Alayne and I set up a new goat paddock over the weekend, fencing in about 3 acres of lush New Hampshire vegetation using portable electric fencing. On Monday morning, we turned the goat herd loose, and I had the video camera ready to record the happy and eager munching.
As you'll see, the vegetation here is perfect goat habitat. Goats are browsers, like deer, and not grazers like cattle or sheep — they prefer to eat leaves, weeds, forbs, ferns, brambles, bushes and similar plants. They do eat grass, however, as part of their diet, and if all they have is grass pasture, they'll do fine. But goats really like variety above all else, which is why a paddock like this new one is so appealing to them. So much to choose from! Cows, on the other hand, will eat some of that other stuff, but they'll spend most of their time looking for real grass to eat, and grass is what they prefer and thrive on.
When we videotaped that piece above, the goats hadn't discovered yet that their new paddock was stocked with their favorite food source — apple trees! There are probably a dozen wild apple trees out there, all loaded with a new crop of apples, many of which are starting to fall on the ground. The goats cherish apple tree leaves and love to gobble up fallen apples.
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New Shelter Challenge Begins
The latest round of the Shelter Challenge is underway and runs until October 13. You can vote every day here. To search for us, type in our name, Rolling Dog Farm, and Lancaster, NH 03584.
They have redesigned the contest site and made other changes. Please note that I cannot help with technical or voting problems. I also do not have an "inside track" to anyone at the Shelter Challenge, and I don't know any more about the contest than anyone else does. So if you find yourself having issues, please consult their FAQ page here and their Rules page, which is a pop-up you can find linked on this page.
Thanks for your votes!
Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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