I know nothing about goat ownership. The new place has poison oak, and we have it on good authority that the way to get rid of it is to keep a goat who will eat it up (no harm will come to the goat, I've been assured). And it should be a nanny, not a billy. So...now....where to start?
Anyone with goat knowledge out there?
Anyone?
Anyone with goat knowledge out there?
Anyone?
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junglemonkee- Saruwatari Ayumi
- Quintana Books
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They jump or climb over any fence. You feed them pellets from the feed store, in addition to the grazing (but don't underestimate how much they can graze). They will easily bite through rope, metal, wire, wood.... pretty much anything and everything. And their poop is good for gardens.
But if you just need to get rid of the poison oak this one time, you can rent goats rather than buy a single one, depending on how big the property is. I have a friend who did this, and I can get info from her if you want.
I've heard that the goat will do a great job eating down the poison oak (to no detriment to the goat), but that constant browsing is required (since the goat will only eat down to the earth -- so you have the problem of new shoots). This suggests that the goat is a more long-term and ongoing solution.
Perhaps pygmy goats, that way we could get more than one. They can keep each other company.
Don't forget that goats are dairy animals and need to be milked twice a day - unless you don't breed them and let them go dry (assuming that's what most people who graze goats in this manner do)
The people I know who have used goats to clear their land have done it to knock down tall grasses for fire control purposes. I don't know anything about using them for poison oak control, so I may be taking the wrong tack.
This is the last thing I expected to read today.