Has anyone tried dry leaf fodder for winter feed?

[willowwood]

Our 11 acres doesn't have the open field areas needed to make our own hay, and we don't have the equipment to make hay anyway (we could use our neighbor's meadows).  But we have lots and lots of trees of all sizes.  I feed fresh leaves and small branches in the summer, my goats prefer leaves and weeds to last year's hay and they make generous amounts of milk on fresh food.  I've been experimenting with things I can grow and keep in some way for winter feeding: sunflower stems and dry leaves, sunchoke stems and dry leaves, pumpkins and squash, sun dried lawn clippings.  I grow wheat grass in a fodder system in our small heated greenhouse. This summer I want to try drying leaves and small branches to see if the goats will relish those.  Has anyone tried dry leaves? 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Dry leaves won't have nearly the nutritional value of fresh leaves, whereas hay loses very little nutrition if cut at the proper stage

I'd plant Wheat, Oats and Rye (the grain, not the grass) to feed them in Winter

[here to stay]

I have dried blackberry leaves and the goats relished them. But they were picked green and dried off vine. There are some leaves that are toxic done like that- red maple is one I can think of, choke cherry and other stone fruit for another, when they are not toxic if they go dormant naturally.
I would think if they are not toxic to me, they are probably ok for goats. It would probaby not be good for calories but I can't see why they woukd not have something to offer. The goats sure eat fallen leaves like mad in the fall.

[Deleted]

My goats love dried oak leaves any time of year, but I wouldn't use them exclusively for feed. Any browse you can save dried in paper feed or leaf sacks will certainly be a good supplement.

Have you looked at Wartime Farm on BBC Documentaries? They show a way of making silage that may be something that will work for you.

[willowwood]

Thanks for the responses and suggestions. The dry leaves won't be the exclusive feed--I do have a source of good dairy hay (alfalfa and clover mix that is well made) but I like to try to grow as much as I can within time limits for us and the critters her at home. Here is a link to an article about leaf fodder for farm animals in Bulgaria--a traditional way of feeding livestock www.coppiceagroforestry.com/blog/european-wood-pasture-silvopasture-case-studies that got me thinking that this might work here.