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© 2013 AFPCondo ditches lawnmowers for grass-munching goats
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© 2013 AFP
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Raven Bo
They should have them permanently. Either have one or two, or rotate them around various locations.
Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
Thank God that they're not robot goats!
BertieWooster
What an excellent idea!
I hope it catches on - then I might be able to get some goat milk to make goat cheese!
Todd Judge
A long time ago, in a place far far away (northern Idaho), a friend & neighbor of mine got a goat for the same purpose. That one goat ended up totally decimating everything on his lot. The grass control went well, then when that was gone, the goat moved on to stripping the bark from the trees, killing them, and then the bushes, etc etc etc., all in fairly short order. Of course, as soon as he could find a taker, that billy was off to a new home. It was hilarious to us, and our friend eventually found humor in it all. Hope these goats have a little better dinning etiquette!
asybot12
@ todd, no they do not have any etiquette, if you do not protect the areas you want to keep they will go there I have seen them climb trees to get at leaves and even climb over 6 foot high fences! LOL with these critters they don't stop at anything!
Todd Judge
@ aysbot12, that's funny, and get thIs, my neighbor, Jim, put up various well-thought-out barriers (and, honestly, Jim was a smart man), his goat either ate those or destroyed them! I think the when the logs on his cabin started to get chewed, that was the last straw. Goats are on a mission! Beware of goats. giggle.
Mocheake
If you have a picnic after they finish munching, don't be surprised at what you may sit in. That'll surely get your goat.
davidnorell
Arizona's State Governmenthas done this also. There were several locations that cost too much to do regular cleanings of refuse, and this was the most economical to use. The state has been near broke for the last five years because of the financial crisis.
Baibaikin
Lawn-mowing goats are commonplace in the countryside in Britain, but as some of the other posters have pointed out, they are pretty effective destroyers of anything chewable. It's also important not to p1ss them off because they can be quite aggressive.
darknuts
Now who's gonna clean up the goat poop?
Wolfpack
Nothing against the goats but Billy just doesn't measure up to the lawn perfection possible with a mechanical mower. But the goats do a much better job of returning nutrients to the lawn than a mulching mower. Might be good for anyones lawn if only for a short period of time each year.
cleo
The sound of animals baaing is much more relaxing than the hum of machinery.
And then there's the cheese, an added plus. :-)
smithinjapan
Not only cute, but the sound of goats, or just watching, can be soothing, and the kids have got to love it. I just wonder, are they 'mowing' the grass or would they pull it out by the roots and leave just dirt clumps?
WilliB
That is a great option, and it actually works. I have seen people do this in Europe. The only downside is that you can´t stow the goat away for the winter; you have to take care of it all year round. I suppose a "rent-a-goat" system might work?
Laguna
Misread the comment for a moment - thought it said "Diet ditches lawmakers for grass-munching goats"
Still, this is a good idea, too.
edojin
Saw these grass-gobbling goats in action on TV a while back. They sure looked happy in their rich-green surroundings. I like goats ... but one has to be careful not to show his backside to these mischevious critters. They tend to go charging head-first into the plump target ...
Nessie
Saw this on River Cottage Australia. The guy bought a new farm and cleared a difficult gully using rental goats. The bonus is that the goats' digestion temperature is so high that it sterilizes the weed seeds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e04FWcLxws
BertieWooster
Cleo,
Totally agree about the sound of animals and the cheese, but do goats "baa?"
Don't they chirrup or neigh or something?
cleo
Bertie,
There used to be a couple of goats in a field near wor house, and the sound they made was kinda like, mmbaaah or mmeeeyh. I though baaing was a close approximation....
I think you may be confusing goats with sparrows and horses. :-)
Apparently you can get cheese out of a horse (well, milk) if you very lucky/careful, but spuggies are definitely cheese-challenged.
Laguna,
Now that would work!
Justusleague
A goat would work. A small horse might be generally nicer though, with the exception of the manure clods. I am sure the local kids would take to the horse as goats are not very affectionate.
BertieWooster
cleo-sama,
I'm hoping that isn't a misspelling for "whore house."
The Oxford Dick and Harry has this entry under "bleat:"
bleat
verb - (of a sheep, goat, or calf) make a characteristic wavering cryI think you're right about the spuggies. You'd be hard put to find the teats, let alone get spuggie milk out of them!
But, going back to the topic, I think it's an excellent idea to have goats trim the grass. They get food and a recycling job is done. No gas, electricity, petrol or nuclear fuel is consumed. Everybody is happy!
But I wish I could find goat milk at less than 500 yen a litre!
Ah, the cheese, the cheese, the cheese!
fannybatter
Have been thinking of getting one of these for the wife for a while now. The Brazilians cost a fortune and just think of that cheese.
toshiko
Goat will eat some green to clean up lawn, Now, you have to be busy to collect manure. Maybe some company will invent goat toilet?
Jean Val-Jean
Maybe this condo complex will adopt the theme song, "Your Bleating Heart" made famous by the legendary Hank Wih-ih-ih-liams some years ago.
CoconutE3
Grass mowing & fertilizing at the same time. What a great idea!
cleo
....you can find goat milk??
gelendestrasse
I hear that grass fed goats make for good BBQ as well....
frank07
I like the idea but I was wondering, do they keep the goat on the property when the goat isn't eating? If the goat is being transported there each time that in needs to be used, they should take the carbon emissions into account as well.
BertieWooster
cleo,
Yes there is goat milk. I live in Okinawa. Goat is eaten here and some people drink the milk. But four litres of goat milk would only make a cheese of a hundred grams or so, but would cost 2,000 yen. It works out cheaper to buy a Chevre from Mitsukoshi.
So, I'd like to encourage keeping goats to cut the grass. The more goats, the more chance to get cheap goat juice!
WilliB
frank07:
Lawnmowers have to be transported too, so that is a wash. However, I am wondering what to do with the goat in winter. Putting it in storage does not work all that well.
BertieWooster
WilliB,
No need to worry about goats in winter. They don't catch cold and are really hardy animals that eat just about anything.
Really!
Anything!