Nigerian Dwarf Goats are excellent not only for weed abatement but also tree trimming. Goats eat pretty much everything but being picky eaters they eat the yummy stuff first! With these tips you should have weed free areas just like you imagine and happy goats!
Containment Areas
Nigeria Dwarf Goats are browsers, meaning that they eat a little here and there and just like children they will eat the tastiest stuff first. So the secret to good weed abatement is containment. Create zones using a temporary electric fencing or a portable pen for each area that you want cleaned up. For very low cost you can use T-bars, temporary electric fence wire and an electric fence charger used for 5-miles or less (the type used for dogs works just as well).
Inside this enclosure the goats will be content spending all day munching away on grass, weeds, star thistles, and even poison ivy. Wherever you enclose them, always make sure that your goats have easy access to plenty of water and a bit of shade.
Goats are great Tree Trimmers!
Nigerian Dwarf Goats are the perfect size for trimming the bottoms of your trees. In our back area all our trees are perfectly trimmed at 4-feet!
Poisonous Plants
Be careful not to give your goats easy access to poisonous plants. They have robust digestive systems and are very tolerant of the occasional unhealthy plant – like a tomato plant. But bad things can happen if they were allowed access to a hill full of nightshade or azaleas. Make sure you do some quick research on the types of plants your property has to ensure they are not poisonous to your goats. Some examples of poisonous plants include azaleas, China berries, sumac, dog fennel, bracken fern, curly dock, eastern baccharis, honeysuckle, nightshade, pokeweed, red root pigweed, black cherry, Virginia creeper, and crotalaria.