Sheep graze. They keep their noses to the ground and mow the lawn. Goats browse. They like nothing better than tall plants to reach up to. They like vines and spiky things, rough twigs and fragrant herbs. In less than a week here at Little Pond Farm, they ate every last bit of the mint. I knew my mint bed was a goner when we fenced the goat paddock. I didn’t realize, though, how quickly and thoroughly they’d decimate it.

So, today, I decided to take Pip and Caper out for their first foray into the back “meadow” (not a real meadow – it’s really the septic mound!) My son and I hooked on some leashes. I don’t want to drag them around, so I have also started clicker training them. Note the red treat bag at my waist. But, since they are NOT trained yet, there was sort of a Keystone Cops quality to our meander in the meadow.

Pip and Caper went this way and that. Nibbled and tasted. On the way back to their paddock, they stopped to browse.

This is why you need to have good fences for your goats. If they get into the garden or out on the lawn, they’ll make a bee-line for your crops and your fancy flowers. Here, they’ve found my parsley. I grow a lot so that I have enough to feed Candy (it helps to keep her healthy.) I figured it’s probably good for the goats, too. But I’m not about to share my Thai basil.