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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Jun 24, 2015 19:13:30 GMT -5
Farmington Hills might hopefully become a leader in weed eradication with its rescue and retention of Pilot, a weed loving goat, who is going to help eradicate weeds at a specific location.
www.farmingtonvoice.com/farmington-hills-puts-abandoned-goat-to-work-151804
At least some cities are thinking creatively and not rushing to get out cans of toxic sprays.
I foresee a demand for other goats, especially those who have been rescued from abusive situations....I'm hoping that this is a very successful experiment and other cities follow Farmington Hills' lead, although FH has generally been a bit ahead of some of the other cities in its management and provision of service to the community. Perhaps it's the new leader in SE Michigan.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 24, 2015 19:24:14 GMT -5
I have heard about goats as "weed eaters". Apparently they eat ANYTHING!
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jun 24, 2015 20:05:51 GMT -5
That's wonderful....eco-friendly!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 24, 2015 21:03:11 GMT -5
If only I could train one to eat in between my tomatoes.
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Post by desertwoman on Jun 24, 2015 21:50:08 GMT -5
I love hearing about communities that do conscientious things.
It seems goats will rummage anything. Their taste isn't very discriminating. You might actually be able to train them pepperhead. Tomatoes might just be too good for their taste
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Post by Latitude33 on Jun 24, 2015 22:30:39 GMT -5
Thank you for the link. A local youth camp near here, (Brea, CA), has had an agreement with a goat herder for fire abatement. Great situation, the camp doesn't pay for wildfire weed control, the goat herder doesn't pay to graze his herd, and the kids get to learn about the goats and the eco friendly control method.
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Post by claude on Jun 25, 2015 5:11:00 GMT -5
My girlfriend had a horse, chickens, and a goat named "billy"...he was an escape artist..although well fed..he would eat children's shoes if they were forgotten in the yard, aluminum cans, and the shed roof. He would stand up on the roof and eat the shingles. He did keep the weeds down as far as the electric fence would allow. He was smart enough to dig under the e fence to escape being zapped. He was smart and friendly. Using goats is a great way to clean up areas but you have to have a goat herder that knows what they are doing.
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Post by OregonRed on Jun 25, 2015 9:08:46 GMT -5
lol claude
(my nutritionist training wonders why they eat anything - question in head: are they missing something in their diet?--- or is it they're a bit like a Labrador reteiver pet dog, they just like to chew)
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 25, 2015 11:20:57 GMT -5
When my husband was a young man he had a goat named Chili and they gave him a dog house which he promptly ate, starting with the shingles.
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Post by binnylou on Jun 25, 2015 11:49:46 GMT -5
Is this an opportunity for a new business?
Binny's Rent-A -Goat
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Post by claude on Jun 25, 2015 15:21:22 GMT -5
Well Binny...I'm loving the name! Lol Idk, Red..the only goats that I've known could have a full belly and like BX. says eat their own house.
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Post by binnylou on Jun 25, 2015 16:22:49 GMT -5
says eat their own house. Our nanny goat, Rachel, came with her own house. It was like a tall slender doghouse (figures . She mostly stood on top of it. When she wasn't eating something.
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Post by gulfcoastguy on Jun 25, 2015 22:19:22 GMT -5
And if rustlers steal the goats would they "have gotten your goat?" My nephew's 4 year old has a billy and a nanny kid to go along with their 5 dogs(mastiff, german shepherd, border collie, and havanese) and horse. Good thing that he works at a Petsmart.
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Post by oliverman on Jun 25, 2015 22:21:34 GMT -5
My sister has a few goats that I find useful to keep the weeds under control around my spare parts repository. I am working on fencing a few other areas of the farmyard to reduce the amount of mowing I do at mom's place.
Contrary to popular belief, goats do have discriminating tastes. Their preferences are in order are; leaves on trees, giant ragweed, stinging nettle, burdock, canada thistle flower buds, with grass and clover coming in toward the end. There is a weed that they refuse to eat. I think it is called common mallow.
I have a retired friend who once took a group of goats to a vacant fenced lot in the inner city one summer. He was friends with a man who lived adjacent to the lot, who made sure that the goats had fresh water. After the goats ate down the untamed jungle of weeds, he came and took his goats back home. He said he had to bring the goats and pick them up at night, since he did not have a clue who owned the lot. Not sure I approve of his methods, but he said that his friend and other folks in the neighborhood liked how much better the lot looked.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 26, 2015 7:48:17 GMT -5
Not sure I approve of his methods If the owner didn't care about the overgrowth of weeds, then I figure that he probably wouldn't care about goats being there either!
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