Goats are the only lawn care specialists you should let chow down on your grass
Renting goats could save you between $1,600 and $3,000 per acre.
Goats are more economical for larger properties of an acre or greater.
Consider your lawn’s vegetation before investing in goats.
To clear an acre of land in a month, you’ll need to rent four to eight goats.
If you ever see your lawn care specialist taking a bite out of your lawn, you probably hired the wrong crew, unless you rented a goat. If you’re looking to clear some serious brush or grass in your yard, you may be able to enlist some help from the animal world and hire a team of goats.
The thought of hiring goats for your lawn care may leave you scratching your head, at least until you learn that they’re incredibly effective at trimming grass, removing weeds, and clearing away invasive plant species.
Renting goats is also a great way to save money on lawn care and support local businesses. Here’s how you can rent a goat for your lawn care needs and what you should know about this rather unique lawn care method.
Do you want a freshly mowed lawn without the burning of fossil fuels that comes with running a lawn mower? Well, that’s exactly where goats come in. Here are some of the biggest benefits of renting a goat:
Gas lawn mowers burn fossil fuels and spew out hazardous air pollutants, like carbon monoxide. Lawn mowers also release volatile organic compounds that can cause respiratory issues and cardiovascular problems, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Goats may not smell pleasant, but they’re a much healthier option for the environment and humans since they eliminate the need for lawn mowers.
Since goats enjoy munching on weeds and invasive species that could otherwise quickly take over your yard, like kudzu, you won’t have to worry about using chemical herbicides or pesticides. Plus, you’ll get the added bonus of free fertilizer, aka manure, as goats work throughout the day.
If you’re tired of getting on your knees in the dirt and tackling that untamable crabgrass, goats will soon be your new gardening best friend. Be it prickly thorns, itchy poison ivy, or other weeds, goats will chomp through more than just grass, saving you time spent maintaining your lawn.
And, since they love plants that can cause allergic reactions in humans or poke you if you’re not careful, you can also avoid some of the less pleasant elements of gardening.
By thinning out excess vegetation, goats can help create fire breaks that prevent forest fires from spreading. For this reason, goats are an especially common source of fire management in states prone to wildfires, like Nevada and Oregon. But they’re still good to have around if you live in any region susceptible to droughts.
You could save anywhere between $1,600 and $3,000 per acre if you choose to rent goats for land clearing rather than invest in regular lawn mowing services.
Keep in mind that if you have less than an acre of land, some goat rental companies may not offer you rental packages or services, or the cost may be less beneficial compared to the cost of hiring a local lawn care service. Overall, goats will usually still save you money, even if your property is smaller.
Goats are famously agile, which means they can tackle your weed problems with ease, even if you have sloped or uneven terrain. What’s even better is that they don’t charge extra for challenging landscapes like humans do.
Should you hire a lawn care company or a gaggle of goats to keep your lawn looking great? Here are a few things to know before making your decision.
First, you’ll need to determine if your lawn is the right job for a goat. Goat rental is best for lawns that:
Have lots of weeds
Have tall grass
Have several invasive species
Consider how fast your grass grows. If you live in an area with plenty of moisture and sun, goats can help prevent large yards or pieces of land from becoming overgrown.
However, in the same way that you should always mow high to maintain healthy, green grass and prevent dead spots, you may not want live animals chewing your slow-growing grass down to the roots.
Here’s a quiet truth you may not know unless you’re a goat expert: Grass is not a goat’s favorite thing to eat. They’ll definitely eat grass, especially if there’s nothing else to munch on, but they often prefer other vegetation more, which is typically why many people get goats for weeds and invasive species.
For example, goats can (and happily will) eat:
Poison ivy
Poison oak
Various types of weeds
Invasive plant species like kudzu, leafy spurge, and milk thistle
Goats have also been known to pull down tree branches, rip up shrubs, and dismantle saplings to get to tasty leaves. So, if you’re looking for a super-precise job, goats may not be the best option for your lawn. At the very least, you may want to tarp off specific areas you don’t want them to wander into looking for food.
Bringing in a goat wrangler beforehand can also be helpful, as they can install a portable electric perimeter to contain the herd and identify or block off potential goat hazards (i.e., steep drop-offs or poisonous plants).
Goat rental companies typically charge by the acre, and many established companies won’t do yards smaller than an acre. Renting a goat costs between $400 and $1,000 per acre. You’ll need roughly four to eight goats to clear an acre of weeds, grass, or brush in a month.
Landscapers typically charge between $50 and $100 per hour for basic lawn care. For brush removal and other projects, you could pay between $2,000 and $4,000 per acre of intensive work.
If you decide to rent a goat, keep in mind that some companies charge by the number of goats, so decide how many you’ll need before you rent. Additionally, be sure to budget for delivery fees, which can increase costs by $100 or more.
For an acre or two of land that needs a lot of clearing, you could save thousands by renting a grass-grazing goat. But if you just need a few hours of landscaping done on your yard, you’ll probably pay the same (or less) to have a crew work for you by the hour. Plus, no offense to the goats, but they aren’t able to lay sod or plant beautiful flowers like a pro landscaper near you can.
Finding a goat rental service near you may take a bit of detective work. So put on your detective hat, get out your magnifying glass, and follow these steps to find a reliable goat-renting service.
Goat rental has become a popular business across the U.S. over the last few years. Look online for local goat rental companies in your area and read reviews to find the best team for you.
If nothing comes up, renting goats is sometimes referred to as “conservation grazing” or “targeted grazing,” so search those terms instead.
There’s a reason business owners speak so highly about word-of-mouth referrals: They work. Ask around your local community or friends who own farm animals for leads.
If goat rental isn’t a hot business idea in your area, ask local farmers. Maybe they aren’t in the business of renting goats (yet), but you could inspire them to start.
At first glance, it might seem silly to rent a goat for lawn care. But depending on your yard and the type of work you need to do, it could be a viable solution that saves you money and supports local businesses or farmers. That’s a win-win in our book.
Ben Kissam contributed to this piece.
For the most part, goats are friendly and won’t charge at you, but there are exceptions to this rule, as there are with any animal handling practices. Typically, goats don’t attack unless they feel threatened. Avoid cornering or rough handling goats to avoid getting head-butted, bitten, or kicked, and always supervise goats when they’re near children or pets.
Goats need at least 250 square feet of space each, but that’s if you’re also supplementing hay. Since goats are social animals, you’ll want to avoid renting only one goat, which would take a long time to clear your land, anyway. Instead, opt for at least two goats per 500 square feet of land. Most rental companies will only rent out goats by the acre, but check your local goat rental companies to see if they make exceptions.
While goats can eat poison ivy and other plants that are harmful to humans, this doesn’t mean they can eat anything. Certain plant species, like azaleas, sumac, nightshade, Virginia creeper, and more, can kill goats. If your property has any of these plants, it won’t qualify for goat rental services. Most rental companies will ask for pictures or videos of your property or even inspect your land themselves to ensure none of these plants are present.
