Goats, Land Clearing and asphalt shingles

[PinkFox]

just bought 4 1/2 acres in tn, of which its primarily privet and other twiggy undergrowth...
i want nubian goats...
i figured goats and brush go together quite nicely and the plan was to buld a temporary pen out of cattle pannels, and slowly move the pen through the woods untill the entire property is cleared ready for other uses...(like veggies and a small orchard) eventually planning fo give 2 acres to 3-4 nubian girls (planning on 2 girls to start with brush clearing)

the problem im finding now is the area which i plan to use them to clear last (as its where their perminent paddock will be) has aparently been used as the place roofing materials go to die...
there are PILES about 4ft across and anythign from 2-4ft deep of asphalt roofing shingles...
the big problem here being 1, i cant get to them to haul them out due to the mass of undergrowth and shrubbery and even trees that have grown up around and on these things...
2 even if i could get to them unless i can get someone to come in here with a hauler and a couple big dozers and dumpsters, (which money being an issue isnt going to happen) its going to take YEARS to clear them out...
in order to get to them to start clearing them out pile by pile by hand i need the brush removed...
but goats eat pretty much anythign right?!

would it be safe to allow the goats aces to the piles of asphalt shingles in order to eat the shrubbery and brush and such that have grown up around and in these thigns...
the piles are incredibly solid and secure so im not worries about structural intergrity...
but instead the goats standing on and potentially knawing on them...

thoughts? imput?!

im looking into asphalt shingle recycling programs trying to get some info and see if a company might be interested in hauling them being that there are so many it would make a good recycling project...(theres THOUSANDS + back there...)

but even heavy machinery isnt getting to them safely untill the brush has been cleared...
ideas!? thoughts?

 

[Queen Mum]

Heavy equipment could make short work of those shingles even with the brush there. I wouldn't worry about that. I have actually been down that road.

See if you can find a recycling program first. Then after that, your biggest worry is nails. Goat hooves are very tender on the bottom and if they step on a nail the things will go right up into the goats hoof and could cause some serious problems. You can go in there with a big magnet and check for loose nails which would help a lot.

 

[PinkFox]

the biggest problem with heavy equiptment is the cost, im on a fixed very limited income and can imagine that costing a small fortune, probably more than i even paid for the house lol
im hopign a recycling program would be willing to come out and get them

the good news in im in no real rush the girls will have 3 1/2 other acres to get working on lol while i get this figured out...

odly enough thus far the only nails ive found are in strips...many of the shingles are (or at least were) BRAND NEW in plastic when dumped...but defintalty will be on the magnet hunt for nails.

 

[marlowmanor]

Couldn't you possibly offer them for free or a low fee on Craigslist. The ones that are new in plastic you could sell for a low price and I'm sure there would be people willing to come take them off your hands. Even the used ones people would probably get if you listed them for free. That give you free labor, gets them off the property, helps others, and puts a little money in your pocket. A win all the way around!

 

[PinkFox]

never thought about seeing if anyone wanted them...
theyve been there a LONG time (at least 5 years) even the "new" ones have been exposed to the elements.

the BIG piles though are all pile sof tear off jobs...hmm, wonder if anyone would want them! good idea!

 

[marlowmanor]

people use old shingles for all kinds of projects. Dog houses, storage buildings, animal shelters, etc. I'm always on CL, you'd be amazed some of the stuff people sell or give away for free!

ETA: Another option may be seeing if ou have a local freecycle group.

 

[Queen Mum]

Well, the top ones have had the most exposure, but the ones below might be in pretty good shape. You should explore to see if any are salvageable for your "barn" of the future. And it's up to the people picking them up to get what they want.

 

[Jackson62]

So sorry, I hope your property was reasonably priced. Were you allowed to look at the property before purchasing?

 

[mek]

is privet goat friendly browse?

 

[cmjust0]

I don't see a goat eating shingles.. Mouthing on them, or using their mouth to play with them, sure...but not *eating* them. Goats mouth on all kinds of stuff.. If there are any nails out there, could be a problem for hooves as someone else mentioned, but otherwise I wouldn't think letting them near a brush pile around old shingles would be a big problem. My own goats have "discovered" lots of things in brush piles that I might not otherwise have let them near...like, huge piles of ancient fence wire that looked for all the world like briar thickets, etc..

And yeah, the shingles that are still new in the plastic are almost certainly big inseperable lumps of shingle by now. Worthless.

Also, no, goat's won't eat just anything. I think you'll come to find that they're quite picky, actually, once you really get to know their habits.