Weeds

[TheBullLady]

You're stuttering Dun!

Thanks for showing that lovely photo of Goatweed Cherokee.. God knows I don't get to see enough of that crap every time I go out into the pens. Late maturing weeds are the bain of my existence here.. especially when we're surrounded by cotton.

 

[TexasCountryWoman]

I am a goat/cattle rancher...so to speak. Goats eat weeds, sheep eat grass. Goats make good complimentary herd to a cattle herd because they don't compete for food. Sheep, however, will compete with cattle for the grass. Grass is the LAST thing a goat wants to eat. Goats, if they have enough space and variety of browse, will seldom eat enough of any one thing to poison themselves as they take a bite of this and that. They should be turned out with a belly full of hay first if they are penned at night so the lush vegatation doesn't cause them to bloat on an empty stomach. Goats require good fencing as they are masters of escape. If you live remote, you can just turn them out and they will come running when you shake the feed bucket. They love routine. But watch your landscaping or garden or potted plants etc. You would eventual find a Livestock Guardian Dog useful if you really got into this, as they would bond with your goats and protect them from predators. Goats are organic weeding.

 

[cherokeeruby]

Would love to have goats to knock down some of the brush. But our land is so uneven it would be almost impossible to build a fence capable of holding goats. We have been told that a fence that will hold water will keep goats in. Also they don't eat goatweed.

 

[TexasCountryWoman]

But they sure love Poison Ivy!

 

[dun]

Happened to be looking through a weed booklet by Dow. Croton (Goatweed, Doveweed) Several annual species. ....... Flourishes only in southern summer heat, .... Generally increases in abundance under overstocking conditions.

Just one more of those things that I find interesting.
Maybe "oldtimers" disease is a good thing. You get to meet new people all the time (over and over) and you find lots of stuff interesting.

dun