Absolute minimum is 5 acres, and you should expect to supplement the grass. Better would be 10-20, as that way you can have 3 or more grazing areas and change over as soom as one looks poorly, not having to wait until the initial one has re-grown. Goats like browse, so unless the trees are fairly tall, they might get eaten, and if the trunks slope they will get climbed. However, since they are something to eat - and if you fence off the trunks so the goats can't chew the bark - I would think the goats would be happy having shrubs or trees to browse on and to give shelter. Just be SURE none of them are toxic - I don't know what is bad for goats, but googling will probably bring up a list. It's almost impossible to give a hard and fast timetable for rotating - it all depends on the grass regrowth, and that depends on rain. I would say that when the one pasture is looking short - grazed down to a couple of inches, then it's time to move them. In the rapid growth periods, this may be longer than in the dryer periods. Google for rotational grazing or rotational pasture management, and I am sure you will get more details. If you get really good grass growth, you might leave one area out of the rotation and let it stockpile for haying or for winter grazing - saving on your hay bill. You will need to have a way to get water to all pastures, and, if the trees aren't thick, build some sort of shelter from wind, rain and the hottest sun. Gates need to be handy to switch pastures without escapes, and also be big enough for a tractor to bush-hog and to bring feed or fencing materials as needed. Plan accordingly.

Those are not branches that emerged on your 3' whip - those are the rachis or leaf petioles and yes, they will fall off this fall. In fact, this tree can generate quite a lot of litter as it matures. This tree is rather well known for being 'branchless' until it develops some age and size. You may even need to do a little pruning in its early years to stimulate branch development. At 3' - really little more than a seedling - I would not expect to see any branching for several years. And in Ken's defense, there is nothing wrong about asking questions but a great many of us, especially of the older generation before the days of the Internet and instant knowledge access, did learn most of what we know about gardening by trial and error. We planted something and hoped for the best. Odds are very good that's all that needed to be done, other than watering as nature required. Plants are a lot tougher and more durable, even in their infant stages, than most of us consider. A great many manage just fine with minimal human intervention ever. As Ken is fond of saying, these aren't kids - they don't need to be babied, or fed or coddled in cold weather. Stick 'em in the ground, water 'em and let 'em do their thing.

Glad you're all OK, PM50! I have often observed that commercially packaged ground beef and ground turkey packages are puffed up, but I haven't particularly noticed this in packages of chicken parts. However, when I googled, the following information turned up. Perdue and other poultry companies use a process called "modified atmosphere packaging" (MAP), by which a mixture of gases (typically, carbon dioxide and/or oxygen and nitrogen, depending on the product) are injected into the packaging to replace air. This technique retards spoilage, prolongs shelf life, and retains fresh appearance and flavor. The Perdue web site claims that they were the first company in the industry to use MAP to ensure freshness. Personally, I like buying ground meat that has been processed by this method, as it can be stored in the fridge much longer without any loss of quality or change in flavor. From what I've read, the technique is a regarded as generally safe. It's also used for some fruits, vegetables, and other types of foods. I'm not sure this applies in your case, but if the MAP technique was used, the puffiness was intentional. Sue

I guess I'm in the minority but I thought this was a lot of work for ok but not great chicken. I thought it had a very chickeny taste. However I used fresh garlic--I hate the aftertaste that garlic powder leaves. The skin did split on mine but I looseded the skin in order to put the seasonings and garlic underneath. I was amazed at the amount of fat and liquid in the pan by the end, and it certainly was pretty, but in future I think just a chicken breast with bone in baked for half an hour or so is easier and tastier.