Hiring a goat-powered lawn care service or adopting a goat to take care of some of your lawn care needs may seem like an attractive option for the environmentally conscious or the budding backyard homesteader. However, while goats can be useful in many ways, landscaping included, they do have quite a few caveats and drawbacks.
Can Goats Really Be Used to Mow the Lawn (The Short Answer)
Yes, goats can be used to mow a lawn, especially if your lawn is made up of established turf or if it has a lot of small weeds. However, unless you have your own herd of goats and your lawn is entirely fenced, goats as a lawn mowing service can be inconsistent.
The Pros of Using Goats to Mow the Grass
Using a goat lawn mower can be tricky but it can also lead to impressive results if you follow the right set of guidelines. Below are a few ways in which goats can mow your lawn better than you may have thought.
Goats Eat Everything
Goats are not picky eaters. There’s a good reason why the stereotype about them eating tires exists. Goats will eat everything including overgrown, spike-covered raspberry canes and young nettles. They seem to especially like thistles and there won’t be a dandelion left anywhere that the goats can reach.
Goats Target Young, Tender Weeds First
While goats will generally feed on the grass in between the weeds and brush, they won’t always go for the grass first. Goats seem to prefer chowing down on young, tender weeds and other nutrient-dense plants before they go for the grass.
If you have a problem with keeping your lawn weed-free, this can be a huge benefit. This is especially helpful if you live in an area where fast-growing, vine-type weeds can take over your lawn in as little as a weekend.
Goats Provide Aeration
Goat hooves are split or “cloven”. This means they are two parts that can dig into the soil and provide better traction for the animal. As a side benefit, these cloven hooves are great at aerating and smoothing out the bumps in your lawn without causing too much crushing or trampling.
Using Goats for Lawn Care Results in Less Thatch
Goats eat the grass that they mow and the weeds that they uproot. This results in no grass clippings to take care of in the long term.
Goats are Low Maintenance When Grazing
Typical mechanical lawnmowers need all kinds of maintenance. You need to power them up with gasoline or charge the battery. You need to change the air filter and the oil. You need to sharpen their blades at least once a year.
Goats don’t need any of that. Sure, you need to stake them out and provide them with a little water and supervision but overall, as long as they’re grazing, you typically won’t need to supplement their food intake. And if they’re someone else’s goats, this means no additional maintenance for you whatsoever.
Goats are Entertaining to Watch
Using goats provided by a lawn care service to provide some goat lawn care a few times a year can be a fun way to spend an afternoon, especially if you have children. Goats can be entertaining to watch and you may be surprised at how quickly they can mow down the weeds and brambles in a small space.
Goats Fertilize Your Lawn as They “Mow”
As the goats mow your lawn they will need to go to the bathroom occasionally. These droppings can provide nutrients for your lawn and, unlike pig or cow manure, cause no damage when applied fresh as long as the goat is well hydrated.
The Cons of Using Goats for Lawn Care
While goats can provide a host of benefits in several different lawn care scenarios, buying or renting a goat lawn mower isn’t for everyone.
Goats Do Not “Mow” a Lawn Evenly
A typical mechanical lawnmower will, if adjusted in the right way, cut your lawn to one even height and you can even choose that height. Goats don’t care what the ideal height for your lawn is. They will eat your grass to a height of about 1” in most places while leaving it higher in others.
Goats may eat weeds off right at the ground or pull them up entirely. They may thin out weak spots or dig at mud puddles. They will prioritize anything that seems more appetizing than the grass, too. This can even include the leaves and bark on your trees if the goat can reach them.
Goats Can Escape
While goats don’t tend to run off or wander far, they can do especially if they have a loose collar and are spooked. If you live near a road or are inexperienced with herd management, goats may not be the best lawn care solution for you.
Goats Prefer New Grass and Weeds to Old Grass and Weeds
Though goats will eat just about everything, they do have priorities. New grass and weeds will be nibbled on before tougher plants. This is because young plants are easier to eat, are more nutritious, and usually have a higher moisture content.
You Need Many Goats to Mow a Lawn
A single goat will not mow your lawn very well and may spend some of its time looking for companionship. Goats, though not as clingy as sheep, are still herd animals and are much happier and calmer when hanging out in a herd.
Goats Will Eat Your Landscaping
As mentioned above, goats will eat just about anything and will prioritize certain plants over others. If you have flowers, bulbs, and other more tender and appealing plants as part of your landscaping, keep in mind that goats will often seek these out and attempt to devour them first, ignoring your lawn completely.
Double-check the lead length on the goats to keep them away or put up a barrier that the goats cannot climb or stick their head through to protect these vulnerable plants. This includes buried bulbs as goats may dig them up with their hooves and eat them.
How to Determine if Goat Lawn Mowing is Right for Your Situation
Using goats to mow your lawn or for lawn maintenance isn’t usually the ideal choice unless you’re looking to start raising or keeping a herd of goats, or you need to clear an area before you sow a new lawn.
Keeping a Herd of Goats
If you are keeping a few goats for meat, dairy, or other reasons, allowing them to graze on and tidy up your lawn isn’t a bad idea. If this is the case, it’s likely you already know or are quickly learning how to manage your new herd. If this sounds like your situation, using goats to mow your lawn could be a nice side benefit.
Clearing an Area with Goats
Where goats shine in lawn care is when they are used to clear an area of brush, weeds, and other plants before that area is tilled, raked, and planted. If you have a wooded area to clean up, for example, and want to plant a shade-tolerant grass variety instead of the thick nettles and brambles there now, goats can do a lot of good.
Novelty and Naturalization
Last, it can be fun to bring in some goats through a local goat lawn care program for the novelty of it. This is a good way to clean up a naturalized lawn at the end of the season, for example, or as a demonstration for children. Watching goats graze can be relaxing, too.
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