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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 808
 
| So I just rented a new facility for training, complete with a wonderful home, the only downside is it hasn't been used in quite some time and so there are a lot of weeds and brush.
I have heard people talk about brush goats and I've seen them for sale on Craigslist, but before I go out and get one, do they actually eat the brush? Or will it be like my horses and go for the nice green yard or hay shed?
Am I just better off putting my gloves on and pulling them myself? |
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 The Non Sky Diver
Posts: 9004
 
Location: SE Louisiana | We had dairy goats and they would eat brush long before they would eat grass... unless it was in the form of hay... like alfalfa or clover. |
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Veteran
Posts: 158
Location: Pa | I've always heard sheep are actually better for cleaning up. No personal experience though... |
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| Goats are usually rented 20-50-100 at a time just to eat the limbs off of low underbrush ... they will not kill the brush. They prefer grass over weeds and it is the wrong time of year because any weeds you have are dead. Look at the size of a goats tummy ... divide by 4 and that is how many weeds it could eat in a day ... lol
Hand pull them or mow them with a riding mower... come spring depending on area size ... hand spray them or get a drag line sprayer to pull behind a mower ... or just mow them ...
I could always find the goats I have owned .... just look for the most expensive vehicle in the drive and they would all be walking around on the top of it ... lol |
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  The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | Mine mostly eat grass and hay. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | We have two separate herds on our small ranch. We are surrounded by bigger ranches. Last time I flew close over the ranch I had an eye opening event. The smaller pasture (its about two thousand acres) had a minimal dent in the browse cover, we have boers in that pasture. The larger pasture and the trap have Spanish goats running in it you can really tell a considerable difference in the two. The Spanish goats hand down aren't picky and work the pasture cleaner. (I'm thinking of overstocking like my Grandfather did in the early 60's to really put a dent in the cover.) From the ground you can see a small difference from the air it's a considerable difference. And comparing it to the neighbors, well no comparison. Like some one said earlier, the woody portions of the brush will remain but the browse line goes up and you can grow grass for horses or cattle. When you overstock they will eat about everything then you sell once its the way you want it. |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Years ago, we have had as many as 20+ and they always were in search of the best grass. They did not help in controlling the brush any. However, when we got our first goat we tied him to a hillside. He was the best little lawn mower we owned. If you want a specific area cleared you have manage them to that area. |
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 Dog Piling Expert
Posts: 5868
Location: Elkview, WV | I bought a baby goat once. He slept on the front porch with the dogs, stole grain from the horses and only ate grass and flowers. Once he started to regularly get on the hood of the car, we gave him away. I don't think he ever realized he was a goat though |
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 Expert
Posts: 1889
Location: Texas | We raise an assortment of goats. Yes, they do clean up brush. However, they need to be "brush" goats that have been raised on it (not dry lot or bottle babies). Otherwise they will be expecting to be fed. The best brush breeds are Spanish and Kiko as these breeds are extremely parasite resistant, low maintenance, and not picky eaters. It's best to keep them confined in areas where they need to clean up, otherwise they wander and browse and it takes longer. Also, they need good fences to keep them in and predators out. We use an electric net pen we can move around that works great.
Good luck! |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | Yes they do |
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 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I like to find skinny goats at the sale. If they haven't been grain fed and are used to toughing it out a bit, they work well. I like to put them on long cables where I want them to eat....or you can fence the area off. Worm them and let them at it. If the area is fenced off like an oxidation pond, they will wipe it clean. We've put some over the fence of an oxidation pond before where you couldn't even see the goat when you dropped it over the fence......a few weeks later it was wiped clean. If you let them get to your feed or your alfalfa, they won't want the brush. They will, also, get on your hay, car, lawnmower and poop and pee on them. The long cables and a dog collar work best for me. When they get fat sell them and buy some more skinny goats. |
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 Dr. Ebay
Posts: 8507
Location: Land Of Oz | Get pigs. |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Jinx - 2013-11-29 9:49 AM Get pigs.
What kind of pigs lol? The pigs I know root up the ground. |
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Dr. Ebay
Posts: 8507
Location: Land Of Oz | LRQHS - 2013-11-29 9:54 AM Jinx - 2013-11-29 9:49 AM Get pigs. What kind of pigs lol? The pigs I know root up the ground.
Yep, they're little bulldozers. I'd get pigs I wanted to eat lol. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 808
| Thanks everyone! I'll start looking for unspoiled, skinny spanish goats to tie out. In the meantime I'm pulling on my gloves and clearing some other areas.
As far as pigs, no thanks lol, but I did meet a teacup pig and it was pretty **** cute! |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | The1CowgirlsEnvy - 2013-11-29 12:23 PM Thanks everyone! I'll start looking for unspoiled, skinny spanish goats to tie out. In the meantime I'm pulling on my gloves and clearing some other areas. As far as pigs, no thanks lol, but I did meet a teacup pig and it was pretty **** cute!
As a side note, there are some goats with little nubs for ears....they are pretty funny to look at......and who wouldn't want a fainting goat???? Just think of all the fun you could have trying to make your goats faint..... |
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 Blackbelt Babe
Posts: 9405
Location: South Georgia Good o'l USA | Yes, goats can get the job done but you'll need to see if you can borrow/rent a few of the cheaper mexican goats (is what my FIL calls them) by going to a sale and offering your land to a local person who wouldn't mind letting his place grow up awhile...you want those that will just about eat anything...some of your more expensive raised goats wont eat what you need them to eat. |
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