Goats – Nature’s Brush Hogs

They will eat everything they can reach, to include, Poison Ivy.

We had first purchased a goat because I read that they could eat poison ivy without harm.  Having a lake in the back yard that we intended to fish, I did not want to spray Round Up or other weed killers to clear the ivy out.  But I had to do something, the dogs would run through it chasing everything fluffy and then come into the house and get on the furniture. I would come home from work, sit on the same furniture and presto – I got Poison Ivy, again.

Within a month we purchased three more goats and then the clearing began.  Those goats ate down a half acre of poison ivy in the following months.  As fast as it would grow, the goats would eat it down.

That was a 4 years ago and our goat herd has grown a bit.  They now maintain over 1,000 feet of shoreline and 60% of our land with their appetites. Weed-eating around the edges – done. Brush clearing – done.  Pruning trees to within goat reach (about 6 feet when they stand on their rear legs, or each other) – done.

 

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We are a small hobby farm in Jackson County Missouri.

We started our operation shortly after moving out here.  Our home is just beyond city limits and in the country.  We were completely unprepared.

The previous owners were very old and they spent a lot of their time mowing around the house and taking care of the shrubs and trees that were immediately proximal to the house.  The house looked great and the yard was always mowed but there were lots of other features to this property that we couldn’t enjoy.

 

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