The dogs get their treats every once in a while. The chickens get leftover goodies from the kitchen (plus all the veggie peels etc.) But what about the goats?? What can I give them for a special treat? They get cob every morning and alfaalfa plus whatever they eat outside. They are much pickier than the chickens when it comes to kitchen scraps however. Like today, I had freshly cut turnip greens (too much for us to ever consume) that the goats snubbed!! Any suggestions? What would they really LOVE? (besides their cob which they go bananas over) Thank you, Helen

-- Helen (bluechicken@wildbearnet.net), June 27, 2000

Answers

Ours like a little corn mixed with canola oil for their coats and skin. It took a couple of efforts but they've come to really like comfrey too.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), June 27, 2000.

Mine love bread. You may have to give things to them several times before they will eat it .Also apples.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), June 27, 2000.

I keep Black Oil Sunflower Seeds in the pockets of my chore clothes. The older girls all know where they are. It really helps with the kids, they are weaned now, and really would prefer to be out munching in the woods than letting me pet them. But when they see me comming they know they get treats and will come visit. Vicki McGaugh

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 27, 2000.

I give cookies, watermelon, bananas, bread, cereal and an occasional pie or piece of carrot cake. Mine love their treats and will stomp me over to get them sometimes. I also am growing sunflowers this yr too for them.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), June 27, 2000.

We had two goats once and they LOVED oatmeal cookies.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), June 27, 2000.

What are you referring to as cobb, Helen? I am not familiar with that term. thanks.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), June 27, 2000.

What are you referring to as cobb, Helen? I am not familiar with that term. Thanks.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), June 27, 2000.

Mine has a real apetite for the roses in my flower bed............

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), June 28, 2000.

Our goats love apple and carrot pieces. If you want to see a feeding frenzy to rival any school of sharks, give your goats the leftovers, even pomace, from canning apples or tomatoes. I throw that over the fence onto a grassy area because my toes can't tolerate the trampling they'd get otherwise!

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), June 28, 2000.

I give mine a soda cracker and when they are especially good I'll give them a 1/4 of a graham cracker. I also do the sunflower seeds; they love those, but I have some mixed in with their grain too, so I have to be careful not to give too much.

-- Jim Roberts (jroberts1@cas.org), June 28, 2000.

Thanks for all the tips! Anne, wet C.O.B. is corn, oats, barley with molasses. Thanks again, Helen

-- Helen (bluechicken@wildbearnet.net), June 28, 2000.

My goats love turnip greens, were the ones that you fed pretty clean? When I cut greens and such for the goats (sheep shears work great), I either stuff the greens into a clean feed sack, or lay them in armfuls on a clean patch of lawn or garden. If they get dirty, the goats just rush to it and then act dissappointed. Soome of the goodies our goats get are, comfrey(when it gets older you may need to let it wilt first),sunflower seeds, also the plants, squash and pumpkins, zuchinni, cornstalks( they get eaten better if chopped into shorter lengths), raspberry prunings, also fruit tree prunings, but NEVER any kind of cherry-the wilted cherry leaves are poisonous, kale,(we let the kale reseed itself, and have a bed of it that gets cut with the sheep shears, if you leave the main stalk it will regrow many times),and I use those shears to cut all the weeds from the paths between the garden beds, and extra stuff on the garden, and toss it onto a clean place on the pasture. They would watse less if it was fed in the feeder. A typical mix would include kale, clover, some thistle, comfrey, mustard, jerusalem artichokes stalks and leaves, prickly lettuce, and various weeds and volunteer garden greens. You have to be careful with the bread, especially white bread, too much can ball up in the rumen and cause trouble.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), June 28, 2000.

Hi, I forgot we also feed them alder trees, especially in the winter when there is less variety in their diet. Alders and willows will regrow from the roots when you cut them, 4 or 5 trees come back hwere you cut one. The goats chew off all the leaves and bark (good minerals)and then we stack the trees in a rack and cut them into kindling. We also feed pine trees when they aren't milking, as too many can give the milk a bad taste.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), June 28, 2000.

My pygmy goat and horses love those cheap peanut butter sandwich cookies. But I don't overdo or give too often.

-- Noreen (eftwings @yahoo.com), January 03, 2001.