What small farm animal can I get that will "mow" my lawn for me?

[Alexandra]

I am interested in a goat but seem to remember that sheep are better "lawnmowers". What smallish animal(s) could I get that are not a ton of trouble. I plan on investing on some sort of enclosure btw.

Thanks!

[JEJE]

I can't wait to see the responses to this question! We recently bought 5 acres, and are planning on getting some goats. But I am open to suggestions :)

[Audrey]

Sheep are better for that kind of grazing, but I would caution anyone thinking they are going to get sheep for lawn maintenance. That's not a good reason to take on an animal. There is no such thing as livestock that isn't "trouble" to keep. Sheep are neither cheaper, nor less work than a lawnmower.

[RoughCollie]

I can't wait to see the responses to this question! We recently bought 5 acres, and are planning on getting some goats. But I am open to suggestions :)

 

I looked into that. The farmers around here told me that goats will pull the grass up by the roots.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I've been told (but have no first hand experience) that alpacas do a great job. And so do llamas, and on top of that llamas will use a sort of litter box. (ok it's much bigger than a litter box, but at least their excrements are not all over the place). Both will also give you wool to card and sell. (or knit yourself)

[DarlaS]

I looked into that. The farmers around here told me that goats will pull the grass up by the roots.

 

:iagree:

 

Flowers too. :glare:

 

They also LOVE to climb and play "king of the hill", so be sure your car is put away. :D

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

If you find one that does windows too, let me know. :D

[justamouse]

:iagree:

 

Flowers too. :glare:

 

They also LOVE to climb and play "king of the hill", so be sure your car is put away. :D

 

I'm betting you have first hand experience and that is a story I would love to hear!

[mcconnellboys]

But I thought sheep would eat the grass down into the quick and cause it to die???? Not true?

[JEJE]

I've been told (but have no first hand experience) that alpacas do a great job. And so do llamas, and on top of that llamas will use a sort of litter box. (ok it's much bigger than a litter box, but at least their excrements are not all over the place). Both will also give you wool to card and sell. (or knit yourself)

 

Dh is a vet and has some clients with alpacas. I wonder, how much land do these animals (sheep, goats, alpacas) need for grazing? We also have three dogs, and plan on adding chickens and a horse eventually.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I am interested in a goat but seem to remember that sheep are better "lawnmowers". What smallish animal(s) could I get that are not a ton of trouble. I plan on investing on some sort of enclosure btw.

Thanks!

 

Goats are good, but you have to have higher fences than dogs; think 6' chain link. They ate through our wood fence and kept escaping. They also leave "raisins" everywhere. If you have a lawn with only grass and nothing else planted, they are great; but if you have anything you don't want them touch, they will.

[Slartibartfast]

:iagree:

 

Flowers too. :glare:

 

They also LOVE to climb and play "king of the hill", so be sure your car is put away. :D

 

 

:lol:

[DarlaS]

I'm betting you have first hand experience and that is a story I would love to hear!

 

I raised dairy goats for a number of years as a teen. I had odd hobbies even then. :D

 

No matter how good your fence is, there is always that one escape artist (and a noisy one, a stubborn one, a bossy one, a ditzy one...). Fortunately, my experience with the climbing one did not involve my car. They can get into the strangest places though...

[mom4him]

No experience here but a really fun thread.

[hillfarm]

I have had sheep, goats, llamas, and been around alpacas.

 

While all will do a fairly good job of eating grass, each species has "weeds" that they will eat and some they won't. For lawn "mowing", it would be better to mix species to get the most even coverage. However, all of these are herd/flock animals so you would need to have at least two of them together and most would prefer two of the same species.

 

However, goats and sheep are bad about fences. All of the above will devour ornamental plantings, seemingly in direct proportion to how much the plant material cost or was beloved by the owner. Llamas don't so much use litter boxes as have communal dung piles where they take care of business. Which can turn into a big stinky mess. All will chew on wood, trees, or other things they shouldn't.

 

Goats and sheep would probably be the cheapest to purchase. However, llamas are quite affordable these days (many under $300) and the price of gelded male alpacas is about the same. Don't forget to factor in the cost of medical care, grooming, feed, etc.

 

Regarding fiber, not all sheep need sheared. Our Soay shed their wool when the weather gets hot and several of the meat breeds of sheep don't really even have wool--they have more of a short hair coat, much like a cow. The spinners market for llama and alpaca fiber is pretty well saturated and most small-time owners are having trouble finding a buyer for their fleeces. And even if you can find a buyer, the cost of having the animal professionally sheared is often more than you can get from the fleece.

 

Honestly, unless your property is extremely steep, it would probably be a whole lot easier to mow it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. Animals cost a lot in terms of upkeep, attention, containment, etc. You can just leave a mower in the garage, pay it no mind, and feed it nothing for weeks on end when you don't need to use it. The animal will need daily care whether the grass needs mowed or not.

[Melissa in Australia]

I am interested in a goat but seem to remember that sheep are better "lawnmowers". What smallish animal(s) could I get that are not a ton of trouble. I plan on investing on some sort of enclosure btw.

Thanks!

geese. they mow very evenly and they fertilize at the same time:lol:

[Anne Rittenhouse]

I am interested in a goat but seem to remember that sheep are better "lawnmowers". What smallish animal(s) could I get that are not a ton of trouble. I plan on investing on some sort of enclosure btw.

Thanks!

 

Seriously, a 12-14 year old human either male or female will work best. If you don't have one homegrown, then they are available for hiring, which might work best of all as you don't have to feed, clothe, or house them. (said with as much kindness, silliness and a little bit of snark as possible.)

 

OT there are at least a dozen thread titles that are begging for a good list of silly snarky responses....anyone want to have a go?

[DarlaS]

geese. they mow very evenly and they fertilize at the same time:lol:

 

And they are fabulous for security reasons! :D

 

Not like I've ever been chased by a goose or anything...:leaving:

[Alexandra]

that part of my yard has poison ivy. My understanding is that some farm animals like goats (?) will eat PI.

Otherwise the suggestions of getting a (human) kid to do the work would be fine. I just want the PI gone!

Also...as far as containing the critters(I guess I am leaning towards goats) my Feed Store sells an enclosure that has a roof on it. So it is like a little chain link cube sort of. Surely that would hold goats...?

Thanks for all the help on this!

Alexandra

[NCMom]

:iagree:

 

Flowers too. :glare:

 

They also LOVE to climb and play "king of the hill", so be sure your car is put away. :D

 

And for crying out loud, don't leave the free standing ladder out; it's way too enticing.

 

;)

 

I agree w/other posters, ALL livestock are a lot of work. We just spent 2 days working on fencing and moving everyone around.

 

Then I spent an hour on Wednesday following a little goatling through the forest trying to get her to go back in the fence. ~I~ did not secure the gate, so she opened it. (Hey, I have a cold!)

 

Of course when the goatling's owner came out, she bounded happily over to her and allowed herself to be led into the fence. Same day we had a Boer in the garden (me again) :blush: and a chicken in the woods (smarter than average chicken). Sigh....

 

I will say though, we are using the goats for clearing purposes and that is working well. Any tree, shrub or bit of plant matter in the enclosure is fair game though!

 

hth,

Georgia

[mommaduck]

Fainting goats ;) But they won't keep it down by themselves unless you have enough of them. Mix them up...sheep, goats...

[Guest Cindie2dds]

geese. they mow very evenly and they fertilize at the same time:lol:

 

Oh, no! We have been chased by attack geese, and they are perfect height to leave a huge bruise on your rear. I wish I had a video of when my husband and I were practically cornered by a flock. Maybe if they are tame, but be very careful with them.

[Orthodox6]

I am interested in a goat but seem to remember that sheep are better "lawnmowers". What smallish animal(s) could I get that are not a ton of trouble. I plan on investing on some sort of enclosure btw.

Thanks!

 

If you live within city limits, check first on local ordinances. My friend recently had to move her miniature milk goats out of town because the city investigated and explained that, for every goat kept at the home, a specified square footage of ground per animal was required, as well as a specified square footage size of covered "housing" per animal.

[stripe]

A capybara?

[sixglides]

We have breedings ewes, lambs, llamas (male/female/gelded) and a pregnant alpaca & a gelded alpaca right now. Too many critters, quite frankly...and it all started out with 1 4H market lamb!!!

The llamas were 'give away.' The original guard llama, did in fact, guard the sheep. We watched him stand off coyotes. The kids show the llamas at the fair, lots of entertainment value.

One year, we had 2 bottle fed lambs (mother died in after birth) and they were the best lawn trimmers. They were tame & would hide out under the deck if anything scary (like a strange person) came into the yard. We had to keep them separate from the other sheep. They trimmed every bush, regardless of whether it needed it. They also ate the meager attempt at a garden.

It would also be beneficial to make sure you don't have anything in your yard poisinous to the specie of choice. We had to get rid of a red maple.

I've heard goats are lots of work to keep enclosed, and those were comments were coming from people used to dealing with animals. Pgymy goats almost made it into our menagerie a few years ago, til I found out about the 15--18 year life span.

If you have a specific question about a specific specie we own....ask away.

[violinmom]

We have horses - they rip up the grass, so they are bad for lawnmowers. My neighbors all have goats, and based on what I see, there is no way we are getting any. They are constantly getting into our yard, and everyone elses! It's no guarantee they will graze where you want. They might like how one section tastes. My neighbors still have to mow because the goats, cows, horses don't necessarily graze where the grass is tallest.

 

So much easier to get a riding mower :) Unless of course you want them as pets, etc.

[Blessed with seven]

:iagree:

 

Flowers too. :glare:

 

They also LOVE to climb and play "king of the hill", so be sure your car is put away. :D

 

AND TREES and anything else you have around you do NOT want them eating.

[Orthodox6]

AND TREES and anything else you have around you do NOT want them eating.

 

Don't buy deer, either. My parents have to fence off any plant which they want to grow without being nibbled by all the deer.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

We have breedings ewes, lambs, llamas (male/female/gelded) and a pregnant alpaca & a gelded alpaca right now. Too many critters, quite frankly...and it all started out with 1 4H market lamb!!!

The llamas were 'give away.' The original guard llama, did in fact, guard the sheep. We watched him stand off coyotes. The kids show the llamas at the fair, lots of entertainment value.

One year, we had 2 bottle fed lambs (mother died in after birth) and they were the best lawn trimmers. They were tame & would hide out under the deck if anything scary (like a strange person) came into the yard. We had to keep them separate from the other sheep. They trimmed every bush, regardless of whether it needed it. They also ate the meager attempt at a garden.

It would also be beneficial to make sure you don't have anything in your yard poisinous to the specie of choice. We had to get rid of a red maple.

I've heard goats are lots of work to keep enclosed, and those were comments were coming from people used to dealing with animals. Pgymy goats almost made it into our menagerie a few years ago, til I found out about the 15--18 year life span.

If you have a specific question about a specific specie we own....ask away.

 

 

May I be so bold as to ask how much alpacas cost in your area? I looked into alpacas a few months ago and the prices listed started at $5,00 and went up considerably from there! :001_huh:

[Heidi]

Goats would rather eat trees than grass. They did do a good job getting the woody weeds out of the pasture.

 

I have one acre of pasture fenced in. I own seven nigerian dwarf goats and three sheep at this time (they're ALL due in April). I have to mow every couple of weeks still. Sheep would be better lawn mowers and they are a whole lot easier to keep than goats. They are hair sheep, so they don't have wool to shear. They taste fabulous as well. ;)

[Haiku]

I think it would be far less expensive and far less work to just hire someone to mow your lawn. Everyone I have ever known who has gotten an animal for lawn maintenance has regretted it.

 

Tara

[TwinMominTX]

I haven't read other responses so likely this has already been mentioned, but goats will generally eat upwards - ie trees, bushes, etc. This is their definite preference. They will eventually graze downwards - ie lawn, grass, but only after they have decimated the upper branches of everything they can get a hold of.

[Melissa in Australia]

Oh, no! We have been chased by attack geese, and they are perfect height to leave a huge bruise on your rear. I wish I had a video of when my husband and I were practically cornered by a flock. Maybe if they are tame, but be very careful with them.

geese don't chase their owners, only other people. They double up as watch dogs as well. Ours even bail up snakes.

 

we have 5 acres, with geese wondering around. We have a small fenced in area beside the house where the children use to play when they were younger. The geese cannot get in there. I remember when one of my ds was little, he was always trying to escape, he would climb over the fence , and scramble back in again as the geese came running. So they are also good child minders (joking)

 

If a goose chases you, hiss back. It is goose talk for I am not intimidated by you. If it keeps getting closer, reach out and gently grab its neck with 2 hands, and give it a gentle swirl around as you turn, then place it down and move back. If it comes again do it again. they quickly learn that you are the boss of the flock. Just watch out for its wings. they hurt more than the bite.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

 

If a goose chases you, hiss back. It is goose talk for I am not intimidated by you.

 

:lol: I wish we had known that. Nope, they weren't ours. You're right, they made great watch dogs.