have you heard of a new trend?

[Arkteia]

On my local Craigslist, one of residents was looking for a goat. Wanted to buy a goat who would it his bushes (some shrubs, I presume). The post was in a half-joking style, "I guarantee good diet for the goat". so I thought it was a hoax, but no, another guy who was into "green" life, told me it was the current trend. To use goats to mow lawns instead of gas-powered lawn mowers, etc. Have you heard of it? Is it happening everywhere, or is our state ahead in ecology, as it often happens?

I am only thinking, how does one make a goat eat what you want to eat and not what he wants to eat? Your lawn instead of your roses, for example?

 

[ForteKitty]

I heard of this a long time ago, it was called goat sharing and communities that have a lot of shubberies would "employ" a goat for lawn mowing purposes. I dont think you can tell it not to eat your rose bushes tho!

 

[Lulie]

Several states have been using goats to maintain freeways and observatories for years... their pellets are left on the ground as a fertilizer. Time to time we hear one getting loose onto the freeway causing shut downs for an hour..
They are very popular, much cheaper and many times better looking than maual laborers @$10 per day

 

[JewelFreak]

I've read a few articles about it, seems to be popular a lot of places. Especially for clearing out overgrown lots & the goats have a good time too!

--- Laurie

 

[Circe]

I live in the city, so no goat for me, but ... that sounds awesome. I love goats, with their odd eyes and their omnivorous natures ....

ETA: See also, this op-ed written from the perspective of a goat, with which I happen to heavily identify .... http://www.theonion.com/articles/hey-you-got-something-to-eat,11163/

 

[missy]

LOL I never heard of this but I cannot imagine by neighbors would be warmly receiving the idea if I were to get a goat to mow our lawn! I would love to though. I love goats! I wish I could have a whole slew of animals

 

[VRBeauty]

There are people who rent herds of goats for that purpose - I guess the owner's goat herding services are part of the package! Apparently sheep and goats are the best option for controlling some noxious weeds, like yellow starthistle...

http://cesacramento.ucdavis.edu/?blogpost=5385&blogasset=8104

 

[galeteia]

I remember seeing an article or video about a family who rented some goats for 2k less than what it would have cost them to hire people to clear out a shrubbery/weed/SMALL TREES/scrub infested area that they were planning on doing something to like make a garden/put a wall/etc.

They penned the goats in the area for a week, and those little eating machines cleared it down to the DIRT. Small trees? No problem. Large, stubborn, overgrown bushes? Mowed 'em down like nothing. Grass and weeds carpeting the floor? No trace left. It was insane!

Apparently, they're highly efficient and of course excellent for the environment as they leave no carbon footprint, only natural fertilizer. Go goats!