Goat Rental Service

For an area where invasive species are just beginning to take hold.  Or perhaps a small percentage of some other undesirable plant, like poison ivy. 

When you want to utilize the goats to begin to manage invasive species.  Goats tend to prefer invasive to native plants.  With this option chosen AND a mix of native plants and invasives, we run the goats through the area fairly quickly.  The idea is that the goats are more likely to defoliate the invasive plants and less likely to defoliate the native plants. 

PLEASE NOTE: Goats are browsers!  They generally take a bite one one plant... perhaps another bite or two, and then often move on to the next plant.  All plants will be munched on by the goats, it's just more likely that their total energy will focus on invasives.  

Usually this land managment method calls for goats to be run through the target area quickly two to three times per year for the first year and once or twice per year afterwards.  The type of invasive plant matters here as well.  Some drop seeds that stay viable for years, even DECADES after the plant is gone.  By-the-wat, basically none of the seeds that the goats consume will be viable, and of course, any of the seed-making parts that they eat are not going to produce seeds.  

Keeping pasture/field/or lawn area clear of brush vegetation.  Almost always, the goats are run through once or twice per year. Goats prefer brush to grass. Brush struggles with being grazed/browsed. Grass thrives with being grazed. (as long as it's not grazed too low... which goats do not naturally do.)

This choice has the goats in rather large (propionate to the number of goats) sections (paddocks) and moving on with basically no time for the goats to begin to focus on any mature trees.

You want to utilize the goats to begin to manage an overgrown area and I'm looking the best, healthiest way to do that without chemicals, over time. The vegetation mix is not terribly important here. Often this option is chosen when someone has woods or forest and is looking to clear the understory while affecting desirable trees a little as possible.

This choice has the goats in medium sized (propionate to the number of goats) sections (paddocks) and moving on with little time for the goats to begin to focus on mature trees.

This is probably the most chosen option. We get a request to "clear" as much vegetation as reasonable while running the herd through with proportional sized sections (paddocks) and a normal pace. Basically, defoliate everything they can reach and eat naturally.

With this option chosen someone (us, you, landscape company, etc.) can come in and work much more easily and the brushy-type plants are put into a state of initial distress.   

Many people manage with this method the first year, and switch over to a less intensive method in following years. 

There is very little difference between this and option five. 

We *push* the goats a little bit harder than number four.  The sections are often a bit smaller. 

As always, we observe the effects.  We ask that you observe the goats working as well.  We adjust section (paddock) size and frequency of moves based on these observations.  

Basically, you'd like everything that's not a significant tree gone. 

NOTE: We typically turn these jobs down.  There is a place for this, but goats do not naturally eat especially low to the ground (usually not under 4" - 6") unless they are really "pushed" - given no other choice of what to eat.  And goats are not beaver, so we, or someone, has to work with the goats to cut brush remnants, stalks, stems, young trees, etc.  As we get busier, the extra optional services (all our cutting) are more and more difficult to accomplish.  This option is has a 99% chance of being turned down for any job outside of our normal service area, unless it is very, very small.... like 1/4 acre or less. 

The main reasons we often decline jobs with this land managment goal: 
1. It takes TONS more intensive managment!  Say for an acre of heavy brush (think, jungle like... Can't even see into the brush more than a few feet) the area would have to be divided into many, many sections... perhaps as many as eight or ten.  This is an enormous amount of more work, more wear to our electric net fencing and more cost to the landowner.  The same goal can be accomplished over time without so much pain, effort and gear wear. 
2. Typically this goal is better accomplished by a bulldozer.  At least if you're hoping to have it all done in one pass.    

IF you choose this option, understand unless we or someone else does the manual cutting afterwards (typically a few weeks afterwards, when the plants use up some of their energy try to re-foliate) then the option is not going to be nearly as effective.