Supervised Foraging aka Goatwalking

1 Jul

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This summer we are making an effort to walk our lactating dairy goats along areas that are accessible to humans but still provide abundant forage. Because we live rurally in a temperate rainforest, the difficulty lies in human accessibility rather than locating forage. Simply put, our dairy goats help with brush control.

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We have done quite a bit of research on feeding dairy goats to ensure healthy milkers. We are working on a management program that includes pasture rotation, chemical parasite control, correct protein feed levels, vitamin and mineral supplementation and fresh clean water at all times. Just like everything else on the farm, our dairy goat feeding program is a work in progress. Our future goal is to implement as much browse as possible either as pasture/woodlot forage or through seeding food plots.

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One of the most intriguing plants is Sericea Lespedeza, which happens to grow abundantly here on the property as a weed. We even have enough left over to make goat garlands!

2 Responses to “Supervised Foraging aka Goatwalking”

  1. Lori July 1, 2013 at 11:20 pm #

    That is awesome. I need Sophie and Jack to come help me train my goats. Great reading by the way.

    • pinkguitarfarm July 16, 2013 at 12:04 pm #

      Thanks! I think goats might be easier to train than dogs… Especially easier than our Border Collie/Australian Shepard mix!!

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