Goat dilemma

[goatwoman1]

Hey guys I've NC because the situation is really recognisable and don't want people linking back to other posts :)

We moved into this house at the start of summer. Our garden is adjacent to a meadow, separated only by a wire fence. In the meadow are two goats which have been there for three years. Apparently the previous tenant put goats there and then moved and just left them there

Alongside the meadow is an abandoned sheep fold (the whole thing used to be a farm, I can draw a diagram if it helps).

The two goats are lovely and very plump from the summer. But I'm worried about what will happen in the winter when all the grass goes.

My landlord (who lives nearby) says his brother (whose house is right near the meadow) puts some straw down for them in the sheep fold and not to worry about them. They are country people so I assume they know what they're talking about (I'm from the city and clueless).

Just wondering - should I give them some food during the winter? If so what could I give them? Could they eat vegetable scraps for example? What about stale bread?

In the country where I am animal protection isnt great and to be honest I'm not sure any situation they would go into would be better than what they have now, which is a whole meadow and sheep fold undisturbed. So it's just about me trying to make them more comfortable.

I dont have access to go into the meadow but I could put down food over the fence if that helps.

At the same time they have survived 3 winters - so should I leave them to it? If I do feed them what should I feed them?

YABU = leave them to it
YANBU = feed them

Try this site and the booklet, OP. It’s good that people have taken on the care of the poor goats, but I hope they’ve adequate shelter in the bad weather.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/farm/farmanimals/goats

Goats are browsers, they don't eat much in the way of grass. If there are hedgerows and weeds they will be happy with those.

They could and would eat veg scraps and stale bread but the danger is when you start feeding them they will end up in your garden. They are amazing at jumping and finding gaps in fences. They will eat the straw quite happily so as long as they don't look thin or cold just leave them be and keep an eye on them.

(If they get in your garden not only will they trash it but they will steal and eat anything not nailed down including washing on your line!

Me again... had a thought and checked it out. Goats can get laminitis if they get overweight or if their diet is suddenly changed. It is incredibly painful, they will be unable to walk and will most likely have to be put to sleep. Sooo, if they lose weight remember that it is a natural thing to happen in the winter and means they won't (hopefully) get too fat when the spring grass and weeds come through.

Goats will eat pretty much anything. One ate part of my dress last weekend at a petting zoo

I’m n no way knowledgable about farm animals, but logic would dictate that they have been fine so far which means they’ll survive over the winter if the farm neighbour knows what he’s doing. It’s probably not wise to interfere with their diet or routine. I think goats are quite robust animals.