Using Goats to Graze Brush and Invasive Plants
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ค. 2014
- How Goat Dispatch of Minnesota is using goats to clear up Minnesota forest, wetlands, parks, yards, and organic farms. Goats provide a great eco-friendly alternative for clearing noxious weeds, buckthorn, and other undesirable brush.
I'm getting into this business, you get to keep goats, other people feed them THEN they pay you !! lol
Yes but you are also on call 24/7/365 and goats are smart and take a lot of mental energy to stay ahead of, and also goats have many health issues. So its not all Gravy! Other than that yes its great!
I have Spanish goats and am currently using them for clearing forestry, we have a severe honeysuckle problem here in SO IL, and they clear everything 6ft and down, that way we don’t have to struggle to cut it, they keep on top of that amazingly
Great! We have had great success with goats on Honeysuckle this is a species they really excel at!
My dad’s neighborhood association here in SoCal rented goats to clear some of the bramble off hillsides and external areas to reduce risk of wildfire. It was very relaxing hearing the sounds of them being moved around and they did a great job.
So nice to see someone giving animals purpose again
thanks for explaining temporary fencing that you are using.
I have been wanting to get some goats. I didn’t realize how great they were at “cleaning up” the woods. They are adorable! 🐐
Gina Land read my above comment on health of wether goats and brush eating. Wethers are cheaper and so attractive for buyers but brush eating can promote a deadly health problem.
elsa Grace Okay, I will try and find it. Thank you!
What I like about this, is that when animals work for humans they have to suffer in some way, but here the goats are super happy as they are doing what they love the most - eat!
Also, another advantage that goats have is that, not only do they they fertilise the soil, they also break it up with their hooves which allows it to absorb water. They also break up dry vegetation and twigs by trampling them, which in turn nourishes the soil.
That in turn (if you have she-goats) turns their diet into milk, which turns into cheese or chocolate if you are fancy.
Right on!
Never thought of the Chocolate angle... good one
@@jacoblangeslag7887 how about once those goats eat the invasive plants you can replace them with the natives so they can never grow back in for what’s worth it’s restoring the balance of nature
This is very informative! I live on an acre but it's all wooded and we can't get it under control and have been considering goats. Plus we've been wanting goats for awhile and have the perfect set up to house them at night.
It’s probably too late since you commented 9 months ago but, 1 acre isn’t much and with a chainsaw and chemical you can clear and treat all of it in a day, a dozen goats can clear that within a month and need more after that
Mera baserra
Thank you for your video. We have just bought some goats to help maintain our five acres. Can't wait to see what they can do.
Manuel Mier nice and how did they do so far?
Yes I want to know how its going, because I have about that much that's too overgrown and invasive. Its too wet all the time in Ky to chainsaw everything.
good video and explanation! Love that you are here in Minnesota!
glad to see someone from Minnesota found this video!
Thank you so much! Great video! I've been so frustrated with the poison ivy this year. We have 10 acres we moved to one year ago and needed this idea!
Good luck, just dont touch the goats or the fencing after they are in it as I was burned 3 times last year!
thanks Jacob, Well thought out video. i was looking for some thing like this. Turns out it was exactly what i was looking for.
Loved watching this! Thank you so much for sharing. A breath of fresh air for sure.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi. Great idea. I was curious about using a few goats in a large back yard rather than using a gas mower. Previous I rented a little house with a yard so big i had to pay someone to mow it. Later i thought i should have put an ad in the paper for anyone raising goats to come by and let them have lots of grass. It would have saved me a lot of money, saved gas, and saved the environment. And no noise.😀
4Carl - Goats are browsers, don't eat much grass - sheep graze, don't eat leaves.
They are excellent at managing brush , weeds and grass.. very tender on the grass and dont destroy as much as horses and sheep in my opinion. However push mowers are cheaper than hiring goats for a residential backyard unless you can find someone to take you up on your offer!
Great little video, thanks for sharing!
thank you so much! im an evironmental science major and this was so interesting for me to hear.
Great! I enjoyed my Environmental Science classes back in college.
Good job Jacob. Continued success.
We are starting this in central PA. Great vid.
Every day we experience stimulus overcharge. Watching goats eat leaves and brush seems like a great way to relax and mentally recharge. If I had a choice between meditation, going for a walk, or sitting on my porch watching nature, I would choose the latter.
For sure!
Loved this teaching/educational video.....thank you!
Great, hope you learned a thing or two!
The same is going on in Tennessee. There is a project where goats are being used to eat kudzu, an invasive species.
This would be a great science lesson for school classrooms and a fun field trip. To an actual field, how amazing is that.
Good idea, should look into doing a kids video.
@@jacoblangeslag7887 no, i meant bringing kids out to watch & learn. Kids these days are not getting enough real life experience, away from their computers. In my town the kids go out in nature and do projects. There's no comparison.
superb, this is important. I live in south america and planing to adapt your method to my sistem. congratulation.
Ecuador
let me know how it goes!
how many goats does it take to clear an acre in a week?
Really cool idea that you "rent" the goats out and set up the pens. Great idea!
Good game Coach! We are growing our Weed Team here in California. Still got a ways to go, but you have to start somewhere.
Jake the goat whisperer, you are awesome my friend!!!
That's pretty interesting! Thanks for sharing this useful information. New friend here!
It is very interesting, I thing those who are negative attitude with goats ,this vidieo gives a good remedey for there wrong attitude on goats.
Muluken Zerihun. From Ethiopia, Bahirdar.
great video and awesome herd
Good video and great goat clean up!
excellent video-thanks for the well-presented information!
Thanks!
you would be someone Id want on my team! Keep it up
That's amazing job to what they've done
Very Informative Jacob, great project
Thanks - Glad you liked it!
Thanks! Doing what I can to help the land!
what an awesome concept!!!
Kirk or goats
Can goats safely eat poison ivy and poison oak?
yes
i like u man, thanks for share
I love your video!! they are so cute!! thank you. I learned a lot!
Wonderful!
Love it bro, the football analogy sold it to me. We probably going to try this out on our section in NZ.
+Eco Rookies Great! Let me know how it goes!
I love this. The goats look so happy
They sure do seem to love having all this space to roam!
This is a great idea!
great video and seems like you are having a good time.
Yes goats are the best!
amazing what you are doing here, keep it up
To power them. Flipping cute dude. Goats are cool.
Lovely video, thank you.
Thank you for using nature to control nature!
Great video by the way. thanks
thanks!
great work!
Got a new sub here, Jake! Cheers from Brazil 🇧🇷
DO you have goats working in Brazil?
I can't wait to start
Low compaction fraction great action, well versed , knocking down productivity of perennials year to year will set them back from lack of photosynthesis, sooner in season will accelerate
decline in tree, brush species.
I live in Minnesota and think this is fantastic.
You picked a good state!
Landowner: we must do something about this brush
Goats: BUFFET!!!!
This something I have wanted to do since I was seven years old. I learned about goats and I vowed that I would someday have a farm and my goats with trim all my neighbors yards!! LOL I still think this will be possible today! But I do not know how to get started. I do not own my own home but I wish I did and I would just like to go out to really get started just in my neighborhood. But like I said I don't have my own space😔
You can rent a rural property with some land.
AASHAMSHAD52@GMAIL.com
Sassy Sem - I would look for a way to work or volunteer with an existing goat business and that could well develop into ideas & opportunities for you. Take that first step.
are you doing it yet
Sassy Sem, where are you live? I have a land 20- acre land and need a person like you. Let me know.
I am in PA.
Good video.
This is awesome!
So soothing 😌💜🙏🦋🌛
Bro you are leading the life!!!!!That must be so much fun.I bet a wood chipper would clean up the stuff the goats didn’t get in no time.In S.California we got wild fires big time. This is maybe a kernel of a new business for me.I’m thinking about throwing a wood chipper into the mix. My idea is what the goats can’t chew up and poop out,the chipper will just chop it up.Green fire suppression.!
Hope it worked out!
Great video! I love watching my goats! I have dairy goats so they are a bit more work but still fun. I also use the premier 1 fencing! Do you stay with goats while out in someone else's property? Eden seems really sweet, was she bottle raised? I love that your goats are benefiting the environment!
We do not sleep overnight on the properties with the goats and have had very little issues. Eden was handled a lot by my kids so she is really tame. Yes a win win for the goats and the environment!
Mark, how long does it take you to move the fence? How often do you move it? Do you have to put a second fence right next to the current fence and lead them in or can you move it longer distances and they will follow you? What do you use for shelter? I found my new fence takes me about 4 hours to clear a path and move it. Hoping it gets easier.
Burnsville MN needs you great service.
we have been working in Burnsville! They passed an ordinance so we can work in this fine city now!
I love goats. Our goats helped prune our property enough to motivate me to work on it. The help from the goats is amazing. Great helpers. Neutered male goats, wethers, will develop bladder stones that they can’t pass because the neutering stops the growth of their penis and therefor their urethra. The stone can’t pas through the urethra. They can’t pee and bladder will leak into the abdomen and cause urine scald. They will die from this. Mineral and protein rich brush increases the incident of bladder stones.best to use Does and Rams as brush grazing will shorten a wethers life and it will end in painful illness.
Hey sorry to hear about this. We have not seen this problem. The oldest members of our herd are wethers. Sorry to hear you had that problem - maybe cut back on grain if you are feeding it.
We use to have bison that roamed north America. They use to graze through the oak savanna.
This is awsome I have alot of kudzu which is very invasive
Cool vid... subscribed
Which medical injections should goats have to prevent malaria, larvae, etc. Before letting them graze a new area? The work you are doing is amazing.
No problems with malaria here. Just Brain Worm (Deer worm) which you have to watch for and treat for.
I love the concept! Amazing! How do you protect the trees/plants you don't want the goats to massacre?
Most areas are 60-90 percent invasive infected so we let them have free access the first year or two, maybe year three we will fence off areas or wrap individual special trees - however this is often not needed in many areas as natives do a good job of catching up once you take away the competitive advantage of the invasive plants away.
Goats mitigate fire danger in AZ. Good on ya, goats!
This could save lives in places with forest fires. These sweet goats could clean up the brush. California. Spain. Greece. All these fires. Allan Savory mentions grazing improving moisture retention in the soil and brush clean up for fire safety.
That's what I was just thinking too. I think the forestry service should look into it. If it works good enough they could have their own herds.
Then other people could come behind them and scatter native seeds. Even the kind that first requires fire could be started before being scattered out.
Plus the goats leave nice little pellets of fertilizer to encourage new growth.
Goats with pigs and chickens work
@@jacoblangeslag7887 My lands better for it.. Just jump in my friend
The eco-friendly part I can take or leave, but what impresses me about goats is their raw efficiency and effectiveness. You could probably use these in the same fields as cattle, probably at the same time, since the goats want to eat the plants cows pass up.
Yes exactly!
Glad to see you enjoy your work as do the goats. researching using goats on 5 acres in Ireland to keep Gorse and brambles under control but will need to protect young Hazel trees I think
+Joe Walshe very cool! I learned a new type of plant today - Gorse!
Very cool!
Remember that the goats don't kill the plant--they merely prune them and they regrow. We used them here in Maryland in a public park and the wineberry and invasives exploded after the goats left.
Thanks for the comment. Yes you need to keep at it and shift the system - I would be curious what invasive plants you are talking about. Sounds like you did a one and done event which does not work with any method - goats, Mowing, Spraying Etc. I have seen many sites that were mowed and sprayed only to come back 10x thicker and that method didn't create meat, milk or fiber and only increased the resistance of the plants to herbicide.
Graze -> cut -> graze -> cut and most will be dead in a year
Curious as to what you do in the winter with them? I'm sure Minnesota gets even more snow than us in Iowa
We work year round with the goats in Minnesota. Have to check on horseback or snowmobiles at times and of course need to supplement them with different feeds depending on the weather.
I agree. New Subscriber.
Great video Jacob! I like this idea and have been following this idea being lived out, for some time now! Great idea. Perfect for the land!! How long have you been in business now?
+jason weimer Sorry I missed this from before. 3 years now.
would love to have you try this on my land in south carolina
thank you
Goats are browsers, sheep (horses, cows) are grazers. Goats will take down small trees and work their way down, sheep graze primarily at ground level. Some use both on the same property to maintain it.
Yes science like to put thing in categories. I like goats because they graze and browse. Yes I do use sheep, horses, geese etc. Depending on the goal. I also have my horses and sheep browse at times too.
@@jacoblangeslag7887 Right! Who needs Science...?
Hi Jacob: Love this video - I have just purchased a small farm in Portugal (tendency for Wild Fires) I will have about 5 hectares. I want goats to manage the land - not necessary for milk - only for clearing. How many goats and type would you recommend - also - do you supplement with hay? or is the brush enough nourishment? (vitamins and mineral aside) Portugal is mild in the winter rarely gets to freezing in my area.
I would start with around 5-10. We only supplement with hay in winter when temps are cold.
Very interesting, Jacob! Wondering - there's a historic cemetery near a rail line that I might be interested in having "goated"... would there be toxic stuff in the plants or anything from years of transportation going by - steam, then diesel? Now it's electrified, but it wasn't for a long time.
+naughtyhippo1 I have not heard of this to be an issue. Being its electrified now I think the goats would be fine.
Great use of goats. How much parasite pressure do you have to deal with? Do they require much attention to keep them healthy?
We move them very often so we have less of a problem with this.
You are exactly right this works!THANK GOD I do NOT have a problem with it BUT a ton of people do have a big problem with invasive bamboo and that mess is TERRIBLE!Will goats get rid of bamboo!?
Yes
Here in Kentucky it's Japanese honeysuckle and in some spots, kudzu. Honeysuckle can grow so thick that white tail deer can't get through it.
Yeah Bamboo looks like a tough one. Good thing we don't have that in full force in Minnesota!
GOOD FOR YOU.
Cites in southern California are using goats to remove poison ivy and poison oak from urban hillsides and canyons, and the benefit is that the goats remove all other invasive plant species as well, keeping down the ground-level vegetation that helps to fuel fires. Cheaper than other methods. Those are the same goats that are used elsewhere in the state to keep down invasive species.
Yeah there are a lot of rock star goat companies in California. They have been going a long time out there!
I'm hoping goats can help me with my huge poison ivy problem on my property!
Hi Jacob Ive got 60 acres in South Texas and would love to do this especially fencing off my fence line and have the goats eat and clean the fence line up. Do you think that would work? Thanks in advance
Heck Ya!
Do the electric fence panels keep predators from harming the goats? I just have 2 pet goats but I am afraid to turn them out in the wooded areas because of coyotes and bobcats. Would appreciate your thoughts on that
Great video! What type of goats do you use / recommend? Does it matter which breed? How much would it cost (roughly) to have goats come to my property - an overgrown two acre wooded area - or - how much do you charge? Thanks!
What brand of fence is that?
I’m in Hawaii and have crazy invasives and want to start. Thanks!
Premier one fence - send pics when done!
Great info, What about the night time and posible predators, or rain; and what about swampy areas?
Night time is ok, We have yet to have predator problems in MN. Swampy areas ok to eat, just watch for liverflukes and other internal parasites. Cheers.
I'm in Northern MN and have been looking into goats for clearing. We were thinking of getting two to start with. With the electric fencing at 165' how many fences would you suggest for making a paddock for the pair of goats?
David Setness What plant species will they be going after? It really depends on how often you want to move the fence. I would say 3 or 4 fences would be a good size depending on the vegetation load.
Great video! Thanks! Where are the goats during winter?
Working! They do some of their best work in the Winter in our opinion.
Where did you get the fencing and solar panel, super cool!
Premier One Fence Supply
Do you ever get over to Chippewa County, WI? The farm had been in the family since 1911. With no more cattle in the pasture, it has mostly grown up into popple trees. They grow up fast, rot, and fall over. But even on our home site, what issn't field is all brush now.
This is awesome! How do they do against creeping Charlie?
They eat it, but that plant grows low to the ground, may be better to have sheep go after it as goats work from higher levels down towards the ground and tend to avoid eating off the ground if they can.
Branch out ( no pun intended )! If you want to set up another area. I have 11 acres that need usage. I've lived on a farm nearly my entire life ( college etc.) I love goats. I would care for them as if they were my own kids. Again no pun intended.
That's cool..can I just watch em and eat popcorn for an hour? My brain needs it
what do you do with them in the winter, and is it paying well. seems like a great idea. also will they eat poison ivy and eliminate it or is it a repetitive thing only eating the new growth.
We use goats in winter as well to do work
Our city is letting goats keep our old capped landfill cleared. They have done it now for a couple of years and it looks so much better. I like the idea, plus people stop to see the goats.
Hi Jacob - what are your thoughts on vaccinating or de-worming your goats? Do you do that? Also, what are your thoughts about these mineral blocks some people use? Necessary?
some goats need it but try to select ones that dont need it or not as often. I like loose mineral vs the blocks that are formulated for goats.
You could probably use goats to clear out the sides of roads and highways and ditches, I know that they would be handy along some of the roads in my area up here in Canada…
We have 30 acres in Michigan I love to turn them loose on. I guess I'd have to fence in the whole 30 or do pieces which seems like a lot of work.
We can fence in 30 acres before lunch with this method.