Bubblingbrooks
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Can anyone tell me what I might grow this summer that can help build up my goat herds health?
Herbs to improve goats health?
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Our7Wonders
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Here's an article I read, It's not all herbs, but a few are listed. I'm planning to put a few of these ideas in to practice:
Planting a Goat Garden
Variety is the Spice of Life
By Suzy Hassler
The following information is taken from Good Beginnings With Dairy Goats by J.E.Eberhardt (which is one of the best goat books ever written!), and a few details from The New Age Herbalist by Richard Mabey. Reprinted with permission from the Caprizette.
Gardening and goat keeping go hand-in-hand, and while goat manure can be beneficial to the soil, the garden produce will help to keep dairy goats in the peak of health. When gardening for goats, certain vegetables and plants pop into mind; carrots are one of the first. The greens are rich in manganese. The seeds contain volatile oil, which is soothing to the digestive system. A tea made from the seeds helps colic, and the roots contain vitamins C, B, B2, and carotene, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin A and minerals. Over 1,200 IU of vitamin A are found in one cup of cooked carrots; raw carrots contain nearly double the amount. Carrots expel worms, are an antacid and aid in the function of the liver. In addition, the juice has a reputation for having anti-cancer activity. The pulped root makes an excellent first-aid poultice.
Pumpkins and winter squash are a "must" crop for goats. Both the seeds and the meat are relished. The seeds contain more protein than most grainsoats included. Because the seed is an embryo of future life, nature packs it chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Extremely abundant amounts of iron and phosphorus are found in these seeds along with lots of the B complex vitamins. For centuries, Hungarian gypsies have known that these seeds preserve male potency among humans and animals, containing a hormone-like component and zinc, which both benefit the prostate. Such squash as Buttercup, Pink Banana, Hubbard, Butternut and Sweetmeat are good winter keepers. While pumpkins are also good to use, the skins are thinner so they will not store quite as long. Goats love both pumpkins and squash as winter feeds. Just put the fruits on a wooden surface in a cool cellar or somewhere where they will not be touched by freezing weather. Pumpkins will last two to three months while squash will last over six months. To feed, two methods can be used. Either crack the hard-rinded fruit with an axe and let goats scoop out the contents, or cut the whole thing into bite-sized pieces.
Every goatkeeper should plant lots of sunflowers, for they are the finest of feeds available. The entire plantleaves, seeds and stalkis edible and greatly relished. While the seeds are well-liked, goats will hungrily gobble up the entire seed head when the seeds are at the early "dough" stage. Just break or cut the head into pieces and the goats will fight for them. The stalk too, will be devoured if cut into pieces. Sunflower seeds are eaten any time of the year. Room can be made for sunflowers, even in a small garden, by using them as stakes. Place one sunflower seed on either side of your tomato plants when setting them out. As the stalks grow, feed the leaves to the goats and use that strong stalk for staking your tomato plants. Sunflowers are extremely rich in phosphorus and have large amounts of iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, D, and E, lecithin and are over 25% protein. Sunflower seeds contain a staggering 7.1 mg of vitamin E per 100gm of seed, as well as vitamins B1, B3, and B6.
Most goats relish comfrey and will eat it either fresh or dried. Comfrey is one of the most famed healing plants. Its remarkable power to heal tissue and bone is due to allantion, a cell-proliferant that promotes the growth of connective tissue, bone and cartilage.
Kale is the leafy member of the cabbage family. Long grown by English goatkeepers for their animals, kale is a storehouse of nutrients.
Waste products of the fruit orchard are valuable goat food including leaves, branch trimmings and fruit unfit for human needs. Do not, however, use trimmings that have been sprayed. When feeding fruit to goats, do not overfeed, for most fruits tend to have a laxative effect if fed in large amounts. Overfeeding fruits will also cause the milker's butterfat production to drop. Do not feed branches of cherries or plums to goats because of the possibility of prussic acid poisoning.
Don't be in such a hurry to rid the garden and yard of dandelions. The humble dandelion is one of Nature's great medicines. Dandelion has the ability to clear obstructions and detoxify poisons. It should be considered a valuable survival food. It contains all the nutritive salts that are required for the body to purify the blood. The leaves, which in spring are excellent in salads, are a powerful diuretic. Unlike conventional diuretics, dandelion does not leach potassium from the body. The leaves contain nearly twice as much vitamin A as spinach.
While most plants in the garden and woodlot are good for goats, there are a few things grown that can be fatal. Rhubarb stalks are good to eat but the leaves are not. Wilted chokecherry leaves can cause prussic acid poisoning. Some commonly grown flowers are deadly: Lily-of-the-Valley, delphinium and its cousin Larkspur. The common potato, along with the tomato, eggplant, red pepper, tobacco, ground cherry and garden huckleberry are all members of the deadly nightshade family. Some parts of the nightshades contain alkaloids in either their fruits or green parts. For this reason, keep the fruits, leaves and vines away from your goats. If the pasture contains some wild strawberries, lamb's quarter, purslane, nettles, poison ivy, thistles, plantain, chicory, curled dock, smartweed and cocklebur, the owner should consider it lucky. Goats are wild about these and consider them a delicacy. For a goat's roughage needs, "Variety is the spice of life."
Planting a Goat Garden
Variety is the Spice of Life
By Suzy Hassler
The following information is taken from Good Beginnings With Dairy Goats by J.E.Eberhardt (which is one of the best goat books ever written!), and a few details from The New Age Herbalist by Richard Mabey. Reprinted with permission from the Caprizette.
Gardening and goat keeping go hand-in-hand, and while goat manure can be beneficial to the soil, the garden produce will help to keep dairy goats in the peak of health. When gardening for goats, certain vegetables and plants pop into mind; carrots are one of the first. The greens are rich in manganese. The seeds contain volatile oil, which is soothing to the digestive system. A tea made from the seeds helps colic, and the roots contain vitamins C, B, B2, and carotene, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin A and minerals. Over 1,200 IU of vitamin A are found in one cup of cooked carrots; raw carrots contain nearly double the amount. Carrots expel worms, are an antacid and aid in the function of the liver. In addition, the juice has a reputation for having anti-cancer activity. The pulped root makes an excellent first-aid poultice.
Pumpkins and winter squash are a "must" crop for goats. Both the seeds and the meat are relished. The seeds contain more protein than most grainsoats included. Because the seed is an embryo of future life, nature packs it chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Extremely abundant amounts of iron and phosphorus are found in these seeds along with lots of the B complex vitamins. For centuries, Hungarian gypsies have known that these seeds preserve male potency among humans and animals, containing a hormone-like component and zinc, which both benefit the prostate. Such squash as Buttercup, Pink Banana, Hubbard, Butternut and Sweetmeat are good winter keepers. While pumpkins are also good to use, the skins are thinner so they will not store quite as long. Goats love both pumpkins and squash as winter feeds. Just put the fruits on a wooden surface in a cool cellar or somewhere where they will not be touched by freezing weather. Pumpkins will last two to three months while squash will last over six months. To feed, two methods can be used. Either crack the hard-rinded fruit with an axe and let goats scoop out the contents, or cut the whole thing into bite-sized pieces.
Every goatkeeper should plant lots of sunflowers, for they are the finest of feeds available. The entire plantleaves, seeds and stalkis edible and greatly relished. While the seeds are well-liked, goats will hungrily gobble up the entire seed head when the seeds are at the early "dough" stage. Just break or cut the head into pieces and the goats will fight for them. The stalk too, will be devoured if cut into pieces. Sunflower seeds are eaten any time of the year. Room can be made for sunflowers, even in a small garden, by using them as stakes. Place one sunflower seed on either side of your tomato plants when setting them out. As the stalks grow, feed the leaves to the goats and use that strong stalk for staking your tomato plants. Sunflowers are extremely rich in phosphorus and have large amounts of iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, D, and E, lecithin and are over 25% protein. Sunflower seeds contain a staggering 7.1 mg of vitamin E per 100gm of seed, as well as vitamins B1, B3, and B6.
Most goats relish comfrey and will eat it either fresh or dried. Comfrey is one of the most famed healing plants. Its remarkable power to heal tissue and bone is due to allantion, a cell-proliferant that promotes the growth of connective tissue, bone and cartilage.
Kale is the leafy member of the cabbage family. Long grown by English goatkeepers for their animals, kale is a storehouse of nutrients.
Waste products of the fruit orchard are valuable goat food including leaves, branch trimmings and fruit unfit for human needs. Do not, however, use trimmings that have been sprayed. When feeding fruit to goats, do not overfeed, for most fruits tend to have a laxative effect if fed in large amounts. Overfeeding fruits will also cause the milker's butterfat production to drop. Do not feed branches of cherries or plums to goats because of the possibility of prussic acid poisoning.
Don't be in such a hurry to rid the garden and yard of dandelions. The humble dandelion is one of Nature's great medicines. Dandelion has the ability to clear obstructions and detoxify poisons. It should be considered a valuable survival food. It contains all the nutritive salts that are required for the body to purify the blood. The leaves, which in spring are excellent in salads, are a powerful diuretic. Unlike conventional diuretics, dandelion does not leach potassium from the body. The leaves contain nearly twice as much vitamin A as spinach.
While most plants in the garden and woodlot are good for goats, there are a few things grown that can be fatal. Rhubarb stalks are good to eat but the leaves are not. Wilted chokecherry leaves can cause prussic acid poisoning. Some commonly grown flowers are deadly: Lily-of-the-Valley, delphinium and its cousin Larkspur. The common potato, along with the tomato, eggplant, red pepper, tobacco, ground cherry and garden huckleberry are all members of the deadly nightshade family. Some parts of the nightshades contain alkaloids in either their fruits or green parts. For this reason, keep the fruits, leaves and vines away from your goats. If the pasture contains some wild strawberries, lamb's quarter, purslane, nettles, poison ivy, thistles, plantain, chicory, curled dock, smartweed and cocklebur, the owner should consider it lucky. Goats are wild about these and consider them a delicacy. For a goat's roughage needs, "Variety is the spice of life."
Denim Deb
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Question for you. Is it possible to go back in and put an additional space between each paragraph. Because of my Meniere's, I have trouble reading it like that.
freemotion
Food Guru
I bought wormwood seeds to grow some of my own herbal dewormer. A lot of culinary herbs are also part of some of the herbal dewormer recipes, like thyme.
I also have comfrey in the garden and give them mature leaves whenever I am in that garden. Just as a tonic herb. No particular reason or amount.
I also have comfrey in the garden and give them mature leaves whenever I am in that garden. Just as a tonic herb. No particular reason or amount.
Our7Wonders
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Did that help, Deb?Denim Deb said:
I didn't even think about how it may show up - just copy and pasted from a file I had saved to the computer.
Denim Deb
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Thank you! That's much better. While it doesn't bother me in a book, it does bother me on the computer.Our7Wonders said:
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Bubblingbrooks
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Thank you all!
I will try and get some comfrey seed soon.
We are growing carrots, parsnips, rutabegas, turnips and mangels that we will be sharing with the goats all winter.
I will try and get some comfrey seed soon.
We are growing carrots, parsnips, rutabegas, turnips and mangels that we will be sharing with the goats all winter.
freemotion
Food Guru
I think I read that comfrey does better from roots? Not sure. But it will spread and spread! I read about mulching with comfrey leaves, too.
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
Our goats and rabbit love dried basil. We grow lots of it and at the end of the season we hang it up to dry, after I dried plenty for culinary use. Being a fairly odiferous plant, I would think it has got to be good for something, healthwise, like deworming or what ever. In any case the goats think it is a great treat.
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
Comfrey does really well by the roots. A friend sent me 6 roots and they are doing extremely well. I am hoping it will winter over here as I hope to provide it for fodder supplement as well as barley.
I have read that just about any piece or comfrey root of nearly any size will sprout and produce a plant. Haven't tried it yet though, so take that with a grain of salt.
I let my goats have plenty of raspberry leaves from our raspberry patch. Birch leaves are also very good for them, and even in their yellow stage my goats would rather eat those then their high quality, but Alaskan, hay.
Funegreek really helps with milk production, so I planted a whole packet of seeds this year.
I am going to plant wormwood. I am planting echinacea to make tinctures from for when I see signs of snotty noses. I also plant garlic, since 2 cloves of garlic is my immediate go to at the first sign of sickness.
Weeds I really try to get them to eat a lot of are; dandelion, plantain, horsetail, chickweed, tiny-white-flowered-plant-with-heart-shaped-seed-packets-that-is-in-the-mustard-family, lambs quarters........ Basically all of your common garden weeds are really high in nutrition. I give all my weedings to the goats.
I have read that just about any piece or comfrey root of nearly any size will sprout and produce a plant. Haven't tried it yet though, so take that with a grain of salt.
I let my goats have plenty of raspberry leaves from our raspberry patch. Birch leaves are also very good for them, and even in their yellow stage my goats would rather eat those then their high quality, but Alaskan, hay.
Funegreek really helps with milk production, so I planted a whole packet of seeds this year.
I am going to plant wormwood. I am planting echinacea to make tinctures from for when I see signs of snotty noses. I also plant garlic, since 2 cloves of garlic is my immediate go to at the first sign of sickness.
Weeds I really try to get them to eat a lot of are; dandelion, plantain, horsetail, chickweed, tiny-white-flowered-plant-with-heart-shaped-seed-packets-that-is-in-the-mustard-family, lambs quarters........ Basically all of your common garden weeds are really high in nutrition. I give all my weedings to the goats.
