Why Goats?
Goats are agile, light on their feet, gentler than machinery and chemical free! Their ability to climb allows them to reach vines and stems in otherwise hard-to-reach places. They will graze all day, going through very dense material at about a quarter acre per several days per 10-20 goats, fertilizing in the process. Their narrow, triangular mouth allows them to crush what they eat, so seeds that might otherwise get passed through to fertilization are not viable. This is a true advantage, since machine cutting only encourages further growth in the next growth cycle and does little to eliminate next year's seed bank.
Special enzymes in the goats' guts allow them to eat plants that are poisonous to other animals and even consume poison ivy! Weeds our goats love to eat:
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Mile-A-Minute
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Japanese Honeysuckle
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Kudzu
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Autumn Olive
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Pokeweed
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Oriental Bittersweet
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Japanese Knotweed
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Japanese Stiltgrass
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Poison Ivy
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Canada Thistle
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Tree of Heaven
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Multiflora Rose
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And many more!
While prescribed grazing goats may be ideal for some properties, they aren't right for every property. Unlike sheep, goats are "top down" grazers and therefore are better suited for areas overrun by broadleaf vegetation rather than areas that are predominately grasses. Many of our targeted grazing jobs are on the margins of forests, along fence lines, and into vegetation so dense that it is nearly impassable to humans. If you think goats may be a good fit for your property, please email us the following information:
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Estimated acreage of target vegetation
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Estimated acreage of entire property
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Type(s) of problem vegetation
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Several images of the area in question
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Reason(s) for clearing the site