Is Hiring Goats For Residential Weed Control A Realistic Option? Here's What We Found

When faced with a large piece of property to landscape, some people might joke that they wished they could buy goats to handle the work. It turns out that the use of goats for controlling vegetation is very much a thing, though. Also known as "goatscaping," people have been known to hire goats to graze on a variety of unwanted plants. The technique may work especially well in hard-to-reach areas like hillsides thanks to their exceptional sense of balance and wide-spreading toes. Before you consider getting a goat to get rid of weeds in your garden or yard, though, it's worth noting that goatscaping may be a more realistic solution for rural settings, farms, and pastures as opposed to smaller residential yards in suburban or urban areas.

Goatscaping offers a lot of potential benefits for weed control, particularly in farms and pastures. First, this method is considered less expensive than spraying weeds with herbicides or bulldozing them from such large plots of land. Goats can also help target and manage common invasive plants that crop up in these areas like cedar tree, autumn olive, and thistle weeds, while focusing more on brush over grass. While goat-induced weed control is primarily recommended as a practice for large plots of land and pastures, there have also been anecdotal reports of people using goats around residential homes as well. The problem is that goatscaping may not be the best option in all types of residential yards.

If you've ever wondered what goatscaping is and if you should rent a goat, the decision should be based on the type of land you have and your overall goals. The benefits of hiring goats to control weeds are well established. However, this method is primarily used in pastures and other large pieces of land. If you have a smaller yard in a suburban area, goatscaping may not be your best option. (Plus, having goats in lieu of traditional landscaping might be frowned upon by your neighbors and be among the ways your HOA could affect your backyard.)

Aside from the logistical problems with having goats in a residential backyard, there are also other downsides to consider with goatscaping. Overgrazing is one possibility that can occur when goats not only eat unwanted weeds, but inadvertently damage your sod, too. This can also affect the quality of soil if it's left exposed to the elements from a lack of sod. Ironically, you may experience even more weed growth on these exposed areas. Researchers also note that continuous grazing may be needed for best results, so simply hiring some goats for a residential yard on a short-term basis may not be a viable solution.

If you are wanting to try to hire goats for weed control, consider goatscaping as just one method you can use to manage weeds in your yard. It's also important to contact your HOA, if applicable, or else you may be faced with fines and inevitable angry letters from the organization.