Goats for clearing - question?

[jettgirl24]

Hi All - My boyfriend and I have been interested in getting goats since we moved out to our new property last summer. I'm even more interested now that we have a clearing project I'd like to do. I'm wondering if the area would be suitable to use goats to clear?

Our property is 5 acres, about 2.5 of which are cleared for our house, 6 stall barn, paddocks, an arena, and a 1+ acre grass pasture. I would really like to add another grass pasture for the horses and I think I have a good spot picked out that will be mostly dry in the winter. We got some snow a few weeks ago which flattened a lot of the brush down so I was able to walk back there today. It's a wooded area that is between 1/2 and 3/4 of an acre with quite a bit of underbrush and blackberry bushes and also some old downed trees. There are some large fir and cedar trees that we would like to keep plus a bunch of Cottonwoods which we're planning to remove. Here are some pics of the area:

The area will definitely need groundwork to be horse safe after we remove the trees and underbrush, but in it's current state I can walk around back there pretty easily. So onto my questions

If we build a perimeter fence that's suitable for keeping goats in would it be safe to put them out there to clear the underbrush prior to doing the clearing and groundwork?
What type of fencing should we install initially? I've looked at rental goat places and they seem to use the electric fencing but I've heard from some people it's not all that reliable for keeping them in. This won't likely be their permanent area plus we will need to take out the large cottonwoods so something semi-permanent would be preferable.
What breed of goats and how many would be best for this job? If possible I would love a breed that also make good milkers as that would be my primary interest for them after our little clearing project is complete.

Thanks all for your help!

 

[Queen Mum]

Electric netting is fine for keeping goats in AND it it moveable. What you have is PERFECT for goats. They will gobble up what you have. BUT a couple goats will take a LONG time to eat it all up. It would take about 50 goats about 1 week to eat up about 2 or 3 acres for brush. But it takes 3 or 4 goats about a year to clear out 2 or 3 acres because the brush grows back as fast as the goats eat it.

Goats tend to stay on the perimeter of the brush and will eat their way in. And you have to clear out the "sticks and stems at first as they go because they won't "work their way in" past alot of blackberry branches initially. The reason for that is they see forest as potential predator territory. Bears and coyotes lurk therein so you would have to be out with them or have a good LGD.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I would think 3 or so large breed dairy goats would work over the briars on a 1 acre space pretty well. I don't milk, so breed type isn't my area for dairy.

If I was doing temporary fencing, I would do 4 or 5 strands of electric, and reinforce your corners really well. , Use electric fence tighteners that you install on the ends of the strands, that we you can repair your fence easier, if something falls on it or loosens it. Use wooden posts on the corner, and brace them, You want the first strand fairly close to the ground to keep them from crawling under it,

You can put a calf huts, or a small structure in the enclosure for shelter,

Don't forget to provide you goats, loose goat minerals, They are important for your goats to get plenty of copper.

And ofcourse depending on the time of year, you will need to feed hay. Although some people feed hay all year round, just to be sure their goats are getting plenty of feed.

also, our goats, killed many of our cedar trees over the years, by eating all the lower branches as far as they can reach, And they killed all the small hard wood trees, by eating the bark off of them. But if you don't over graze the pasture, and move the goats when they run out of briars and the things you don't want in the pasture, Most the trees should survive.

 

[Queen Mum]

You can prevent killing the trees you want by putting hardware cloth around the bark at the lower trunk. But No they won't clear the land that is pictured as well as you think. (It looks like the Pacific NW from where I just moved last fall. I had 5 goats on 9 acres (3 of which looked exactly like your picture. They were there for 4 years and it took them all four years to get to 1/4 of the way back into the trees because they wouldn't go back into the woods unless I went with them. I had to clear out the branches as they ate.

The problem wasn't the food, it was the goats' fear of predators. It was a very real fear. One of my goats was killed by a bear two months before we left and the month we left there was a wolf hybrid that was patrolling the woods.

A five strand electric fence just won't work in that dense landscape. It is a nightmare to keep clear. UNLESS you cut down at least two feet of growth on either side. You would be better off putting up soft fencing like t-post and welded wire to the ground with hot wire at the top to keep out the predators. You won't really even need to stretch the welded wire very tight because the goats will pretty much stay away from it until they eat their way back to it. By then you can move it to another location.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

My goats eat a lot of brush, they pick over it all and eat all the leaves, and leave a good amount of the bigger branches. Get large goats too!! My 2 nigerians eat less then my 9 week old nubian/boer does. The ND's do like the brush but will only eat the leaves. My boyfriend cuts down and I throw it into their pen. I think if I fenced off over an acre I'd have trouble getting them to do what I want them too. They'd be too picky/choosy. I'd need many more goats. Also coming from someone who's property is a lot of cedar they love the bark off the trees!

 

[3kidsmom]

Goats enjoy blackberry briers, but you need to be careful of some toxic plants too. The predator thing would be your most difficult challenge I'm sure. It might just be faster and easier to get a big tractor or something in there to clear it up.

 

[cindyg]

Goats enjoy blackberry briers, but you need to be careful of some toxic plants too. The predator thing would be your most difficult challenge I'm sure. It might just be faster and easier to get a big tractor or something in there to clear it up.

But of course, goats are WAY more fun than a tractor (unless you get to drive it)

 

[Queen Mum]

Tractor? TRACTOR!?

Oh the shame of it. I am covering my ears. Goats would faint at the thought of all that wonderful food going to waste.

 

[Mamaboid]

Besides, why would ANYBODY pass up a legitimate excuse to get more goats??

 

[redtailgal]

I run my goats in a wooded area very much like what you are showing, behind a four strand electric fence. None of them have ever gone thru it, not even Socrates (who was born to cause trouble). We will be adding in another strand before we have baby goats bouncing around.

I did start them in a smaller area, that was pretty close to the charger (thus giving them a more solid shock) and trained them to the fence. A good solid charger works wonders.

As for keeping it clear, we walk the fence line every now and then. I find the wooded lot easier to keep clear because their is no grass and "junk" growing onto my wire. Wooded land tends to have wetter dirt, so I put posts a little deeper and made stout corners. There are a few sticks here and there, but they are mostly small ones that dont cause a problem.

I would definately suggest five wire electric fence. If you decide to run a wielded wire, I still suggest running electric at the top and bottom, just to keep the goats off of it. I like having the electric to keep them from tearing up the fence AND because it is a good remedy for SOME predators (ever heard a coon stuck in an electric fence?)

As for what breed, I am in love with Nubians!!! But I have Boers, that I love almost as much.