# What is it with eating wood?



## Texas.girl (Dec 20, 2011)

This morning while I was hanging some towels on the line Bambi grabbed a clothespin and started chewing. I got it away from her but as soon as I turned my back she was back to the basket and grabbed another one. I think she might have swallowed it. A few hours later I went into the cabin (my storage area) to get some goat minerals and Sport started chewing on the screen door. What is it with dried out wood? We have had rain lately, lots of yummy green stuff growing. But they want to eat dried out wood. I just don't get it.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

Goats are browsers by nature, not grazers like horses, cattle and sheep. They'd rather strip the bark off a tree than eat the tender grass growing right below it. Chewing wood is normal. It doesn't necessarily indicate a salt or mineral deficiency like it does sometimes with other livestock.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Might need more fiber. Careful they don't eat to much wood.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Yep, I have one doeling that nibbles on my fence posts daily....while standing on grass


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## Texas.girl (Dec 20, 2011)

Whenever we are home and weather is okay, we let them out to graze. They have plenty of Mountain Cedar (juniper) trees to munch on, which they love. These goats are getting plenty of fiber. At least the bark is from living trees, unlike clothespins and dried out screen doors.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

LOL Crazy goats....


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## MoKa-Farms (Jun 19, 2013)

Ah, goats. Crazy things that like to eat everything that you would rather they didn't eat.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

It is delicious to them!

Suzie Q (the black goat) shunned the fresh leaves for the bark on the end of the rose cuttings.


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## Texas.girl (Dec 20, 2011)

Which reminds me,. We built our milking stand using pallets. While I milk Bambi, Lawn Mower (Boer) likes to chew on the pallets. Since Bambi gets grain and other goodies to eat while being milked, I am wondering if Lawn Mower is jealous, as she gets none.


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## AdamsAcres (Dec 3, 2012)

They do like to chew wood... as well as strip the bark off of trees. I've had to wrap several trees with chicken wire to put a stop to it.


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## Just goats (Apr 21, 2011)

I've lost 3 evergreens due to these darling goats!!! I wrapped my olive tree but they were able to get that off, so now I need to rewrap it before it dies! 
note to self: goats eating bark off trees causes said barkless tree to die!!


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## goatwrangler (Oct 15, 2012)

When I want to clear an overgrown area to open up more pasture I send in the goats. Some eat all the weeds and vines, particularly poison ivey, sumac and wild grape. Some go straight for the trees. Since these are all young saplings they really like these tender trees. After the goats have "barked" the trees of course they die then I can knock them down and open up the pasture to more sunlight.


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## goat luver 101 (Jul 19, 2011)

I have no idea but the wood goat shed now looks like swiss cheese...


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