Quote:
What a cutie! I need to stop looking because I want goats for blackberry control, and DH says NO GOATS!!!!
The problem, of course, is that nothing else works: no other animal eats the darn stuff*, and cutting back and digging the burls is a yearly life-time job, because anywhere blackberries have grown for more than a year or two is full of viable seeds (they have this in common with Scotch Broom, BTW). Burning in February and digging the burls only has to be done about every three years, and is best for fruit production but is highly illegal; I've yet to find a non-organic control that works with less effort than burning, or half as well. Goats are da bomb for blackberry control, wethers are great pets, but there's two problems: they'll eat anything if you don't protect it by fences so tight you can't see in, they can climb like cats (and the pygmies are worst for that, followed by Cashmeres). Oh, and they have really unfortunate senses of humor. Wethers are great pets, but there's three problems...
* well, Jacob sheep, when there's no green grass. Which is not my current condition. I will have photos of my new lamb and the sheep tractor by this time tomorrow.
didn't know that about them eating black berry's, my goats like to rub fences, they occasionally put their front legs on it to get my attention, or what is very interesting, is if you don't have your hot wire low enough, they will actually time the hot wire, and run under it!! The first time we put up hot wire, it wasn't low enough and so we put them out in the field and the next thing you know they were back up top?? I was scratching my head, how in blazes did they get through........then I watched them!! LOL we got it down now!! and yes they do have a sense of humor, and it's usually on me!!! lol!! But, they were such cute babies!!! lol!
What a cutie! I need to stop looking because I want goats for blackberry control, and DH says NO GOATS!!!!
The problem, of course, is that nothing else works: no other animal eats the darn stuff*, and cutting back and digging the burls is a yearly life-time job, because anywhere blackberries have grown for more than a year or two is full of viable seeds (they have this in common with Scotch Broom, BTW). Burning in February and digging the burls only has to be done about every three years, and is best for fruit production but is highly illegal; I've yet to find a non-organic control that works with less effort than burning, or half as well. Goats are da bomb for blackberry control, wethers are great pets, but there's two problems: they'll eat anything if you don't protect it by fences so tight you can't see in, they can climb like cats (and the pygmies are worst for that, followed by Cashmeres). Oh, and they have really unfortunate senses of humor. Wethers are great pets, but there's three problems...
* well, Jacob sheep, when there's no green grass. Which is not my current condition. I will have photos of my new lamb and the sheep tractor by this time tomorrow.
didn't know that about them eating black berry's, my goats like to rub fences, they occasionally put their front legs on it to get my attention, or what is very interesting, is if you don't have your hot wire low enough, they will actually time the hot wire, and run under it!! The first time we put up hot wire, it wasn't low enough and so we put them out in the field and the next thing you know they were back up top?? I was scratching my head, how in blazes did they get through........then I watched them!! LOL we got it down now!! and yes they do have a sense of humor, and it's usually on me!!! lol!! But, they were such cute babies!!! lol!
