If you want to get rid of unwanted vegetation on your property, improve soil quality, and reduce fire fuel, SLO GOATS & SHEEP is a smart choice because over time, brush, grass, thistles, weeds, and poison oak will become less problematic. Unlike other land management practices, goats and sheep consume seeds and plants, promoting a sustainable, non-toxic, eco-friendly practice.
Please take a look at the answers to our most frequently asked questions below:
What are the benefits of grazing? Grazing works in harmony with restorative soil practices. With their cloven hooves, goats and sheep aerate the soil and leave behind approximately 4 pounds of manure a day (per adult animal). Goats and sheep spread pellets of manure across the landscape, unlike cattle, which deposit concentrated nutrients in one large pat. Additionally, goat urine contains nutrients that are essential for soil fertility, making it a great organic fertilizer (Sapril et al., 2024).
Well-managed grazing systems can be truly sustainable and improve soil health, help sequester carbon, and maintain plant biodiversity. The grazing animals are part of the cycle of life and the natural grass ecosystem. They are a natural part of the land.
Temple Grandin (2022)
What’s up with all these government entities and big ranchers using goats and sheep? Fire fuel reduction is their objective. Managed livestock grazing with goats and sheep reduces fire fuel loads that can cause catastrophic fires. A managed grazing program is meant to reduce “fuels” that can start a fire, not to “fireproof” your property. To properly mange fire fuels, twice a year grazing is recommended.
Will the weeds and brush come back? The following year after grazing, weeds and brush won’t be as invasive since, for example, yellow starthistle seeds have a 3% chance of being viable once they go through a goat’s digestive system (Goehring, 2009). Due to the increased sun exposure, soil aeration, and natural fertilizer, native plants and grasses will have a chance to take hold and combat the invasiveness of brush and nonnative vegetation.
When goats walk through the pasture, they eat all the flower heads. Next, they pick the leaves off one at a time, leaving a bare stock. As soon as the goats graze the weed, it won’t go to seed because it doesn’t have flowers and it can’t photosynthesize to grow roots. Sunlight can now hit the ground because the canopy has been removed. Researchers Hooks and Joseph (2022) state that cutting the stems off of most weeds with a sharp blade will cause the plant to react by making just as many seeds if not more, actually making the plant denser. However, because of the way a goat eats, the plant is stopped. It cannot make any seeds or photosynthesize.
What type of animal do you provide? Our herds consist of Boer goats and Dorper sheep. Foragers like goats and sheep work together. Sheep graze, so they’re great at eating grass and weeds. As for goats, they’re browsers and roughage is their thing. A goat eats at chin level and will strip trees and shrubs of leaves before turning to grass, which they’ll do, but not as consistently as sheep. Basically, goats eat top down – trees, bushes, flowers, and grass. Whereas, sheep do the reverse and eat bottom up – grass, flowers, bushes, and trees.
An important factor with SLO GOATS & SHEEP, is that our animals are experienced grazers. This means that the herd never receives supplemental feeding and they are used to foraging for all of their dietary needs. As a matter of fact, the herd will let us know by their behavior when they are finished with one section and ready to move to the next.
What’s the cost of having SLO GOATS & SHEEP graze my property? Quoting a job takes a lot of factors into account. Terrain, slope, predators – domesticated or wild, access to clean water, shade and covering from rain and wind, are all things we consider and can make a difference in the quoted price. The base rate for flat land with no poison oak, tree covering that provides ample shade, and available water is $650 an acre. Due to slope and terrain, most of our grazing projects fall in the $750 an acre range. The minimum size job is two acres.
Can you handle jobs of any size? Two to twenty acres is our specialty at SLO GOATS & SHEEP.
What’s the grazing time for an acre? Estimating completion time can be challenging. It depends on the density, height, and type of the vegetation, the number of adult grazers, and the season.
What do goats eat? A goat is a browser. If you let a herd of goats loose, they’ll run towards tall leafy plants and eat the flowers first and then strip the plant of leaves. Bay tree leaves are often ignored, while some oak tree leaves are especially popular. Goats eat stuff that people don’t want on their property, like ivy, mustard, nettles, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and thistles, especially yellow starthistle in all phases of its growth cycle – California’s #1 invasive species!
Is there anything goats and sheep won’t eat? One local plant that goats and sheep refuse to consume is telegraph weed (H. grandiflora). According to Green and Newell (1982) this plant is not edible to goats, and it’s one of the few plants left in sparsely-vegetated areas otherwise grazed by feral goats (Oppenheimer, 2010).
Branches and trunks of trees and bushes won’t be eaten by goats or sheep. Flowers and leaves on those branches will be eaten, though. For example, the herd will eat poison oak leaves and young branches, but they don’t eat thick branches or trunks, nor do they kill the plant. (To completely rid your property of poison oak or ivy, the plant’s roots must be dug out.)
Let’s talk about poison oak. Goats and sheep will reluctantly consume poison oak. Think of it as the broccoli on the plate. It’s usually the last to be eaten. One consideration when we bid a job with lots of poison oak is human exposure. While the electric fencing is being installed, our employees are exposed. Furthermore, as the herd and LGDs traverse through the poison oak or ivy, the plant’s toxic oils are transferred to their coats. Consequently, as we interact with the herd and LGDs on a daily basis, we are exposed to poison oak even though we didn’t make contact with the plant.
What’s involved in grazing my property with SLO GOATS & SHEEP? With SLO GOATS & SHEEP, you’ll get experienced goats and sheep, guard dog(s), and solar-powered electric fencing. In addition, a representative from SLO GOATS & SHEEP will visit every day to feed the dogs, fill the water trough, check the fences, and observe the herd’s mental and physical status.
What’s the point of electric fencing? To keep the herd contained and predators at bay, SLO GOATS & SHEEP uses solar-powered electric fencing. Any two-legged or four-legged creature will think twice before going into the fenced area after feeling the (slight) shock. Although some properties are already fenced, SLO GOATS & SHEEP will utilize their own fencing since the herd and dogs know not to climb or touch it. “Respect the fence” is the mantra.
Can I expect to see some babies? You’ll see some newborns if you host the herd during birthing season. Kids and lambs frolicking around is an amazing sight. Kidding and lambing season starts mid-March 2024 and runs through June 2024. Does and ewes usually have one or two kids. Hosting the herd during a birth gives you the opportunity to photograph and name the offspring.
What’s the process for getting started with SLO GOATS & SHEEP? Contact Cindy at 480-309-3933. We will visit your property and provide a quote. Upon approval of the quote and estimated grazing time slot, SLO GOATS & SHEEP will require a one-acre deposit.
When it comes to scheduling, how good are you? The service offered by SLO GOATS & SHEEP relies entirely on animals and their ability to graze. Despite our best efforts, nature and animals can be unpredictable at times.
Do I have the option to cancel at any time? Reservations at SLO GOATS & SHEEP fill up months in advance. Therefore, changing one job can affect several others. You’ll receive a 100% refund if you cancel within 14 days. You’ll receive 50% back if you cancel within 7 days. If SLO GOATS & SHEEP cancels the job, you’ll get a full refund. (We’ve never had this happen. The only thing that could force us to cancel a job is an animal catastrophe.) Note that start and finish times depend on whether the herd can graze their current job and then move onto yours.
What do I need to do to prepare for SLO GOATS & SHEEP? You should check your property for consumable trash like cloth, paper, and plastic. (There’s nothing goats won’t attempt to eat.) The grazing area should be free of sharp objects like glass, bottles, and rusty metal. These items pose a safety risk for us and our animals.
Is it okay to give the herd and dogs treats? Please don’t feed the herd or dogs. If the herd gets too reliant on the treats, grazing will slow down or stop entirely, resulting in death. We need the dogs to focus on the task at hand and not beg for treats. These dogs have a very important job to do and they enjoy it.
What plants are poisonous to goats? Avocado, azalea, lantana, lilacs, lupine, milkweed, oleander, and rhododendron are poisonous to goats.
What plants are poisonous to sheep? Some common garden plants, such as azaleas, chrysanthemums, acorns, buttercups, daffodils, holly, boxwood, Bracken fern, and elderberry are poisonous for sheep to eat.
What other services does SLO GOATS & SHEEP offer? SLO GOATS & SHEEP sells live Boer goats and Dorper sheep of all ages. We also have a weed-whacking and plant trimming/removal component at a cost of $30 per man hour. Many of our clients purchase grazing and additional services, particularly poison oak eradication.