Goats favorite types or grasses/cold hardy grass?

[Azureduckchickgoat]

So in the spring I think WE ARE GETTING GOATS!!! I am working on a pasture/browsing area for the future goats. I know that goats prefer browsing to grazing so I want to make their "pasture" interesting! I'm gonna make a thread about my plans soon, but for now I just need help with grass stuff. I already planted some grass and now it's sprouting and it's SO cute!!! I'm actually really lucky because where I live (western Massachusetts) we got snow once and it melted immediately!! I want a mixture of all sorts of things so this is my plan so far, Kentucky blue grass, random grass mixes, clover, alfalfa grass, and whatever else you all recommend! Now the questions!!! What are goats favorite types of grass to munch on? What grasses grow well in Massachusetts? What are some drought resistant grasses? What are some really water absorbent types of grasses? ( I ask the last question because I went out to my "pasture" today to find a marsh, lol) thank you so much!!!

 

[Mini Horses]

Quarter acre...that's like 50x50. You will need to buy more hay than grass seed. Problem solved. You will have a little grass, not much, not for long.

 

[flowerbug]

Quarter acre...that's like 50x50. You will need to buy more hay than grass seed. Problem solved. You will have a little grass, not much, not for long.

uh, math problem... 10890 sq ft is a bit more than 2500... about 104.355ft per side if square.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep. 210x210 would yield To closer to 100x100, rounded.....lol. thanks!

But it will still get the same reply, buy hay!!! 😁. 3 adult nigerians will need it.

 

[Azureduckchickgoat]

if you can set up paddocks in the area so you can do rotations that will help the grasses the most. you really want to avoid having them grazed back too hard. this will help improve your drainage too as the worms get more active. if your area is not near any sensitive areas of native forests and there is some clay you can add night crawlers as they can also really help drainage.

No clay here! I don't think MA has clay soils!

 

[tortoise]

My Nigerians love sumac more than anything else. They have cleared it out of their pasture! It used to be a forest of sumac!

They also adore pine trees. They'll eat the needles off a Christmas tree in a day and even strip the bark off.

My goats (2 Nigerian wethers) have cleared their pasture so its just grass now. They get whatever branches we prune, weeds from the garden, Christmas trees. They are 7 years old now. When they die we will probably use the pasture for some of our sheep.

 

[tortoise]

I bet they would love big logs and tree trunks in the wetter area so they can get around without getting wet feet. Ours have a big trunk and toppled tree, they play king of the mountain on it, so fun to watch!

 

[CrealCritter]

I didn't think goats or sheep like grass much. Isn't grass like one of the last things they will eat? I could be wrong here...

 

[tortoise]

I didn't think goats or sheep like grass much. Isn't grass like one of the last things they will eat? I could be wrong here...

Sheep are grass eaters. Goats prefer browse but will eat grass when they dont have a choice.

 

[Mini Horses]

Sheep like grass better. Goats eat grass as almost last portion of their graze...they prefer browse and what commonly other animals want to leave uneaten...weeds. They do like hay. The change from fresh to dry appeals to them, preferably a mixed grass with some forbs in it. They love dandelions and honeysuckle plus the tree leaves.