Stripped.
We had been watching the goats like a hawk in this yard - they never even turned their head toward this apple tree that we dug out of the underbrush. The one day.... the only day we weren't around... and those goats stripped the bark right off this poor tree.
Dang.
It's bad. Real bad.
Yeah we moved the fence but I'm not sure if there is anything we can do for this tree. Anybody have any ideas?
All I can think about is all that cheese I'll be able to make.
In the meantime... poor Debbie. She is really tired of being pregnant. This has to be over soon for her. The last time her udder was this big was when she had triplets. Yikes! Hopefully today will be her lucky day. She can barely walk and is so miserable. It was so bad that she came over and leaned against ME! So you know she is hurting. Come on, Debbie! Let's get those babies on the ground!
Happy Tuesday everyone! Is your best milker draggin' her teats on the ground?
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We have a Saanen that has H.U.G.E. udder. Almost had to milk her out in a frisbee; no room for a mil pail. Get dem babies OUT of there, goat!!
We have a Saanen that has H.U.G.E. udder. Almost had to milk her out in a frisbee; no room for a mil pail. Get dem babies OUT of there, goat!!
No saving that I'm afraid. Been there..
Hello, if the bark is completly stripped off, all the way around then it is a goner. If there is still a strip of bark from top to bottom then there may still be a chance to save it.
I'm a master gardener and short term I'd wrap it in wet burlap. Maybe call your local extension office and ask if their arborists have some ides?
A friend of mine decided that a herd of angora goats would be a money spinner. Gosh, was it funny and so many disasters before we worked out how to contain them and stop them eating everything. Every tree was stripped bare and they ended up with nothing but piles of rocks to climb. I think she fenced in all the new trees but gave up on the goats before they had time to mature. They were very cute.
Carolyn, I laughed.. yes a frisbee... exactly!
Ugh... it's bad isnt it, LDL?
Thanks, Horst, always love to see you. The damage is only on one side... so I think there is hope.
Thanks Nancy - I got some great instructions from 'the facebook' yesterday. I have some arborist friends so here is hoping.
There is always such good intentions with goats, Lynda.. and then you know... goats. *sigh*
An old fashioned remedy we use in Australia is to cover the stripped area with a mixture of clay and rich, compost/humus type soil.
Make sure it's wet but thick enough to apply like you would a heavy plaster.
Wrap the whole trunk with a couple or three layers of hessian, I think you call it burlap, used feed bags are an inexpensive way to do it. Tie it all well with baling twine or heavy string that won't rot quickly. Spray it with water and keep it moist. Make sure you keep it moist through the summer months.
After a couple of months, peel away part of the hessian and check for new bark. It should be fine towards the end of summer when you should cut of the baling twine/string, and just let the soil plaster come away naturally.
It worked extremely well here in Aus. We even saved trees that were completely ring barked.
It is definitely worth a try.
Good luck!
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