Goats to control vegitation Vs. Pesticides

[ronmcm]

I am reluctant to use pesticides. Is anyone use goats to control vegetation?

[Rene Siracusa]

Goats are especially good if the property is very overgrown, because they are browsers (as opposed to grazers). Goats enjoy the roughage, thorns, weeds. But they may also like things you want to protect, so take precautions. (that suggestion goes for ALL livestock)

[csgray]

Is there anyone in Puna who rents out goat herds for dealing with overgrown lots? In the Pacific Northwest I know there were people who rented out goats to keep brush under control, including to the Oregon Highway division for really steep embankments that were impossible to mow and difficult to weed eat. The goat herders came in with electric fence and goats on a contract basis both by the job and by the week.

Carol

[dayna]

If I had an electric fence I would be all over that! If someone has a fenced area and wants to borrow a couple goats for a few weeks let me know.

Rene is right though, my goats LOVE all the plants I don't want them to love. I've found a great combination with the sheep and goats on the same property. The sheep eat the grass and the goats everything else. I did notice the lambs learning from the goats, starting to browse as opposed to grazing like their sheep mothers. It's fun to watch animals learn from each other.

Dayna

www.E-Z-Caps.com

[csgray]

We have one half of our acre that got overgrown when my husband had foot surgery. Now it is an overwhelming job to weed eat it. Our acre is fenced, and if someone could put up an electric cross fence for the back half, goats could munch to their little hearts content. At this point we can't access anything back there anyway, so even if they did nibble on the fruit trees it wouldn't be a really big deal. I don't want the commitment of my own herd, I just want some temporary munchers to get the brush back under control, especially the young albizia.

Carol