If you want to reduce fire fuel loads, eliminate unwanted vegetation, and improve soil quality, hiring a team from SLO GOATS & SHEEP is forward-thinking. 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 daily (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 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? Their objective is to reduce fire fuel loads and ladder fuels. 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 manage fire fuels, once-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 non-native 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 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, the plant is stopped because of how a goat eats. It cannot make any seeds or photosynthesize.
What type of animal do you provide? Our team consists 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. Goats eat top-down – trees, bushes, flowers, and grass. Meanwhile, sheep do the reverse and eat bottom-up – grass, flowers, bushes, and trees.
An important factor with SLO GOATS & SHEEP is that the team will let us know by their behavior when they finish one section and are ready to move on to the next.
Why do we refer to our animals as teams? Our herds, flocks, and dogs are as important team members as the humans who spend over 20 hours per project transporting precious four-legged cargo and erecting fences in adverse conditions. The business is built on teamwork and the mission to effectively change the property owner’s land, from the representative who conducted the initial site visit to the grazers who will happily eat the driest of grass to the person who monitors the animals’ mental and physical health every day.
What’s the cost of having SLO GOATS & SHEEP graze my property? Quoting a project takes a lot of factors into account. Terrain, slope, predators – domesticated or wild, access to clean water, shade, and cover 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 $750 an acre. Due to slope and terrain, most grazing projects fall in the $850 an acre range. The minimum project requirement is two contiguous acres, which ensures the grazers have enough space to do their job effectively. There are quantity discounts available for more acreage. In other words, someone with only two to four acres will pay more per acre than someone with 5, 10, or 20 acres. SLO GOATS & SHEEP does not charge a delivery or setup fee, unlike other grazing providers.
Can you handle projects of any size? Our specialty is SLO GOATS & SHEEP is two to twenty acres. If you have less than two acres or more than twenty acres, we can recommend one of our valued grazing partners.
What’s the grazing time for an acre? Estimating completion time can be challenging. It depends on the density, height, vegetation type, number of adult grazers, and season. For example, an acre with 100 animals will be grazed in a day or two in July. The same acreage in May may take an entire week or two. It depends on how green and thick the vegetation is and how many animals we place on the property.
What do goats eat? A goat is a browser with a distinct preference for tall, leafy plants. If you let a herd of goats loose, they’ll run towards these plants, 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. Research shows that telegraph weed is not consumed even by the hungriest wild goats (Oppenheimer, 2010).
Goats or sheep won’t eat branches and trunks of trees and bushes. Flowers and leaves on those branches will be eaten, though. For example, the grazers will sparsely eat poison oak leaves and young branches, but they don’t eat thick branches or trunks or 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 or ignored entirely. The real value of having large goats and sheep graze areas where poison oak exists is the animals’ size. The plants and surrounding areas will be trampled, making the poison oak more manageable for the property owner to address.
One consideration when we quote a project with lots of poison oak is human exposure. While the electric fencing is being installed, our employees are exposed. Furthermore, as the team traverses the poison oak or ivy, the plant’s toxic oils are transferred to their coats. Consequently, as we interact with the team daily, we are exposed to the toxins even though we didn’t contact 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 daily to feed the dog(s), fill the water trough, check the fences, and observe the team’s mental and physical status.
What’s the point of electric fencing? SLO GOATS & SHEEP uses solar-powered electric fencing to keep the grazers contained and predators at bay. After feeling the (slight) shock, any two-legged or four-legged creature will think twice before entering the fenced area. Although some properties are already fenced, SLO GOATS & SHEEP will utilize their fencing since the team knows 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 team during birthing season. Kids and lambs frolicking around is an amazing sight. Kidding and lambing season starts mid-January 2025 and runs through April 2025. Does and ewes usually have one or two kids. Hosting the team during birth allows you 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 for the project. Upon approval of the quote and estimated grazing time slot, SLO GOATS & SHEEP will require a one-acre deposit. So that you know, projects are NOT scheduled until a deposit is in hand.
How good are you at scheduling? SLO GOATS & SHEEP’s service relies entirely on ruminants and their ability to graze. Despite our best efforts, nature and livestock can be unpredictable at times.
Do I have the option to cancel at any time? Reservations at SLO GOATS & SHEEP are filled out months in advance. Therefore, changing one project can affect several others. You’ll receive a 100% refund if you cancel within 21 days. You’ll receive 50% back if you cancel within 14 days. We understand that circumstances can change and aim to accommodate our customers as best we can. If SLO GOATS & SHEEP cancels the project, you’ll get a full refund. (We’ve never had this happen. The only thing that could force us to cancel is an animal catastrophe.) Note that start and finish times depend on whether the team can leave their current project and move on to yours.
What do I need to do to prepare for SLO GOATS & SHEEP? You should check your property for consumable trash like cloth, paper, plastic, and rope. (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, and it’s important to remember that they rely on us for their well-being.
Is it okay to give the team treats? Please don’t feed the grazers or dogs. If the grazers become too reliant on the treats, grazing will slow down or stop entirely, resulting in death. We need the dogs to focus on the task and not beg for treats. These dogs have a very important role, and they enjoy it. Our team consists of revered working animals, and everyone has a job within the project.
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, from orphaned babies to retired pasture pets and everything in between.
Delfino Ordaz, proprietor of SLO GOATS & SHEEP, also owns Central Coast Ranch Services. This business offers brush clean-up, poison oak reduction or removal, tree trimming, and weed whacking. Many clients purchase grazing and additional services, particularly in fulfilling the annual weed abatement requirements.
How does SLO GOATS & SHEEP give back to the community? Whether it’s free presentations on grazing’s environmental benefits and hands-on learning sessions with school children or giving away fresh compost, SLO GOATS & SHEEP is continually thinking of ways to give back. Feel free to contact us if you have an idea.