stream running through goat paddock?

hi, we are thinking about getting 3 milking goats and thinking which area of the land should be their 'home' paddock (we will also rotate them).

is it alright to let them access the small stream and/or pond? would they spend a lot of time in it and mess up the edges?

also, a length of the stream has been lined to create a concrete "waterfall" (grrr, previous owners), so if the goats would mess up the natural part of the stream, would they be alright in this unnatural part?

part of the stream has a very steep grassy slope going down to it, am i right in thinking that goats would enjoy this cliff as part of their paddock?

From what I've read, they typically do have a need to climb, don't they? The high parts sound good to me. As to browsing in the riparian area, I would make it its own paddock. My opinion is that perhaps you should give thought to closely monitoring their browse in the riparian area regardless of what you do otherwise. You might consider barring their access to mature trees and saplings that you want to keep, so that you have a seasonal source of seed for the stuff they feed on.

-CK

Most goats seem to avoid getting wet if possible. There is something of a joke in the "goat world" that anything wet falling out of the sky (rain, snow, etc) is actually acid that will kill a goat. So they probably would not mess up the stream. However, trees and bushes are favorite fodder for goats.....even the bark.