# GOATS vs FLOWERS



## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

Is their any type of annual flower that chickens and goats tend to dislike? I know that I can not have beds of flowers, but would like to have a few in pots. I have succeeded in keeping them from demolishing my Peony's by making chicken wire cages to go around them. They don"t seem to care about day lilies either, but what can I put in flower pots? I don't want to make them sick or wast money on something they will eat. Also what garden plants can I still grow with out them gobbling everything up?


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## Eunice (Feb 9, 2005)

The need is for good fences.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

My entire yard is fenced in. I want to put flowers in pots and set them on my porch. There has to be something someone grows that they don't devourer.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Electric net fencing. Keep them out of where they don't belong.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

... But is there a flower they don't like? I'm not going to cobble my entire yard up with fence around every flower pot? I put fencing around the important stuff. I just want to have flower pots on the porch. My two pet goats lay on it like a dog half the time. My lab eats the blooms off Gerber Daises so I don't plant them anymore. I guess a better question is: 

Does anyone have flowers their goats don't eat?


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

That's Funny :rotfl:


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

Seriously, goats are browsers, not grazers (like sheep), they browse brambles, trees, weeds, and yes, flowers. Sorry but I can't imagine a flower that a goat has met that wasn't love at first site. 

Keep in mind Rhododendron's and Azalea's are both popular flowers and very poisonous to goats. When you do plant landscaping check a list of poisonous ones before buying.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

The only ones that goats don't prefer are the poisonous ones. And even then when pickings get slim and they want variety, they will try them if they have access to them. This is when poisonings occur. And no, no amount of offering hay or grain will stop this. It happens.  

In the fight of Flowers vs Goats, goats will win every time.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

I'll try to get a pic tomorrow. He has been acting like the Devil... Joking but what a character. I just got him Friday and he is use to being in a large herd not a pet. Was wild as can be, but calming down now. Boy what a climber. if you leave anything better bet that he will climb to the top of it as high as he can. I was bent over filling chick feeders and he climbed up on my back... yes all 4 feet and was looking over my shoulder.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

mygoat said:


> In the fight of Flowers vs Goats, goats will win every time.


Even if the flowers are not good to eat the pots are to be tipped over if possible
or laid down in if they arent.
All objects are goat furniture, in my experience.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

I guess I should ask for trample resistant flowers. LOL


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I gave up on flowers. I have pictures of flowers in my house


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## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

or you could grow flowers that they like to eat.
or grow some plants they won't be interested in, like cactus or yuccas. the prickly pear cactus makes an interesting flower/fruit. it's quite beautiful, in a strange, alien way.

you can put daylilies in flower pots. there are a lot of beautiful flowering plants that will make good goat food, and flowers if you can keep them safe long enough, like hibiscus, mini roses, flowering sages, the hundreds of varieties of sunflowers.... i could go on and on.

i'm not a goat person, i'm just in it for the rabbits : )


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## noeskimo (Mar 17, 2011)

If I remember correctly, Day Lilies, as well as Iris and other Monocots are toxic.Mine didn't used to mess with my bushes, at all, but as the drought has gone on, they now find them delightful.


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## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

i had to check wikipedia, apparently there are 18 species of daylily, some are toxic and some are eaten by humans... narcissus, amaryllis, gladiolus, crinum, and crotons are toxic. i'm not sure about tulips - they are supposedly toxic but i remember people up north seeing deer eating their plants. and safe for deer means safe for our livestock. probably.


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## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

There is no flower that I know of that goats will not eat. I have had goats get out of pastures with excellent browse, walk by flower beds just to get on the porch climb up on furniture (latter they learned to climb on each other) to get hanging pots of flowers. 

I reworked my fences each time they showed me another spot and for the last two years they have not gotten out. I now have flowers in beds and pots on the porch. 

You can have flowers or goats on the porch but not both. Maybe your goats won't figure out how to get to hanging pots if you hang them high and do not give them anything to climb up on.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I've never seen them eat Texas Bull Nettle. It has a pretty flower. They don't go after the prickly pear either and it blooms once a yr. Anything else seems to be fair game.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

I have Nigerian Dwarfs who are only about knee high. If they get the hanging baskets It will take both of them, all six cats and the Chihuahua. I bought a entire flat of petunias. $10 so if the eat them it will not be a complete disaster. I have Pansies now and they aren't eating them stepping in the pot yes eating no. I figure I can plant several pots and rotate them.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

We had a cactus plant near our woodshed, and I let the goats out there to browse. There is no longer a cactus plant there. They ate it. Spines and all.


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