How to Avoid Goats Killing Trees

I’m planning a browsing pasture for goats on my homestead and the pasture is an existing lawn that I will have to plant small trees and shrubs on. However, I’m worried if the goats are given free range they’ll strip the bark off the trees and kill them. That being said is it possible that if I rotate the goats enough that they will only eat the leaves and not strip the bark? Or do I have to protect the trunk of the tree?

The reason I ask is that I was hoping to move the goats around with a portable fence and not have to fence off every single tree or have to harvest the leaves myself. If you have experience or information please let me know.

A lot depends on the size of the tree, and if it will sprout from its roots again if it's eaten. Small trees are likely to be eaten completely (but might come back up again once the goats are gone). Large trees not so much, but there is always the chance that they'll eat the bark.

Goats are more likely to eat bark if they have mineral deficiencies (especially copper), give your goats access to a mineral lick, and they'll be less likely to do this.

Keeping a close eye on them and moving them as soon as they start causing damage would also be a good plan.

Another thing to keep in mind is that goats are naturally browsers rather than grazers - when given the choice between trees and pasture, they'll often choose to eat the trees.

If you are designing the whole area from scratch, it might make sense to keep the trees in rows rather than scattered here and there, that way you can fence the whole rows off rather than individual trees.

My goats do their damage in bits and pieces - give then enough targets and they don't girdle any one tree.

Though most of my trees are privet shrubs which are close to invulnerable.