Some jobs are a perfect match for goats, but some aren't.
If you have flat, cleared/accessible ground with grass and small weeds - choose a slasher.
If you have thicker weeds/vegetation on flat ground, accessible to machinery, and you're not concerned about the soil or seed spread - choose a mulcher.
If you have no access for machinery, and you're not concerned about the soil, you're not near any waterways/wetlands, you don't need to run livestock in the area, and you can get people in there - you may want to spray herbicides. But keepy in mind you'll then need to clear out the dead vegetation, and like all options, tackle regrowth.
If you have any of these concerns, goats might be for you:
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What it does. Cuts the top off. Fast, cheap on accessible ground, and probably the right call for grass and for keeping a place presentable.
What it doesn’t do. Kill woody weeds. Lantana, blackberry and privet all reshoot from the crown or stump, so slashing contains an infestation rather than removing it.
The catches. The machine has to be able to get there safely, which rules out a lot of the ground weeds actually occupy. It can carry seed and cuttings from one part of a property to another. On wet ground it compacts and ruts.
What it does. Kills the plant, properly, but you have to be able to get in there.
What it leaves. Dead standing growth and bare soil. Dead woody material is fuel, and bare soil is an ideal seedbed for the next set of weeds to sprout - often the same problem weed.
The catches. It can take the native species out along with the weeds. You have to be extremely careful about wind, and ensuring you aren't near a waterway. You'll need a licence for some products. A withholding period before stock or kids are back on it. And repeated use of the same chemistry builds resistance over time.
What they do.Browse woody growth from the ground to about two metres, repeatedly. Each time a plant pushes new growth and loses it, it spends reserves it can’t easily replace - which is what actually wears a woody weed down.
Where they win.Steep, rocky or uneven ground. Creek lines, dams and lake frontage where you don’t want chemicals. Around houses, kids and pets, with no withholding period afterwards. Regenerating bush where you want the natives left standing. Fire breaks a mulcher can’t reach.
The catches.Slower - days and weeks, not hours. They need water on site, fencing, and access for welfare checks every one to three days. They won’t touch some weeds at all. They can’t kill anything taller than they can reach (although they can sometimes climb trees?). And like every other method, they require follow up to take care of regrowth.
Flat, open, accessible pasture with a grass problem - hire a slasher. A block where the main weed is something goats won’t eat - madeira vine, cat’s claw creeper, prickly pear. And, if you need it done today.
That totally depends on your property, and your goals. If you've got open, accessible pasture with just grass, then a slasher will be much cheaper and faster. If you've got thick weeds, inaccessible ground, or senstive areas you need protected like waterways, then goats might not only be your cheapest option, but also your best/only.
When the ground won't take a machine safely, when the weed is woody rather than grassy, when you want the natives underneath left alone, or when you'd rather not have a blade throwing sparks into dry fuel.
No. Slashing takes the top off, and woody weeds like lantana, blackberry and privet reshoot from the crown or the stump. It contains an infestation and keeps it tidy, but it doesn't get rid of it, and the plant is usually back inside a season.
A stand of dead standing plant material and bare soil underneath. That's fine sometimes and a problem other times - dead woody growth is fuel, and bare soil is a perfect seedbed for whatever germinates next, often the same weed from the existing seed bank. There's also the withholding period, the buffer you need near water, and the still day you have to wait for.
You absolutely can, but it ultimately depends on your goals around soil health, withholding periods, and the specific weeds you're dealing with. Just make sure to get the goats in first, not second.
Yes, absolutely. A machines time will be measured in hours or days, while the goats will take days or weeks. However, even though they take longer, they an often work out cheaper per acre, while being better for the environment and soil health.
Send through where you are and what you’re dealing with. We’ll walk the ground with you for nothing and tell you which of the three we’d use - including when the answer isn’t us.
No obligation, no deposit.