Leigh Tate

Someone was puzzling over all the acronyms. Is there a glossary somewhere that can help?

Faye, I didn't research black walnut because we don't have any of the trees on our property. That's another one to research though. A quick look indicates that the hulls are richest in iodine, which can be extracted as an iodine tincture. That's useful information.

Goats go for plants like shrubs and vines because they are deep rooted and can pull up minerals from deep within the soil. Goats have higher mineral needs than most other species, which makes them love their browse.

As you and Forrest both mention, goats are also great self-regulators for their nutritional needs. Actually, there's a word for that, but I can't recall it at present. I'll see if I can find it . . .

Forrest, welcome to Permies! I'm familiar with The Thrifty Homesteader, and in fact, Deborah pops into Permies every now and then with good info on goats.

Angel Bee wrote:Have you noticed improvement in your goats’ deficiencies since feeding these foods specifically for minerals?
I was actually printing your list from your website before I found tour post here too 😁.

Angel, good question! Actually, the herbs and greens are part of a larger feeding regimen that I've worked out over the years, which started because I live in an area with extremely deficient soils. I had a lot of health issues with my goats in my early years of goat keeping, and so did a lot of research. All the problems pointed back to mineral deficiencies, which I've tried to address from multiple angles.

The first two resources I found were Pat Coleby's Natural Goat Care, and Neal Kinsey's Hands-On Agronomy (Of which permies sells the video workshop here - https://permies.com/wiki/193088/Neal-Kinsey-Hands-Agronomy-Workshop). These books were pretty much the foundation of what I do. We began a pasture soil improvement strategy, beginning with remineralizing, and have continued with grazing rotation, diversity planting, and chop and drop. I gradually customized my Coleby Mineral Mix to address the mineral problems that I saw in my goats. Gradually, as I researched edible versus poisonous plants for goats, I also researched their nutrient content. That's when I started adding these plants routinely to my goats feed, both fresh and dried, to top dress their feed ration.

My routine now, is to daily gather a variety of fresh greens and herbs, chop them for "goat salad," and toss the salad with a dash of organic raw apple cider vinegar and a sprinkling of the mineral mix plus a loose goat mineral. They love this!

two of my girls enjoying their goat salad

And yes, with the combination of all these things I have seen great improvement in my goats' health.

That's probably way more of an answer than you were looking for, lol. But it's a holistic approach, which I have found to be more effective than one or two measures.

Rachel Lindsay wrote:I listened to a talk last spring by a Tennessee farmer who has goats and cows that said letting them graze mulberry and willow generally 'cures all that ails them'. I wish I had taken more notes, as he spoke highly of how complete a food they were for these creatures.

Rachel, I'd love to hear more about this, do you remember his name or if he has anything on the internet? I tried to grow willow, but our summers tend to be too hot and dry. I do have a mulberry tree, though, which I should add to my research list.

This is something I started researching years ago, when I wanted to learn what plants and herbs I could feed to my goats to help boost their intake of vitamins and minerals. So many plants are toxic for goats, so I looked at lots of lists, as well as researched vitamin and mineral content for them. I feed them both fresh and dried, as a topping to their feed. This is in addition to their mineral salt. I live in the southeastern US, so while the list is somewhat tailored for my region, many of these plants are found elsewhere too. They're organized by nutrient because I have found myself working with nutrient deficiencies, and this was the easiest way to address them.

This list is a work in progress. If you have suggestions to add, please share!

Vitamin A (& beta carotene) - sweet potatoes, carrots, greens (kale, turnip, mustard, dandelion, spinach, collards), butternut squash, dried herbs (parsley, basil, marjoram,dill, oregano), fresh thyme, cantaloupe. Also raw grape leaves.

B vitamins Goats can synthesize their own B vitamins, so that supplementation is not strictly necessary. I'm including them here as part of my original information. B vitamin deficiencies, if they do exist  are apparently more of a problem with goats fed a diet high in concentrates.)

B1 (thiamin): yeast extract, seeds (sesame, sunflower), dried sage, rosemary, thyme, and kudzu.

B2 (riboflavin): yeast extract, dried herbs (spearmint, parsley), wheat bran, sesame seeds, and kudzu.

B3 (niacin): yeast extract, bran (wheat & rice), and kudzu.

B5 (pantothenic acid): bran (rice & wheat), sunflower seeds

B6 (Pyridoxine): bran (wheat & rice), dried herbs (garlic, tarragon, sage, spearmint, basil, chives, savory, rosemary, dill, oregano, and marjoram), seeds (sunflower, sesame), molasses, sorghum, bananas

B9 (Folate): yeast extract, dried herbs (spearmint, rosemary, basil, chervil, marjoram, thyme, parsley), sunflower seeds, greens (spinach, turnips, collard), cowpeas, broccoli, wheat germ, cantaloupe, bananas, endive, flax seeds

B12 (cobalamin): there are no plant sources for vitamin B12. However, goats can synthesize their own with cobalt. The only plant sources I've seen listed for cobalt are green leafy vegetables some herbs, with no specific details.

Vitamin C: (can also by synthesized by livestock) fresh thyme and parsley, greens (kale, mustard), broccoli, rose hips, cantaloupe, tomatoes, dried basil, rosemary, and citrus (my goats love chopped citrus rinds).

Vitamin D: sunshine

Vitamin E: sunflower seeds, dried herbs (basil, oregano, sage, parsley, thyme)

Vitamin K: dried herbs (basil, sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano), fresh herbs (parsley, basil), greens (kale, dandelion, collards, turnip, mustard, beet, Swiss Chard), broccoli, cabbage, carrots, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, figs

Calcium - Dried savory, celery seed, dried thyme, dried dill, dried marjoram, sage, oregano, spearmint, parsley, poppy seed, chervil, dried basil, comfrey, sesame seeds, flax seeds, raw turnip greens, Dandelion greens, Kale, Mustard Greens, amaranth leaves, collard greens, and kudzu. Also savory, spearmint, rosemary, chervil, fennel, coriander seed, chamomile, chicory, cleavers, coltsfoot, horsetail, mustard, sorrel, plantain, willow.

Cobalt - is the precursor to vitamin B12 and goats can synthesize their own B12 if they get cobalt in their diet. I have not been able to find a specific list of goat acceptable foods that are rich in cobalt (i.e. vegan). Several places vaguely mention green leafy vegetables and pulses, but cobalt is usually found in animal foods, which goats do not eat.

Copper - sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, & squash seeds, Dried Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Savory, and Parsley. Also coriander leaf, spearmint, fennel seed, dill, burdock, chickweed, chicory, cleavers, dandelion, fennel, garlic, horseradish, sorrel, yarrow.

Iodine - seaweed, especially kelp, also asparagus, cleavers, garlic.

Iron - Dried Thyme, dried Parsley, dried Spearmint, dried Marjoram, Cumin Seed, dried Dill, dried Oregano, dried Coriander, dried Basil, ground Turmeric, ground Savory, Anise Seed, Fenugreek Seed, dried Tarragon, dried Chervil, dried Rosemary, seeds (pumpkin, squash, sesame, sunflower, fenugreek, and fennel), and kudzu. Also bamboo, asparagus, blackberry, burdock, chicory, comfrey, dandelion, nettle, parsley, raspberry, rose, scullcap, strawberry, vervain, wormwood.

Magnesium - Bran (Rice, Wheat, and Oat), Dried Coriander, Spearmint, Dill, Sage (not for milking does), Basil, Savory, seeds (pumpkin, squash, watermelon Flax, Sesame, & sunflower), and molasses. Also parsley, fennel seed, marjoram, oregano, dill & thyme, carrot leaves, dandelion, hops, marshmallow, meadowsweet, mullein, oak, slippery elm, rose.

Manganese - dried ginger, dry spearmint, parsley, dried marjoram, wheat germ, bran (Rice, Wheat, and Oat), seeds (pumpkin, squash, sesame, and sunflower). Also basil, thyme, fennel, coriander, savory, oregano, dill, and bamboo.

Phosphorous - bran, wheat germ, seeds (pumpkin, squash, sesame, sunflower, and flax), chickweed, dill, golden rod, marigold. [Note: pregnant does need a particular calcium to phosphorous ratio to prevent hypocalcemia.]

Potassium - spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collards. bananas, parsley, dill, basil, rice bran, molasses, seeds (squash, pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon). Also chervil, coriander leaves, spearmint, fennel seed, marjoram, ginger, and oregano, borage, carrot leaves, chamomile, couch grass, dandelion, elder, honeysuckle, meadowsweet, mullein, nettle, oak, peppermint, plantain, scullcap, wormwood.

Selenium - sunflower seeds, bran (wheat, oat, rice), garlic, chervil, fenugreek, ginger, and dried chervil, coriander, parsley, and dill seed.

Sodium - cleavers, clover, comfrey, dill, fennel, garlic, marshmallow, nettle, violet, woodruff

Zinc - wheat germ, seeds (pumpkin, squash, watermelon, sesame), and buckwheat. Dried herbs and seeds: chervil, basil, thyme, parsley, coriander, sage (not for milking does), savory, ginger, and seeds (dill, coriander, and fennel).

Lots of good ideas here. I'm going to have to think it all through and decide how complicated I want to get!

Tereza Okava wrote:I do this every so often. I would think that tabs vs rod pocket (and also positioning of rod pocket) depends on how heavy the quilt is, how it would drape, and whether you want it to be tight or loose (like if you want to use the quilt as insulation over a cool window you want to avoid gaps, likewise if you want to use it to keep light out). it sounds like you're concerned about it being too dark rather than not dark enough! The ones I have made I wanted to keep light in, so I used tabs, but the fabric was light enough that i didn't have to worry about crazy sagging.

Tereza, you're correct that darkening isn't important; this is a spare room that I'm setting up my large floor loom in. So it will be my weaving room. I will likely want the curtain open for weaving, but closed at night for privacy and insulation. So, good point about fitting the bedspread to the window.

Pearl Sutton wrote:The blankets I use for window covering are held up by the pinch type clips

Pearl, that would certainly be easiest! My concern is that the bedspread is too heavy for them. I did try those clips to use a similar quilt as a room divider, but it kept falling off. On the other hand, I might could sew them on.

I'm a thrift store shopper, and buy curtain rings of types I like whenever I see them, so when I need them I have a good selection of them. I don't like most of the modern ones.
And I don't like tabs because I can't slide them.

Thrift store is a great idea!

Good point about the tabs. It would probably be a similar situation if I I sewed a rod pocket along the back. Plus the quilted bedspread is a fairly thick fabric.

I have a quilted bedspread that I'd like to use for a window covering. Has anyone ever done this before? What I'm pondering first is how to attach it to a curtain rod. The options I can think of are either sew a strip of cloth on the back to use as a rod pocket, or sew tabs along the edge and run the rod through these. Any pros or cons to these?

Also, I realize it won't open like a curtain, i.e. the quilt won't gather and drape like curtains do when pulled open. Any suggestions about this and ways to get best light into the room when I need it?