# Calling all sheep lovers, shepherds, AstroTurf experts, and other experts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385 "2016-09-19T22:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GO_FOR_JOE)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/1 "2016-09-19T22:08:50Z")
Calling all sheep lovers, shepherds, AstroTurf specialists, and other experts. Today, when I was walking my high school’s field, I was struck with a question. If I would set a sheep out in the middle of the field, would the sheep attempt to eat the grass, or for that matter any other animal (goat, cow, ect.) eat it as if it was grass. ---
**Author:** ![GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GO_FOR_JOE)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/2 "2016-09-19T23:41:12Z")
To clarify I meant that the field is made from AstroTurf ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/3 "2016-09-19T23:42:59Z")
No. It smells bad or at least not at all like food. So it would not attempt to eat it. Chickens wouldn’t eat it either, although they may look and peck at any unusual nuggets of interest buried therein… until they realize they aren’t food either. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/4 "2016-09-19T23:51:52Z")
I’m not an expert … but it seems completely unrealistic to expect any animal eating plastic. ---
**Author:** ![GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GO_FOR_JOE)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/5 "2016-09-20T00:04:01Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I’m not an expert … but it seems completely unrealistic to expect any animal eating plastic. What about goats that eat anything they find ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/6 "2016-09-20T01:25:33Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I’m not an expert … but it seems completely unrealistic to expect any animal eating plastic. Clearly you’ve never owned a dog. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/7 "2016-09-20T02:06:30Z")
Eat? No. Nibble at? Almost certainly. Even if the Astroturf was some colour other than green. Sheep will chew on what would be usually considered inedible objects like say the bark of trees, fence posts even if painted just out of idle curiosity. Can’t recall seeing any chewing on metal objects or concrete. Almond or walnut shells or other vegetable husks have pretty hard textures and these can be fed as a fibre source to ruminants as part of survival rations. Cattle would be less likely because their mode of foraging involves more use of the tongue while sheep/goats tend to nip grass and hence can graze much more closely. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/8 "2016-09-20T03:13:02Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I’m not an expert … but it seems completely unrealistic to expect any animal eating plastic. Tell that to my cat. She ate a solid handful of that plastic Easter basket grass. Did a number on her insides, but she survived. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/9 "2016-09-20T04:45:12Z")
I once had a cat that cracked open a cassette case and ate the tape. It was fun cutting segments of it off his ass for a week. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/10 "2016-09-20T05:00:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I once had a cat that cracked open a cassette case and ate the tape. It was fun cutting segments of it off his ass for a week. Didn’t need to worry about him running away. just tie down the exposed end. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/11 "2016-09-20T14:15:35Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Clearly you’ve never owned a dog. --Mark > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Tell that to my cat. She ate a solid handful of that plastic Easter basket grass. Did a number on her insides, but she survived. > [@panache45](#): > > I once had a cat that cracked open a cassette case and ate the tape. It was fun cutting segments of it off his ass for a week. I hang my head in shame … ---
**Author:** ![GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@GO\_FOR\_JOE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GO_FOR_JOE)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/12 "2016-09-20T16:24:07Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Didn’t need to worry about him running away. just tie down the exposed end. Am I a bad person for laughing for 5min after reading this ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/13 "2016-09-20T16:39:44Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I once had a cat that cracked open a cassette case and ate the tape. It was fun cutting segments of it off his ass for a week. Did he have good taste in music? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-sheep-lovers-shepherds-astroturf-experts-and-other-experts/766385/14 "2016-09-20T17:00:03Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I once had a cat that cracked open a cassette case and ate the tape. It was fun cutting segments of it off his ass for a week. Isn’t this how George Martin started out?