Did you know that there is a more natural and eco-friendlier way to clear your land and mow your lawn? If you don’t own a lawn mower and want an environmentally responsible way to keep your land looking immaculate, then the best option for you is to rent goats! Yes! Goats are excellent lawn movers, and renting goats to clear land is fast becoming popular. So how much does it cost to rent goats to clear land?
Goatscaping is a weed management practice that has many benefits traditional landscaping methods don’t. The practice was commercially introduced by goat grazers Ken Zamzil and Nancy Brotman in 2007.
How much does it cost to rent goats to clear land?
How much does it cost to rent goats to clear land? The price of renting goats to clear land depends on the size of your land and how much clearing there is to do. If your land is taken over by chaos, with overgrown weeds and plants that have been growing uncontrolled for years, then it’s probably going to cost you more, as the goats have a lot of work to do. But if all there is to do is a bit of weeding and clearing debris, the cost would be less.
The more work there is to do, the longer it will take the goats to clear the area and the more goats that are needed. But let me warn you, your goat laborers will not work as fast as lawnmowers or machine cutters. One acre of overgrown land will take 8-12 goats for at least a month.
Another big factor that would affect your cost is the size of the goats you rent. Larger goats will be able to clear faster than smaller-sized ones. Hence, it may cost you about $400-$800 to rent goats to clear an acre, and this amount is dependent on the above variables.
If your land is uneven and hilly, with a lot of overgrowths, you can expect to pay as much as $800, but an acre of land with reasonable growth will cost you a minimum of $400. It can’t get cheaper than that.
Renting goats for landscaping, a basic law, would cost you about $50 to $100 per hour. But sometimes, a professional landscaper will cost the same and may be much better at the job than goats. After all, goats may go around eating your vegetables or prized flower plants.
Goatscaping would cost $8 rental per day, per goat. Goats eat 140 square feet per day, per goat.
Are goats effective in clearing land?
Yes. Goats are extremely good at eating weeds and foraging. They are natural ruminants, be it useful vegetation or otherwise, they will eat most types of plants. An overgrown yard is an endless source of joy to them. Companies that rent out goats for clearing land have highly efficient animals that are specifically trained for this job.
But before you think of hiring goats, you may have to think if the cost is worthwhile. If your land is small and easy to access, you may not need goats, and other options may be cheaper, like a lawnmower or a human worker. Goats are generally hired for big, tough jobs on rough, hilly terrain. Goats are good at climbing and clearing land in areas that are difficult to access by people or machinery.
Lawns that are best for goats are ones that have lots of weeds, tall grass and several invasive species. If your grass is growing fast with plenty of sunlight and moisture, then goats are a good choice. But if they are slow-growing, you wouldn’t want goats to chew down the grass to their roots.
Another fact to keep in mind before choosing to hire goats is that they don’t really like grass. They would eat it if they had nothing else, but they would prefer other types of vegetation like poison ivy, poison oak, weeds, and invasive plants like kudzu, leafy spurge and milk thistle.
In addition, goats would pull down tree branches, rip up shrubs and dismantle saplings. If you are looking for a precise and neat job, then goats may not be the ideal choice for you.
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Advantages of using goats as lawnmowers
Employing a team of goats to mow your lawn comes with many benefits compared to using machinery and chemicals. Gas lawnmowers burn fossil fuels and spew hazardous emissions like carbon monoxide. They also release volatile organic compounds that cause respiratory issues and cardiovascular problems. Goats don’t smell pleasant, but they are much less noisy than lawnmowers and definitely more environmentally friendly.
Goats like many types of weeds, and this would save you from having to use chemical herbicides or pesticides for weeding. Another advantage is the goat manure that will fertilize your garden as they work. In addition, goats are agile and can access uneven terrain easily, so they wouldn’t charge you more for a bad landscape as humans would. Their sharp hooves aerate and churn the soil, making it easier for water and nutrients to penetrate roots.
In conclusion-how much does it cost to rent goats to clear land?
Goatscaping or renting goats to clear your land is an ideal choice for you, especially if your land is in rough terrain or uneven. They are also a perfect eco-friendly option for lawnmowers. But, they may not be best in some situations like small lawns or if you are expecting a neat and immaculate job. Renting goats is also not the best if you have vegetation or flower plants that you want to protect, as goats will eat almost anything.
Goats are not the only livestock that graze. Learn more about cattle farming and how they affect the environment.
