle. Should wk to get them out in the pasture.


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

Ok. I will mow the edges. Your right maybe there scared of predators. I have coyotes in my area. They will browse if I walk in the pasture with them.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

My goats won't graze any high grass. We have to mow the whole pasture if it gets too high.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Gee, and I thought it was just the sheep that were frightened and shy!


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

ksalvagno said:


> My goats won't graze any high grass. We have to mow the whole pasture if it gets too high.


Well what about people that rent out goats to clear out city lots overgrown with Brush? The goats will eat that stuff but not tall grass?


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Can't wait to learn the answer to this!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

bigz48877 said:


> Well what about people that rent out goats to clear out city lots overgrown with Brush? The goats will eat that stuff but not tall grass?


Because They are hungry. Goats, animals actually, are not dumb. Are they going to stand there and tell you to feed them, which you do, or are they going to have to go out and find their own food? They will take the easy way. Cut the hay out or way back depending on what your doing with them. If you are milking them they will not produce like they should on brows alone (unless It's super great grass). My dry open does when they go out they get just enough hay to bring them in at night and finish getting their tummies full. By morning they are hungry and they RUN out.
Brush clearing goats job is to clear what is out in front of them so they get no extras st all (usually)


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Mine prefer to browse the edges with the honeysuckle, wild blackberries and all the trees that hang over, clearing the fenceline. I have to mow my pasture area. I do feed them in the morning before putting them out for the day. Mine will not clear a pasture area.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

My goats love their tall grass.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Goats is funny critters. Just about the time you THINK you've figured out what they will or will not eat...BAM...they change their minds.

That, or mine are manipulating me. ;-)


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## bigz48877 (Oct 18, 2016)

Jessica84 said:


> Because They are hungry. Goats, animals actually, are not dumb. Are they going to stand there and tell you to feed them, which you do, or are they going to have to go out and find their own food? They will take the easy way. Cut the hay out or way back depending on what your doing with them. If you are milking them they will not produce like they should on brows alone (unless It's super great grass). My dry open does when they go out they get just enough hay to bring them in at night and finish getting their tummies full. By morning they are hungry and they RUN out.
> Brush clearing goats job is to clear what is out in front of them so they get no extras st all (usually)


I'm not milking my does right now. I plan on breeding them in the fall with my buck "Angus" and then milking them.

Right now my buck "Angus" and his companion wether "Moose" are really small and I'm worried about having them out in the pasture so I put the boys in my smaller pasture temporarily and put my does in the bigger pasture.


Jessica84 said:


> Because They are hungry. Goats, animals actually, are not dumb. Are they going to stand there and tell you to feed them, which you do, or are they going to have to go out and find their own food? They will take the easy way. Cut the hay out or way back depending on what your doing with them. If you are milking them they will not produce like they should on brows alone (unless It's super great grass). My dry open does when they go out they get just enough hay to bring them in at night and finish getting their tummies full. By morning they are hungry and they RUN out.
> Brush clearing goats job is to clear what is out in front of them so they get no extras st all (usually)


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Yeah my goats are a little spoiled but no they like the grass shorter so they can see through it. Makes sense to me. They are being cautious. 

Suzanne my goats eat tall grass but I have a very large pasture and when the grass it super tall you can hardly see the goats sometimes. Lol. 
They like it when we mow around the sides so they have less of the tall tall stuff.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All great advice.

If goats get hungry enough they will go eat on high grasses.


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## Goat_Scout (Mar 23, 2017)

All goats are different. Mine don't care if they are eating in an overgrown pasture or not, they just love vegetation and any brush they can get. 
Some of ours like to eat tall grass, but most of them don't. 

I agree with some of the others, I think you should mow their pasture (or part of it) and/or lock them out of their shed during the day. Tough love.


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