This is the Goatucation post that I postponed from last week since I was upset about my goat friends. jaz from Octoberfarm asks, "are there things that are bad for goats?" And to that I say a resounding, YES.
We learned a very hard lesson with my friends on the other Farm that too much alfalfa hay is bad for goats. I have told you that we goat love grain and will eat ourselves to death with too much grain. When it comes to that we are very stupid. We get bloat and that causes gas to get trapped in our rumens. If we can't burp and expel the gas we will die.
But enough of the sad stuff. There are also other things we should not eat because they will make us sick to our stomachs. The list is long but one of the things we have in abundance here on our Farm and that is buttercups. In the Spring our ground is covered with them but we are smart enough not to eat them.
We should also not eat the dried leaves of stone fruit trees, certain nightshades (although I have been known to munch a dried tomato plant with no ill effect), and any clothing drying on the line. Heh heh.
We are pretty smart animals when it comes to what to eat and what not to eat - except when it comes to grain. That is our weakness. I guess we just can't help ourselves. It just tastes sooooo good.
Now, of course these are the lessons the publicist and male person have read about and researched but they have also read many conflicting articles and books on what goats can and can't eat. What they did learn is that if we are given the appropriate minerals and a good diet we will have no need to eat something that may be bad for us just because we are hungry. And one thing is for sure around the Happy Goats Farm - we are well fed.
I hope you enjoyed today's Goatucation. Be sure to come back next Monday for your next lesson on the most marvelous animal in the world - the goat.
