GOATS
GRASS GUZZLING MACHINES!
why goats?
Using goats to graze open spaces is the "triple crown" of the landscaping world. It protects not only the integrity of the land itself and the citizens residing nearby, but the wildlife in the area as well.
When the use of herbicides is the method of maintenance on land, it puts the local water supply at risk of becoming contaminated. These chemicals seep into the soil and find their way into groundwater resources. This becomes even more of a hazard as the chemicals end up going through the entire water cycle as a result. This means the original area of contamination becomes a lot larger after the infected water evaporates into the atmosphere and returns to Earth as precipitation. This same water finds its way back to plants, wildlife and the municipal system, which leaves its long term effects on everything it touches a giant question.
As a state, California has a rugged terrain with rocky slopes that the mountain range carved out millions of years ago. Since then, humans have taken this landscape and made it their own by settling in towns with homes and businesses. Although built upon, the rocky landscape still exists and can be challenging for humans to maneuver. Landscaping teams will attempt to reach debris up in trees surrounded by rocks by using machinery and ultra-grip boots. This leaves room for a situation to happen where someone could end up hurt. We are trying to make sure those types of situations do not occur and encourage you to substitute humans for something that was designed to reach those tricky places...Goats!
are the goats safe?
All of our Goats are up to date with their vaccinations, de-wormer and get the right medical care when needed. A “goat herder” is present to ensure that all the goats stay where they are supposed to be when on your property. The goats work when they want and take regular breaks, enjoying fresh water, beautiful views, and fresh air. They are employed until the job is finished and then move on to their next job site.
what will goats eat?
Our goats are not specifically trained to eat certain plants and keep away from others, but it is fortunate that many goats favorites are invasive or common nuisance species. These include:
- blackberry
- ragweed
- mulberry
- vetch
- autumn olive
- multifora rose
- thistle
- poison ivy
- horse weed
- garlic mustard
- leafy spurge
- plantain
- raspberry
- wild parsnip
Goats also eat grass, but if the plants listed above and other brush and weeds are near grass will make up a relatively small portion of their diets.
DID YOU KNOW GOATS HAVE FOUR STOMACHS?
The four-chambered stomach helps goats to digest tough roughage like grass and hay. When a goat chomps down a mouth full of grass or hay, it chews long enough to soak it with saliva before swallowing. The cud (clump of chewed up food) is first sent to the goat's rumen, which is the largest chamber in an adult goat's stomach. Microorganisms in the rumen produce enzymes that break down the fibers in the cud, converting it into proteins, vitamins and other nutrients. Once the cud particles are small enough, they pass to the reticulum, which removes any foreign objects that the goat swallowed with the feed before pushing the cud to the omasum. The omasum extracts water and more nutrients, particularly fatty acids, from the cud particles before forcing the particles into the abomasum. The abomasum is often referred to as the goat's "true stomach" because it digests food particles using hydrochloric acid just as our own stomachs use. From the abomasum, the food particles pass to the small intestine, which makes the extracted nutrients available to the body. From there, the remnants of the cud that are no longer useful to the body are sent to the large intestine for excretion.