Goodness! I had no idea how efficient two medium-size goats can be when it comes to mowing down blackberry bushes. They've taken care of everything in their new pen--ages ago. Now I have the rear fence open into the neighbors' (plural) blackberry patches next door--which opens out into a huge field of "more of the same"--and they are going through that like Grant took Richmond. It is truly amazing to behold! They waddle back in at night looking almost as wide as they are long. Overnight they shrink back to pretty much normal-goat size (okay, still a little chunky) but by morning they're standing at the rear fence, ready to go at it again!!! Before, the blackberry vines encroached on our yard all along two sides (one at least 100 feet across, the other at least 60 feet across); now the blackberry "forests" are at least 20 feet back, and they are totally absent on the 60 foot side. Sure am glad I didn't get more goats!!! We may get a pygmy goat or two later, for the wee ones to play with and walk on leashes, but they won't eat so much that we'll need more pasture, that's for sure!
In a few years, when the blackberry bushes stop growing altogether as a result of the goat's "predations", I will probably rent them out locally at $75/day. I'll have lots of takers! Most goat rental places charge $300/day for a small herd of goats. I can't afford to sit with them all day when they're rented out, but we have movable fence panels we can use to cage them in where they're needed. That'll work...
I'll take some more photos of the girls at work soon so you can see what they've done. I think you'll be amazed. They're locusts on hoofs!
No comments:
Post a Comment