Using tethered goats to clear undergrowth ?

[tinpan]

Hi , A tethered goat can only eat what is around it and cannot wonder off . They will eat just about any thing. Right down to the ground without disturbing the soil. No smelly burn offs or toxic weed chemicals which means no EPA restrictions. Only may need to check local county on life stock laws. Your thoughts on this idea.? My partner and i have 2 hopefully cleaning out blackberries in some ruins. TP

 

[Red James Cash]

All good if you have a lot of goats.Then again it's an old wives tale that goats will eat anything.One or two goats give them a few weeks.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

tinpan
Good idea !
My Neighbor has a goat named Peanut cool animal friendly and loves cigarette butts...but eats anything...kids feed him long pieces of newspaper...he cleans the barnyard real good.
Gary

 

[tinpan]

Hi , Ole wives tale ,? Goats have existed in some of the harshest places on earth and man has. kept goats for over 6000 years. Their millions of them in the outback. They are not a native species. TP

 

[Red James Cash]

My mother had a few goats,I'm talking from experience.

 

[tinpan]

tinpan
Good idea !
My Neighbor has a goat named Peanut cool animal friendly and loves cigarette butts...but eats anything...kids feed him long pieces of newspaper...he cleans the barnyard real good.
Gary

Thanks , Cannot tether sheep just to stupid but sheep are good in fenced field after the crops .TP

 

[tinpan]

My mother had a few goats,I'm talking from experience.

Breed up in great numbers and considered a pest .No restriction on the amount you can shoot in some places. Farm stock will ring bark trees if not controlled . TP

 

[releventchair]

Don't recall goats ever eating mature berry canes.
Have had one tethered goat get a stick in it's collar and twist it enough to strangle.
Moving a fence back farther each year cleared some land at Dad's. Still ,there were things to clear the goats did not eat.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

I never seen one eat a monkey wrench or a tractor ...most know what the OP was saying .

 

[bowwinkles]

If you plan on tethering them in the wild they will not last long. Coyotes and wild dogs will have a feast. We have them in our area that clean the city runoff collection pond areas that are fenced and the dogs will dig in and kill the goats. Proceed with caution, little goats have rights also.

http://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Goats-killed-by-dogs-440570753.html

 

[GB1]

my uncle used to have fainting goats i snuck out there one day and and got in his car and laid on the horn they passed out he came outside i don't think i ever ran that fast before

 

[Phishfarmer]

I've seen a tethered goat clean a lot very nicely.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Here in Northern California there are herds used to clear steep hillsides to lower the fire danger. The owners set up orange plastic fence on metal posts and turn 'em loose. A small bunch can clear a hillside by the street in a day. I haven't inspected the operation, but I'm guessing they owners stick with them. Some may use trained dogs to help corral them.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[wainzoid]

we cleared our 2 acre house lot with a nanny goat. Did a great job.We stretched a 50' cable between 2 trees. It had a pulley on it and about a 15' leash for the goat. Once that area was cleared I would loosen one end of the cable and move to another tree. I kinda 'leap frogged' the cable around the lot this way. Every so often it would get tangled and need rescued. It would holler and let us know. We lived there in a trailer while I built the house, so we were handy to be able to tend to it.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I have had goats (Boer) and I prefer a 5' brush hog.

 

[Dave Rishar]

I've never owned goats, but I have a number of friends that do. They mostly complain about the goats jumping up on their cars, and occasionally girdling trees. If you don't have large trees, the latter is not a problem. If you don't have a car, the former is not a problem either.

My complaints, as a person who is a friend of goat owners, are those freaky weird eyes and that they like to headbutt your hand if you pet them. It's like an overly affectionate cat or dog, but much larger and sometimes with horns.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

They have these amazing devices called "weed trimmers". Work a lot faster than goats and you don't have to feed it...

 

[tinpan]

They have these amazing devices called "weed trimmers". Work a lot faster than goats and you don't have to feed it...

Hi , While the goats clear one site , can hunt another site. Gee if animals doing all the work at no Cost to me and will not leave a huge mess to clean up . I the winner Tp

 

[Oddjob]

Don't recall goats ever eating mature berry canes.
Have had one tethered goat get a stick in it's collar and twist it enough to strangle.
Moving a fence back farther each year cleared some land at Dad's. Still ,there were things to clear the goats did not eat.

I have to agree with you on this, I have yet to see it my self. Seen them take alot out but not that.

 

[bowwinkles]

They have these amazing devices called "weed trimmers". Work a lot faster than goats and you don't have to feed it...

The weed trimmers cost and require your assistance and money to finction (https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/string-trimmers.htm) so choose the best one. Or just leave it up to the goats and go fishing and enjoy yourself