Pygmy goats and brush clearing?

[chicamama]

I'm thinking of getting two pygmy goats and let them nibble the extra brush along our hillside during the day when we're home. Any thoughts? Tips? I don't want large goats.

 

[d.k]

* I've told DH Grumpy for YEARS that we need a goat to keep the backyard pruned, cuz it's all overgrown & grows like mad. But apparently goats are about as welcome as the chickens I imagine. . . I was hoping to pass it off as a rare breed of dog-- or a seeing eye goat in training. . . .

 

[gritsar]

Don't count on goats to eat and/or clear away only what you want them to. Billy loves one pesky type of bush that was growing randomly around our yard fence, and made short work of all of them. Unfortunately, Billy also loves the things I want growing....like one of the rose bushes I so lovingly planted today! I only had my back turned for a split second! un
d.k., I have an irish wolfhound mix and a border collie. Billy is a nigerian dwarf and he can walk under both dogs. Claim it's a large, unusual breed of cat instead.

 

[Chatychick]

Yep the problems with goats is they will eat what youdont want them too also. Pygmy goats arent really grazers and neither is Nigerians...What you want for grazing and cleariing is Boer goats. Pygmys and Nigis are pet type goats and dont graze really on grass and such . I have to mow my goat pens as they dont eat grass. They love trees and bark and their grain. Some say its a myth that goats clear brush and I am starting to think so too...some will and most wont.

 

[helmstead]

We have used a few of our does to clean up our "yard". Our property was fully wooded when we bought it, covered in pricker bushes, poison ivy, seedlings, honeysuckle...you name it. We built a moveable fence and would house 3-4 does in it for a week (still graining and haying, of course) and then move it to another spot. They did a terrific job...but there wasn't grass I was trying to remove, it was all browse. NOW it's growing grass because all the other stuff is gone.

If you're talking about an area you usually mow...then this idea won't work. I really don't like the idea of free ranging goats, either...sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 

[cgjsmith]

Sheep make really good grazers as well. LOL My pygmes do ok foraging. We learned to cut back on the grains to make sure that they would eat what was out there as well. Crystal

 

[wynedot55]

you need what they call spanish nannies aka brush goats.an stake an chain them out in the area you want them in.an move them when theyve cleaned the area up.i used to have 3 spanish nannies.an i used them for brush an weed control.id put them on a 15ft chain.an stake them out moving when needed.billy goats are more ttrouble than they worth.only get 1 if you want babies.1 warning though.they love to jump on cars an trucks.an they can an will do so.

 

[chicamama]

I'm not talking grass (I wish we had a lot of flat grass)
Im talking scrub bushes/chapparel. And yes, I know that goats are non discriminative on eating roses or poison oak!

 

[chicamama]

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Thanks. I'll look them up. No billy goats. My last one that I adopted used to try and pee on everyone. NICE!

 

[ksacres]

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Yep, that's a buck thing. Mine also like to lick/drink their own and spray their faces. Such nice manners lol