Is anyone else's goats going crazy for acorns right now? In the past week, my doe jumps off the milkstand just as soon as I release the headgate and makes a beeline for our big oak trees. She starts gobbling up acorns just as fast as she can! The week before that, she was ignoring them. I'm just amazed at how seasonal goats are about their food. All summer long they devoured the swamp and water oak browse I gave them, now they just pick at it. And they will only eat pine needles in the winter.
Who knew goats were food snobs? LOL
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Some acorns are high in tannins and therefor bitter -- but tannins are supposed to be natural dewormers. However, not all varieties of oaks have high tannins. We have a burr oak in our front yard, and I tasted one of the acorns and thought it tasted like macadamia nuts. Native Americans used to make a flour out of acorns. Soaking them gets rid of the bitterness in those with high tannin content.
LOL! They chow them down like popcorn, don't they?
Yes! My goats are acting the same way. After am and pm feeding each day I let them roam the yard/woods for 30 minutes or so and they've been heading STRAIGHT for the oaks. I can't imagine anything less appetizing to chew on.. oh goats.