Buying some land - what animal for clearing brush?

[kybares]

The first concern I have is whether or not you will be living at the property. Merely visiting it daily does not really count, unless you have very close family adjoining your property. The reason I say this is simple. No matter what livestock you have, if they can get out, they will. I have both Boer goats, and Angus cattle. I have been rotating the same livestock in and out of the same pastures for years. The first thing they do when put into a fresh pasture with grass to their bellies, is walk the fence. Every time! They cannot get out, yet they still show the intention. Being the new owner in the area, whatever you end up with, you don't want to start off on the wrong foot with your new neighbors. Chasing my own animals is bad enough, chasing someone else's while they are no where around is another story. Boer goats are far easier to fence than any other breed of goat that I know of. Mine declare anything from six feet down theirs. Small trees will be stripped of bark and die. If the ground is hilly, they do far less damage to the soil than cows. Goats must have a run-in shed to get out of inclement weather or you will quickly lose them. If not due to sickness, then to coyotes. While not intelligent, the do know coyotes stay out of barns for the most part. Cows trample brush, goats consume it. Cows graze grasses, goats browse like deer. (dry leaves, tree bark, grasses, weeds, saplings, a couple of bites of each before moving on to the other) Goats are also much easier to handle if you do not have handling facilities. That's good, because they do need feet trimmed and de-wormed 3-4 times a year. Not a bad job at all, they just require it. You can pick up goats or cows in the spring, then sell them late summer, and avoid the most labor intensive part of livestock ownership. Goats will definitely go places cows will not. Depends on the lay of your land. Hope it helps, and good luck whichever route you choose.

 

[IndianaSigma]

I do have access to mechanical equipment but I was looking for something that I can eat and turn into leather and knife handles when the job's done and a case uniloader doesn't taste too good.

Good point! Haha

 

[42769vette]

goat

 

[1911Shooter]

What are you planning on using the ground for after it is cleaned up? If you are planning on using it for recreation or building, then why dont you just pile up the underbrush and burn it. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it may be best and quickest way. I am in the daleville area and I will be laid off here for awhile so if you need any help clearing it out let me know. I am not looking to be paid, I just like helping people out while Im waiting to go back to work. It helps me stay active and in shape for when I have to be at work and perform well. The first time I was laid off I didnt do much and it killed me in the long run. So please feel free to contact me if you need any help.

 

[archy]

Hey folks,
Any particular critter recommendations?

Tim

Bushhog.

 

[stormaq]

Corriente cattle (ropin' cattle) do a pretty good job of cleaning up brush. If you have neighbors with rose bushes, avoid getting goats of any kind.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Appreciate the input guys. I will be living at it full time. 1911, appreciate the offer big time but it's in TN. Yeah, at some point I'll no longer be TiminMishawaka (guess I should have thought that name through....lol). I'll let you guys know how it progresses.

Tim

 

[Digital_photog]

Corriente cattle (ropin' cattle) do a pretty good job of cleaning up brush. If you have neighbors with rose bushes, avoid getting goats of any kind.

I would stay away from Corriente and go with longhorn. I have had both. Ropers like Corriente because they grow slower and don't get as large. The downside to that is that they never get much meat on the bones and aren't worth much for butcher. Longhorns will do just as good at cleaning up the land..... much better than goats... have had those too. Contrary to popular belief they do not eat anything. They are picky eaters.

 

[Marc]

i have 2 goats and 2 pigs and they took no time clearing the grass and weeds from their area. where abouts in indiana are you if you are close to me i can point in a good direction for some pygmy goats, or you could check on craigs list.

 

[jeremy]

a case uniloader doesn't taste too good.

Tastes better than most of the Goats I have eaten...
Plus it is far easier to maintain and possibly cheaper even to boot...

 

[davebone42]

How much ground are you clearing?

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Just 5 acres at first. Enough to get a cabin and small homestead going; garden, smithy, rabbit hutch, chicken house, guest cabin, etc.... I did carpentry for about 10 years so the building will be the easy part for me. I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid. Anyway, I got the idea from a local guy who keeps one of his fields "mowed" by using it for finishing sheep each year. I'd like to do something similar to that in the future but phase 1 is cleaning all this brush out. I've got my job to where I can work from home now and it makes no sense to live near a city when I really don't have to be near anything to keep working.

 

[! twitty]

Bovine are the way to go man! They will eat briers, thorns and every other type of vegetation. Not only that but they are fairly self efficient. And a bonus is you can slaughter/sell them when you are done with them.

 

[melensdad]

Hey folks,
I found my piece of earth I'm going to pick up and have a big project of clearing land ahead of me. It occurred to me I could get started on the trees and probably have some critters going to town on the brush and goats came to mind first. I've also met a woman who raised scottish highland cattle and said they eat scrub like goats. Have any of you done this? Any particular critter recommendations?

Tim

NO NORMAL SIZE HERD OF ANIMALS will actually clear the land. To achieve what you are talking about you will need to OVERPOPULATE the land to get it cleared.

 

[RockofStrength]

NO NORMAL SIZE HERD OF ANIMALS will actually clear the land. To achieve what you are talking about you will need to OVERPOPULATE the land to get it cleared.

Either that, or overpasture small parts of it at a time (i.e. fence off small portions and "overpopulate" with your normal sized herd).

 

[jeremy]

Either that, or overpasture small parts of it at a time (i.e. fence off small portions and "overpopulate" with your normal sized herd).

This....

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Either that, or overpasture small parts of it at a time (i.e. fence off small portions and "overpopulate" with your normal sized herd).

That's a dang good idea. Like the same principle as those mobile chicken coops. Will be easier to keep an eye on the buggers that way too.

 

[RockofStrength]

That's a dang good idea. Like the same principle as those mobile chicken coops. Will be easier to keep an eye on the buggers that way too.

Considering that doing that is actually a problem normally (the animals tend to destroy your pasture) I'd enjoy using that method while it works for you instead of against you.

If you have an area you're going to plant things in, leave the animals there for a long while until they've made the place barren. The manure and the destruction of all that vegetation will make it a great place for some raised beds.

 

[painmerchant]

I know I may be late to the conversation, but I recommend goats as well. page wire fences seem to keep em in pretty good as long as there are no holes or ditches going under it.

 

[jeremy]

Considering that doing that is actually a problem normally (the animals tend to destroy your pasture) I'd enjoy using that method while it works for you instead of against you.

If you have an area you're going to plant things in, leave the animals there for a long while until they've made the place barren. The manure and the destruction of all that vegetation will make it a great place for some raised beds.

Caveat to this....

With Goats try not to pasture them for longer than about 2 weeks in the same area if you are going to do this. Goats are EXTREMELY Sensitive to parasitic pressures and will quickly require Meds to counteract the problem. Also, try to allow 3 weeks, at a minimum, of idle time before allowing the goats onto the same pasture. This will cause a fair amount of the parasites to perish and help reduce the need for Meds...