Acrostic Poem
Go quick! Get me an
Onion sandwich on moldy rye bread with spiny
Artichoke leaves, rancid mayonnaise and perhaps a used
Tea bag. Yum!
The above poem is completely untruthful, but it feeds on the stereotype many people have about goats.
And isn’t that, in general, a major problem in the world today – stereotyping? From the Starbucks barista who asked the police to remove two black men who were waiting for a business associate before they ordered coffee, to candidate for President, Donald Trump, who said he could not get a fair trial in a lawsuit over the malpractices of his Trump University because the judge “is a Mexican,” stereotyping remains one of the worst aspects of American culture – and in plenty of other countries around the world.
What do goats really eat? Let’s cut-and-paste from Wikipedia, the font of all knowledge:
Goats are reputed to be willing to eat almost anything, including tin cans and cardboard boxes. While goats will not actually eat inedible material, they are browsing animals, not grazers like cattle and sheep, and (coupled with their highly curious nature) will chew on and taste just about anything remotely resembling plant matter to decide whether it is good to eat, including cardboard, clothing and paper (such as labels from tin cans). The unusual smells of leftover food in discarded cans or boxes may further stimulate their curiosity.
Aside from sampling many things, goats are quite particular in what they actually consume, preferring to browse on the tips of woody shrubs and trees, as well as the occasional broad-leaved plant. However, it can fairly be said that their plant diet is extremely varied, and includes some species which are otherwise toxic. They will seldom consume soiled food or contaminated water unless facing starvation. This is one reason goat-rearing is most often free-ranging, since stall-fed goat-rearing involves extensive upkeep and is seldom commercially viable.
Goats prefer to browse on vines, such as kudzu, on shrubbery and on weeds, more like deer than sheep, preferring them to grasses. Nightshade is poisonous; wilted fruit tree leaves can also kill goats. Silage (fermented corn stalks) and haylage (fermented grass hay) can be used if consumed immediately after opening – goats are particularly sensitive to Listeria bacteria that can grow in fermented feeds. Alfalfa, a high-protein plant, is widely fed as hay; fescue is the least palatable and least nutritious hay. Mold in a goat’s feed can make it sick and possibly kill it.
In various places in China, goats are used in the production of tea. Goats are released onto the tea terraces where they avoid consuming the green tea leaves (which contain bitter tasting substances) but instead eat the weeds. The goats’ droppings fertilise the tea plants.
