Goats as Landscapers??

[iwannabeafarmer]

Has any one here ever used goats(or heard of using them) as tools to clean out underbrush and maintain a cleared area. How much of a headache am I looking at? How would I go about it? What kind of goat should I use(can I use whatever kind I would like to keep or is one goat breed better at munching undergrowth)?

Also if I do use goats will they kill my trees as well and if I want to keep the trees, how do I manage that?

I am asking because I am in the market for a piece of property and I have no way of clearing it/ keeping it clear and I want to know if I need to look at a cheaper piece of property (so I can afford a tractor).

[April]

Goats pick a little, talk a little then move to somewhere else and pick a little then run around and find someplace else. I've always ended up with just little bits cleared out. I suppose if you had a way to keep them confined to a small area it would work, but then you'd have to worry about potential toxic plants. I've not been successful with goats keeping areas clear. They'll trim the low hanging tree branches. They'll destroy young trees. I don't think one goat breed would be any better than another at clearing. I've tried Boers and Nubians with no success.

What did work, in a jaw-droppingly amazing way, was pigs. Here's a post from my blog showing 30 days of pig plowing power. http://boughshiredale.blogspot.com/2...you-could.html We've just butchered the pigs, and they area they were now has no vegetation in it except for the trees. I'm getting together the hardware for a mobile pig pen that I can move around and let the pigs clear new areas for me.

The goats will probably be able to maintain it once its cleared.

[manfred]

I have a small herd of Boers. They are fenced out of the yard but gradually trim up everything near the house. I have to protect small fruit trees with cattle panels.

[iwannabeafarmer]

Originally Posted by manfred

I have to protect small fruit trees with cattle panels.

Would hardware cloth wrapped around the trunk work?

[Alice In TX/MO]

No. They smoosh it down. We tried that. Finally used T posts and sections of cattle panels to protect the pecan trees in the goat yard.

[lilachill]

I clear fence rows and the edges of forest with our goats. We have weeds, Tartarian Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose, wild grapes, sumac, poison ivy, and "nasty" brambles. I use electric net fencing and charge it by connecting to our big fence or a battery charged charger. I also use hog panels, wired together and attached to posts or trees. I rotate the goats every couple of days. We have a small shelter that moves with them and I offer hay and salt and minerals. I have 2 Nubians and use 164' of electric netting. SOmetimes poultry or lambs roated with the goats, depending on the forage.My goal is to rotate the goats over an area 3 times in a growing season. Last year I was able to cover ground twice. Hopefully, I will be able to add new areas that need to be reclaimed and maintain last year's efforts. The brambles were more appetizing to the goats so they did not damage the trees. They did prune the trees to as high as they could reach.
We have "pet" not dairy Nubians, a smaller goat might be easier to fence. If you raise young meat goats, with enough supplemental feed, you might be able to sell them in the fall , not overwinter and use the proceeds for another homestead project maybe even more fancing. I have read about following this kind of treament with pigs to further reclaim the land. I found rotating and keeping pigs inside the fence harder than the goats--go figure. To raise them to butcher weight required too much feed for our budget so we enjoy a friend's pork.

[iwannabeafarmer]

I was planning on a dairy or fiber breed so I could use them long term and the properties I am looking at are overcome with brambles on at least half the land/wooded areas. Thanks for the advice.

Another question though one of the place I am looking at is bordering the interstate but the price is right. will that effect the quality of the dairy/ fiber or any produce or other meat I decide to grow? (I am thinking of runoff when it rains etc.) I plan to plant a stand of evergreens to absorb the noise I am hoping that will conquer the runoff toxins as well.

[topside1]

What part of Tennessee do you live in?

[topside1]

You could come visit my place...Thanks to goats my place is often mistaken for a golf course...Topside

[iwannabeafarmer]

Originally Posted by topside1

What part of Tennessee do you live in?

I live in M'boro currently but the property I am looking at is in Dickson and surroundings